[PCT Seminars] Bed bugs are back

You’ve read the headlines. Bed bugs represent one of the fastest-growing segments of the pest management industry, but this high-profile market is not without risk. If performed improperly, bed bug jobs can result in costly litigation and lost business.

Make sure you and your staff are properly trained in the biology and control of bed bugs, and attend an intensive one-day educational seminar sponsored by PCT magazine. The seminars take place in July and August in San Francisco; Washington, D.C.; and Atlanta. They will focus on how to identify and control bed bug infestations in a wide range of accounts including multi-family housing, hotels and motels, extended-care facilities, single-family homes and other residential and commercial establishments.

This cutting-edge seminar features the latest treatment techniques and research findings relating to this resurgent pest, an insect that continues to adapt and evolve, creating significant challenges for PCOs from coast-to-coast. Industry experts Dr. Michael Potter, extension entomologist, University of Kentucky; and Rick Cooper, technical director, Cooper Pest Solutions, Lawrenceville, N.J., will be on hand to offer their insights on the latest research and control methods.

Attendees also will benefit from the perspective of Christian Hardigree, a professor of law at the University of Nevada-Las Vegas, who will go over the legal ramifications of bed bugs.

“It’s still becoming chaotic and there’s absolutely no reason it’s going to become less chaotic,” Potter said of the general public’s impression of bed bugs. Since the tiny pests are hard to find and feed on people in the night, they can create a greater psychological impact than other pests.

Potter said he will discuss the history of bed bugs and how pest management professionals can learn from the past as they work to control this resurgent pest. Education, he said, is essential to success.

“It doesn’t fix the problem, but it does give some perspective,” he said.
He said he will present his take on new research on products and bed bug management methods. PCOs are having a hard time finding something that works consistently, he said. “Unfortunately, it’s not a real pretty picture,” he said. “There’s no silver bullet.”

Hardigree said bed bugs can create a litigious environment for pest management professionals: Hotels and other establishments can be quick to call service agreements into court if they find bed bugs. Further complicating things is that case law as it relates to bed bugs is hard to come by. Many cases are settled out of court, so judges have to look to cases that can date back to the 1800s.

Hardigree said she will provide PCOs with best practices on how they can protect themselves in this new niche market.

“I explain how all those things play together,” Hardigree said. “I’m not going to tell you what you want to hear, I’m going to tell you what I think is going to happen.”

Registration for the Bed Bug Seminars costs $179 per person; $159 for the second person from the same company as the first registrant; and $129 per person when registering three or more people from the same company.

The seminars run from 8:00 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. and include a continental breakfast, lunch, networking breaks, a panel discussion and open forum, and a sponsor display area. For more information on registration, contact Lola Wenham at 800/456-0707 or e-mail conference@giemedia.com. To register, visit www.bedbugseminars.com.

The seminars will include attendees from the pest management industry as well as public health officials, hospitality industry personnel, property managers and health care professionals. “The mix and discussion is so useful at these (events). None of us are shy,” Potter said. “It should be a really stimulating day.”

Sign up today

Registration for the Bed Bug Seminars costs $179 per person; $159 for the second person from the same company as the first registrant; and $129 per person when registering three or more people from the same company.

For more information on registration, contact Lola Wenham at 800/456-0707 or e-mail conference@giemedia.com. To register, visit www.bedbugseminars.com.

For more information

Check out www.pctonline.com for podcasts with the seminar’s speakers to preview their presentations and learn more about the latest on bed bugs.