[Bed Bug Supplement] News & Notes

City Agencies Collaborate with Firm to Deal with Bed Bug Infestation

On March 11, inspectors from the Inspectional Services Department, Public Health Commission and Environmental Health Services (Norwood, Mass.) came together to treat a local home’s bed bug infestation. The owner of the home is a disabled veteran and retired major (living on a fixed income).

The homeowner informed the inspection team that she started to experience this problem after receiving overnight guests from out of town. She did some online research and found the bugs were in fact bed bugs. She then tried to exterminate them by purchasing an “all natural” spray online which did not work and exasperated her asthma symptoms. The second floor rooms were infested with bed bugs due to the rising bed bug population.

Upon receiving notification of this issue, a team of inspectors from Inspectional Services Department (ISD) and the Boston Public Health Commission (BPHC) conducted a walk-through of the house and noted an infestation of bed bugs. Due to the extenuating circumstances of this case and the physical limitations of the homeowner, inspectors reached out to Environmental Health Services (EHS) and the pest management firm partnered with a treatment preparation company named House Works. These firms agreed to donate their services pro bono.

EHS administered thermal remediation (heat treatment).

House Works was responsible for bed bug preparation services.
 

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Trap and Lure Captures Bed Bugs More Effectively, Authors Say

www.entsoc.org
Three authors from the Rutgers University Department of Entomology — Narinderpal Singh, Changlu Wang and Richard Cooper — reported their findings on a new pitfall trap in “Effect of Trap Design, Chemical Lure, Carbon Dioxide Release Rate, and Source of Carbon Dioxide on Efficacy of Bed Bug Monitors” in the August 2013 edition of the Journal of Economic Entomology.

The pitfall trap designed to capture bed bugs is more effective than those currently on the market, the authors say. The authors also found traps baited with an experimental chemical lure mixture caught 2.2 times as many bed bugs as traps without the lure. Their findings suggest that an effective and affordable bed bug monitor can be made incorporating the new pitfall trap design, a chemical lure and a sugar-and-yeast mixture to produce carbon dioxide, which is also known to attract bed bugs.

The pitfall trap design was made with an inverted plastic dog bowl and the outer wall of the trap was covered with a layer of paper surgical tape that was dyed black. The lure mixture consisted of nonanal, 1-octen-3-ol, spearmint oil and coriander Egyptian oil. Various sources and levels of carbon dioxde also were tested as attractants.

The pitfall trap design caught significantly more (2.8-fold) bed bugs than a competitive trap, which the authors said is the most effective monitor currently available on the market. Traps with the experimental lure caught 2.2 times as many bed bugs as unbaited traps. Traps baited with carbon dioxide also caught higher numbers of bed bugs, and higher rates of released CO₂ were more effective than low rates. However, there were no significant differences between traps baited with CO2 derived from cylinders and CO₂ derived from sugar and yeast, which is less expensive to produce.

The authors conclude the pitfall trap design is more effective because it is much taller than other traps, which makes it more difficult for bed bugs to escape, and that the effectiveness can be further enhanced by adding attractants such as carbon dioxide, chemical lures or heat.
 

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2014 BedBug University Training Dates Announced

www.bedbuguniversity.com
BedBug University has announced dates for two training programs: the one- or two-day road show experience and the four-day boot camp experience.

In BedBug University’s four-day Boot Camp, attendees will learn the “no prep” bed bug protocol in a classroom setting and experience the no prep treatment protocol in real-life situations. In addition, a detailed exploration of many business opportunities associated with bed bugs will be discussed. The four-day boot camp will be Aug. 12-15 and Nov. 18-21 in Lawrenceville, N.J.

In the one- and two-day road shows, Jeffrey White and the firm’s instructors will teach PMPs to:

• Create, run and manage a successful bed bug program
• Offer a five-month “no bugs, no bites” guarantee
• Eliminate unnecessary client prep
• Earn CEUs
• Attend a vendor showcase

These events will be held on the following dates and locations:

• July 31-Aug. 1: 8 a.m. – 4 p.m., Austin, Texas
• Aug. 21: 8 a.m. – 4 p.m., Tualatin, Ore.
• Aug. 23: 8 a.m. – 4 p.m., Des Moines, Wash.

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IBISWorld Report Shows Bed Bug Bane is Boon for Industry

The rise of bed bugs across the United States that has left homeowners and business owners frustrated has been a boon for the pest control industry, which experienced heightened demand for its services, says a new report.

While bed bugs were typically confined to hotels and some residences in the past, today they pop up in a variety of spots, including movie theaters, offices and clothing stores. “The increased occurrence of these pests has led to substantial demand for pest exterminators and rising service prices,” said IBISWorld Industry Analyst Stephen Morea.

Heightened demand for bed bug extermination has caused the number of industry companies to rise. In the five years to 2013, the number of industry enterprises is expected to increase at an annualized rate of 2.2 percent to 22,533 companies, IBISWorld reports.

Rising demand and service prices have resulted in higher profit margins for pest control companies. “While profit margins declined slightly during the recession due to rising fuel expenses and price-based competition, heightened demand for industry services has favorably affected margins overall and allowed operators to pass on price increases to consumers,” Morea said.

Conditions are expected to further improve over the five years to 2018, with industry revenue forecasts to increase, the research firm says. Increased business and consumer spending will drive demand for regular inspections for pests.

Furthermore, with increased income, businesses and consumers will be less likely to opt for less expensive household products from home and garden stores. Instead, they will favor more effective and expensive professional pest management treatments, the researchers say. Housing sales and residential construction also are expected to rise, further supporting demand for fumigation services, IBISWorld reports.

For more information, visit www.ibisworld.com.
 

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BedBug Chasers Offer Franchising Opportunities
 

www.bedbugchasers.com
BedBug Chasers, the only nationally franchised provider of heat remediation services, is offering its services to the pest control industry.

BedBug Chasers offers turn-key subcontracted heat remediation services.

BedBug Chasers says it also provides specialized sales literature to help pest managemment professionals close the sale. The firm can provide comprehensive sales training at a firm’s location as well.

BedBug Chasers says it has the experience and capacity to handle whole house treatments, multi-unit apartment buildings and multi-floor commercial treatments, giving PMPs the confidence to handle any size project.

With the firm’s combination of company-owned offices and locally-owned franchises, BedBug Chasers is well positioned to support a variety of jobs, the firm says.

To find out more about the firm’s subcontracted heat remediation services, watch this video: www.youtube.com/watch?v=O0AbRyMEB8U.

Editor’s note: Suppliers and PMPs, if you have a bed bug control product or service you’d like to have highlighted in an upcoming issue, please send a press release and a high-resolution photo to jdorsch@giemedia.com.