[Bed Bug Suppliment] Bed Bug News & Notes

Make Plans for BedBug Central’s North American Summit 2011

BedBug Central’s second annual North American Summit will be held Sept. 25-27, 2011, at the Hyatt Regency O’Hare, Rosemont, Ill.

The 2010 Summit sold out five weeks early. And while this year’s location is much larger, officials say they expect the 2011 Summit to sell out again. The 2010 summit garnered more than 1,500 media placements, from the 50+ journalists in attendance.

The in-depth 2011 summit format will allow pest management professionals to:

• Learn from dozens of leading entomologists, bed bug experts and other business and product specialists

• Dissect key topics in-depth, in interactive three-hour sessions

• Understand how to make the "business of bed bugs" really work

• Investigate the latest from bed bug industry suppliers at EXPOCentral

• Interact with experts, suppliers and your peers in sessions and networking events

• Benefit from password-protected access to speaker presentations (as available)

To reserve a spot for the 2011 event, visit www.nabedbugsummit2011.com.

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Central Life Sciences: Multi-Faceted Approach Necessary For Bed Bugs

While a challenge to control, pest management professionals need to take a broad-spectrum approach in working with customers to minimize bed bugs’ impact and limit opportunities for infestations, according to Central Life Sciences.

"No pest has shown a greater resilience than bed bugs and this influx of media stories underscores the importance of pest management professionals utilizing all the tools in their arsenals to help customers’ control infestations," said John Neberz, business manager of the Zoëcon division of Central Life Sciences. "Bed bugs can have a potentially substantial negative economic impact, and as a biting nuisance, can have an extremely debilitating effect on their victims. Pest management professionals need to provide education, prevention techniques and a portfolio of effective products to counter their spread."

A variety of methods and products can be used to treat bed bug infestations including low-odor sprays, dusts and aerosols. And, pest management professionals must provide customers with a pre-treatment checklist to ensure that once applied, the products have the opportunity to work effectively.

Neberz said vacuuming, steam cleaning and hot water laundering of bedding items are essential in residential environments. Reducing clutter is a necessity in all areas prone to bed bugs because items strewn about rooms or open areas afford many places for the insects to hide and impedes inspection and treatment. Customers should caulk cracks and crevices where the bugs can thrive, such as around floorboards and molding. Newer strategies such as "superheating" and mattress covers are additional tools to combat the pests.

In conjunction with customer control strategies, PMPs can utilize insect growth regulators (IGRs) such as Gentrol to combat bed bugs. Neberz explained that IGRs have a strong history in controlling a wide variety of insects and keep populations under control by breaking the life cycle and preventing infestations from rebounding.

Gentrol can be used in conjunction with an adulticide as part of a preventive IPM program, Central Life Science reports. The primary mode of Gentrol is to affect bed bug reproduction, resulting in lower populations that reduce the infestations.

Gentrol travels deep into wall cavities, cracks and crevices, reaching bed bugs that other treatments miss, and it provides up to 120 days of long-term control, the firm says. In addition, Gentrol is an odorless, non-repellent formulation that has an excellent toxicity profile and is approved for use in sensitive accounts.

Learn more about Central Life at www.zoecon.com.

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Blight of the Bed Bugs

As the bed bug onslaught continues, PMPs are ramping up treatment options. For instance, BASF has created a series of powerful tools to address the pests: Phantom termiticide-insecticide, Prescription Treatment brand Phantom pressurized insecticide and Prescription Treatment brand Alpine dust insecticide.

"If you had asked people about bed bugs five years ago, they would have thought you were talking about mythical creatures," said Jay Bruesch, technical director at Plunkett’s Pest Control in Fridley, Minn.

Plunkett’s follows an IPM model. First, they identify the insect and the severity of the infestation. They then apply multiple control approaches. Employees first remove excess clutter, reducing the bugs’ chances for hiding and surviving treatment. Plunkett’s then uses pesticides and heat treatments to finish the IPM treatment approach.

"We chose Phantom and Alpine because of their reputation as effective materials against bed bugs, and because these are not pyrethroids," Bruesch said. "Our technicians have reported excellent success with both Phantom and Alpine since we began using these products this spring."

Bed bugs can’t detect Phantom, so they repeatedly cross through treated areas. Prescription Treatment brand Alpine dust insecticide and pressurized insecticide from BASF feature dinotefuran, which has been granted Reduced Risk status for public health use by the EPA.

