As pest professionals we are often asked for advice on various pest issues and circumstances. This article provides information which may be suitable for use when such queries come your way.

The following article was written at the request of a bed bug victim. Each day numerous bed bug victims seek information from online sources in search of answers to their bed bug related questions. One of the most commonly asked questions may be how do we move from a bed bug infested location without bringing bed bugs with us? While this may seem like a simple question, with bed bugs it seems there are no simple answers.

(more…)

Since beginning as a licensed applicator in 1976, it’s clear that I’ve been doing pest work a long time. Pest pros see all sorts of things when working in customer’s homes but it was when working as a pest management consultant on a bed bug remediation project that an incident happened that would forever set the tone for how I conducted bed bug work from that day forward.

I received a call seeking assistance at a large apartment complex.  The call was from the property owner who had been referred to me by an industry colleague.  Our initial conversation indicated that the apartment complex was experiencing a long-standing bed bug situation of at least four years and that it had progressively worsened.  They were on their fourth pest company.  They had simply had enough and were at their wits end.  During the conversation, an action plan regarding the necessary remediation work was discussed and agreed upon.

I. Bed bugs do what bed bugs do.

We need to remember and consider that bed bugs continue to do what bed bugs do. Bed bugs are insects. We are aware of the biology, behavior and capabilities of these creatures. Basically, bed bugs hide, emerge when their hosts are sleeping or at rest, feed, go back to hiding, defecate leaving fecal stains, mate or copulate, females lay eggs, develop, molt leaving shed skins, and basically do what bed bugs do.

Biologically we know the bed bug life cycle, development process, egg laying capacity, that they feed exclusively on blood and other such related factors. We know that these biological factors must be well considered for the overall success of our bed bug prevention and management program efforts.

Bed bugs are still here and still getting the lion’s share of the industry’s attention. At the recent industry conferences nearly the majority of presentations are about bed bugs. While media attention has seemingly waned, pest professionals report that their bed bug work has either grown over prior year, remained about the same and has continued to keep them busy. Bed bug related product introductions have slowed despite that bed bug focused product development work continues at various labs and workshops across the country.

Below are some Do’s & Don’ts related to Bed Bugs for your review and consideration:

Traveling and visiting healthcare, social services and other such professionals are subject to the conditions encountered at the abodes of their client’s on a daily basis.  While we’d like to assume that all such locations are neat, clean and tidy, the truth is that this is not the case and these visiting professionals often encounter varying degrees of sanitation as well as the presence of various pests. Requests for suggestions on preventative measures regarding bed bugs have become a common request which is the very reason this article has been written.

Bed bugs are crypto-biotic creatures.  They are often difficult to find until such time that the infestation has grown to significant proportions.  They are adept hitchhikers and are transported inadvertently by man from place to place. That this commonly occurs makes visiting healthcare, social and other service professionals susceptible to picking up bed bugs on a daily basis should their work take them to an infested location.  While these visiting professionals may bring bed bugs home with them, they may also inadvertently transport bed bugs from client to client location as well. Clearly, visiting professionals are well served to adopt viable and effective preventative steps which will serve to protect them and their clients from bed bugs.

Handling Mystery Bite Situations

You’re traveling through another dimension, a dimension not only of sight and sound but of mind. A journey into an entomological land whose boundaries are only that of the imagination. The signpost up ahead marks your next stop, the Bed Bug Mystery Bite Zone . . .

This article will discuss mystery bite situations and how these situations may be successfully handled in the field in consideration of both the consumer and the pest professional perspective.