News and Notes

Now Available: ‘Your Guide To Bed Bugs’ Handout — 2015 Edition

The PCT Media Group is proud to announce the availability of the newly revised “Your Guide to Bed Bugs” handout.

Sponsored by Heat Assault, this handy digest-size publication, written by one of the country’s leading bed bug experts, Dr. Michael Potter, is now available for purchase from the PCT bookstore.

The 2015 edition of this 12-page piece has been fully updated with new text and photos. This hand-out is designed to educate stakeholders and enlist their support before battling bed bugs in their structures.

Topics covered include:

• Bed Bug Characteristics
• Bites/Health Concerns
• How Infestations Occur
• Tips for Controlling Infestations
• Tips for Preventing Infestations
Specific Tips for At-Risk Groups

Prices range from 35 to 50 cents a copy, depending on quantity. For more information, visit http://store.pctonline.com/en/your-guide-to-bed-bugs or call 800/456-0707.

BedBug Central Launches e-Learning Series

BedBug University is now offering online training to pest control companies and commercial property managers.

The new e-Learning Series is being produced by BedBug University (BBU), the educational arm of BedBug Central, which has already provided training to hundreds of pest control and property management companies via four-day boot camps in New Jersey and two-day road shows at sites around the country.

“I am wowed by the sophistication and educational philosophy of the BedBug: University e-Learning Series,” said Gary Nielsen, director of training with JP Pest Services in Milford, N.H. “These modules will not only serve to train new technicians and general staff, but as a re-educational tool for veteran bed bug technicians.”

Each of the first three online modules is about 30 minutes long. Taken together, they address bed bug biology and behavior, treatment tools and protocols, and monitoring for bed bugs. Also included are insights into BedBug Central’s “Limited Prep” approach and how to leverage monitoring programs as a revenue source. Additional modules on the business aspects of a successful bed bug program are being developed for release in 2016.

Companies can purchase the online training for individual employees or through a site license for multiple users. For more information visit www.bedbug central.com/bedbuguniversity.

Study Examines Bed Bug Movement Between Apartments

Rutgers University researchers, Drs. Richard Cooper, Changlu Wang and Narinderpal Singh, investigated bed bug movement within and between apartments to see how far bed bugs moved in this setting. The report, titled “Mark-Release-Recapture Reveals Extensive Movement of Bed Bugs (Cimex lectularius L.) Within and Between Apartments” appears in the Sept. 9, 2015, issue of PLOS One.

An abstract follows:

Understanding movement and dispersal of the common bed bug (Cimex lectularius L.) under field conditions is important in the control of infestations and for managing the spread of bed bugs to new locations. We investigated bed bug movement within and between apartments using mark-release-recapture (m-r-r) technique combined with apartment-wide monitoring using pitfall-style interceptors. Bed bugs were collected, marked and released in six apartments. The distribution of marked and unmarked bed bugs in these apartments and their 24 neighboring units were monitored over 32 days. Extensive movement of marked bed bugs within and between apartments occurred regardless of the number of bed bugs released or presence/absence of a host. Comparison of marked and unmarked bed bug distributions confirms that the extensive bed bug activity observed was not an artifact of the m-r-r technique used. Marked bed bugs were recovered in apartments neighboring five of six m-r-r apartments. Their dispersal rates at 14 or 15 days were 0.0-5.0 percent. The estimated number of bed bugs per apartment in the six m-r-r apartments was 2,433 — 14,291 at 4-7 days after release. Longevity of bed bugs in the absence of a host was recorded in a vacant apartment. Marked large nymphs (3rd-5th instar), adult females and adult males continued to be recovered up to 57, 113 and 134 days after host absence, respectively. Among the naturally existing unmarked bed bugs, unfed small nymphs (1st-2nd instar) were recovered up to 134 days; large nymphs and adults were still found at 155 days when the study ended. Our findings provide important insight into the behavioral ecology of bed bugs in infested apartments and have significant implications in regards to eradication programs and managing the spread of bed bugs within multi-occupancy dwellings.

Read the study online at http://bit.ly/2159IAz.

Infographic Details Risks of Bed Bugs, Dust Mites

Memory foam mattress retailer Dormeo this past summer released an infographic detailing the risks of bed bugs, dust mites and a lack of cleanliness in bedrooms.

A representative from Dormeo said the infographic would act as a “helpful reference guide for those who underestimate the dangers that may be hiding in the bedroom.” He added: “Breathing problems and itchiness may be warning signs that your bedroom is harboring unwanted guests,” and that their compilation of statistics would “help people to rethink their attitudes towards keeping their bedroom clean.”

The infographic can be found in its entirety at http://dormeo.co.uk/bedbugs/.

Dormeo is a memory foam mattress retailer owned by Slovenia-based e-commerce company Studio Moderna. Dormeo began in Italy in 2002, and has since produced bed and bathroom products for customers in 40 countries.