"We do a pre-application of pesticides along the carpet edge because bed bugs love to hide there. This will kill any bed bugs under the carpet pad, where heat can’t reach them," Bruesch said.

After pesticide applications, Plunkett’s turns up the heat — up to 140 degrees. They bring in heaters to raise the room’s temperature for four to five hours, while employees "stir" the rooms — moving everything from clothing to furniture to ensure the heat is evenly distributed. With a degradation temperature of 183 degrees, Phantom can stand up to the heat.

The heat treatment is followed by a second application of pesticide to ensure no bugs are missed.

To locate a BASF sales representative, visit www.pestcontrol.basf.us.

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New ThermaPureHeat Patent Awarded

ThermaPure has been awarded another U.S. patent for its ThermaPureHeat treatment, designed to kill bed bugs and their eggs throughout a structure in a single treatment. Additionally, the use of silica-based products provides a synergistic and residual effect to kill bed bugs that may be reintroduced to the premises. The ThermaPureHeat process uses a combination of carefully applied and monitored heat, air circulation and air filtration to penetrate the structure — including wall cavities, structural members, and cracks and crevices — with a level of heat that is lethal to bed bugs and their eggs, normally with just a single application, the firm says. The patent also includes the application of silica gels as part of a ThermaPureHeat treatment as a preventive measure against bed bugs being reintroduced to the structure. The gels serve as absorbents or irritants to damage the waxy outer coating of the bugs, which are then highly susceptible to dehydration and death.

In addition to eliminating bed bugs, the "green" process also sanitizes the structure by killing bacteria, many viruses, numerous types of mold and many insects, the company says. ThermaPureHeat also oxidizes odors, and denatures many allergens. According to ThermaPure, patented ThermaPureHeat also reduces many volatile organic compounds, including formaldehyde, which is often found in prefabricated structures, such as portable school classrooms, as well as in some building materials.

Learn more at www.thermapure.com.

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Allergy Technologies’ Mattress Liners

ActiveGuard Mattress Liners from Allergy Technologies are designed to kill bed bugs within 72 hours. The thin, comfortable, odorless mattress liners work fast against bed bugs and are designed as an alternative to encasements, the company says.

According to Allergy Technologies, ActiveGuard mattress liners are easy-to-install and they deliver a slow-release formulation that kills bed bugs and dust mites in mattresses and box springs for up to two years. With four sizes accommodating most mattresses, PMPs can integrate these impregnated liners immediately into their initial bed bug control strategy without the sizing delays associated with encasements, the company says. ActiveGuard liners can be used in homes, apartments, hotels, college dormitories and a variety of other housing types.

The company says ActiveGuard is a preventive standalone tool that continues to kill newly introduced bed bugs beyond the life cycle of this pest. Furthermore, the company says ActiveGuard mattress liners have been lab and field tested on a variety of bed bug strains.

Visit www.allergytechnologies.com.

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EPA Pesticide Database to Aid Consumers in Controlling Bed Bugs

To help people find an appropriate pesticide for use on bed bugs, as well as information on the products PMPs are using in their homes and businesses, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has created a new database listing all pesticides registered for this purpose. The new search tool lets consumers review EPA-registered bed bug products.

"This new database will help Americans select a safe, EPA-approved pesticide to help rid their home of bed bugs," said Steve Owens, assistant administrator for EPA’s Office of Chemical Safety and Pollution Prevention. "While this tool ensures a safer way of dealing with bed bugs, chemical pesticides are most effective when used properly and in conjunction with practical steps like reducing clutter, covering mattresses, vacuuming and other methods."

Pesticides are one of many tools that can be used in combating bed bug infestations. When used in a comprehensive approach that combines vigilance in monitoring, integrated pest management techniques, and other non-chemical control methods, registered pesticide products can help control a bed bug infestation.

There are more than 300 different products registered by EPA for use against bed bugs. This new product search will allow PMPs and consumers to find bed bug products by company, name, EPA registration number, active ingredient, and place of application.

Search the bed bug pesticides database at http://www.epa.gov/bedbugs/productsearch

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ThermEx Offers Quiet, Chemical-Free Approach

Hotels and other multi-unit facilities battling bed bugs now have an effective, chemical-free alternative with the ThermEx Heat Remediation Solution developed by Chromalox, a manufacturer of electric heat and control products, and Massey Services.

ThermEx Heat Remediation Solution includes a Chromalox custom heating unit and comprehensive technical training by Massey Services. The Chromalox unit heats the room to targeted temperature range, which kills bed bugs at all stages of development — egg, larvae, pupae and adult. A patent application is pending for the Chromalox unit.

"The resurgence of bed bugs has created a serious problem for hotels and other facilities in recent years, and ThermEx provides a research-based approach to eliminating them," said Christopher Molnar, Chromalox director of application engineering – process solutions. "Equally important, ThermEx provides an answer for many facilities and pest management firms that are seeking ‘green,’ chemical-free solutions that respond to concerns of environmentalists, customers and the general public."

ThermEx says its heat remediation takes 48 hours.

An in-depth white paper, providing background on heat remediation strategies may be downloaded at www.therm-ex.com.

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Nationwide Charitable Holiday Bed Bug Treatment Program

This holiday season, BedBug Central coordinated with pest control companies across the country to provide charitable bed bug services for those who are suffering from bed bug infestations and do not have the means to improve their situation

The charitable event was titled, "Taking the Bite Out of the Holidays," and was organized by BedBug Central, an information resource developed by entomologists to provide accurate information about bed bugs to the public and organizations.

The charitable event was created by research entomologist Jeffrey White of BedBug Central. Having researched bed bugs for more than 10 years, White has been particularly concerned with the rising cost of bed bug treatments.

"Bed bugs can be very expensive to eliminate. This holiday season we wanted to give back to the community and provide some relief to those in need so that they can use their money to create a happier holiday without the frustration of dealing with bed bugs," said White.

BedBug Central recruited reputable pest management firms in states extending from New York to Oregon to donate free bed bug services to those in financial need.

By coordinating with pest management firms across the country, BedBug Central will make the holiday program a national event with local impact. The goal of the program is to encourage businesses across the nation to give back to the communities they service.

Recipients were announced in late November and treatments were mid-December.

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Wake-Up Call: Bed Bugs Migrate into the Workplace

New analysis of Atlanta-based Orkin’s commercial bed bug treatments over the past 10 years reveals that bed bugs, initially confined to the hospitality industry, have steadily increased their presence in multifamily and, more recently, commercial real estate properties.

With the hospitality and multifamily industries on the front lines of the bed bug resurgence, the potential for business travelers and apartment-dwelling employees to pick up bed bugs and bring them into the office has greatly increased. Orkin conducted a survey with the Building Owners and Managers Association (BOMA) International in early 2010 and found that one in 10 respondents reported bed bug incidents in a commercial property.

"Ten percent may not sound significant at first," said Ron Harrison, Ph.D., Orkin’s director of technical services. "But it is a concerning statistic when you consider that these properties don’t represent the typical bed bug habitat — a place where people sleep."

Harrison spoke at the BOMA International annual conference in June to address the impending threat to commercial property managers and building owners, noting that Orkin’s bed bug treatments in commercial properties more than tripled from 2008 to 2009.

"At BOMA International, we felt it was important to be proactive in presenting this information to our members," said BOMA Senior Vice President Patricia M. Areno, CAE. "Commercial real estate leaders have the opportunity to educate themselves and their tenants to prepare for a possible bed bug epidemic."

Nationally, Orkin saw bed bug treatments double from 2008 to 2009, a trend it expects to continue. While New York City has been in the news recently for its efforts to curb bed bugs, the top five hot spots for bed bug activity, according to Orkin treatment data, are Cincinnati and Columbus, Ohio, followed by Chicago, Denver and Detroit.

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Heat Assault Easy to Use

The Heat Assault is a heat insect eradication system that is designed for ease of use and requires no special licensing to operate. The Heat Assault system can be powered by earth-friendly bio diesel. The system provides 500,000 BTU/h of heat that will eradicate any bed bugs and their un-hatched eggs and larvae, the manufacturer says. The heat will penetrate all forms of furniture including dresser drawers, mattresses, box springs, etc. The Heat Assault can be used by loading commodities into a container and applying heat within the container or can be used effectively on site by placing portable heaters in appropriate areas throughout an infested building. It can be used in food manufacturing or food storage plants which is great news for organic institutions, the manufacturer says.

Visit www.heat-assault.com for more about Heat Assault.

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