Pest Management Professional, April 2012

technicalities BED BUGS M any companies offer service for this little creature which has taken the United States and world by storm However in my travels and discussions with pest management professionals PMPs I find the approaches used for bed bug control are as varied as are PMPs answers to the question What is integrated pest management IPM Every company and in some cases every service professional has an opinion about procedure or product choices for this service As you read industry trade magazines or attend industry association meetings youre bombarded with options And the kicker Each says theirs is best Bed bug service has many parts In many ways its similar to an old fashioned cockroach program Each of the parts by themselves wont solve the problem but when all are put together in the correct order PMPs are successful Inspection In depth inspection is the first step and one of the most critical steps to sound structural pest management How will you handle this Will you depend on visual inspections by a trained individual Will you use technology such as thermal imaging moisture meters and active or passive traps Will a bed bug scentdetecting canine be used Does DNA sampling have a place in your protocols Product selection Will you use a traditional pesticide a nonpesticide tool or a combination of both If your service philosophy is based on traditional chemical applications which active ingredient will you use What formula will provide control now and in the future Manufacturers have their products labeled for bed bugs and each has claims of how much better theirs is compared to others How will you decide which is the best If chemicals are used where will you apply them and in what manner Will you treat the mattresses or furniture with a pesticide Do fumigants have a place in your arsenal If your service is based on IPM and nonpesticide tools are employed which ones will you choose There are many options such as heat steam cold vacuums and physical barriers Which ones work and fit into your service plan How does the cost of these technologies work into your price model Is a combination of pesticide and nonpesticide products the best approach Monitors Which ones work and which ones are gimmicks Is there one that works 100 percent of the time Is 50 percent to 80 percent reliability good enough Are monitors used preservice postservice or both Where are they placed and how long do they need to stay in place Is a passive monitor better or worse than an active monitor Whats the difference when it comes to bed bugs Who reads the monitors and how is the data they provide analyzed and interpreted The bottom line Ever since I started controlling bed bugs in 1999 Ive used each of the aforementioned tools and many others They all work and they all dont it depends on many other factors They all have positives and negatives The point is to not get stuck on one and forget the others Each has its time and place Service for this insect requires significant planning and logical thinking to ensure success As I was told by one of my mentors years ago If you fail to plan you have planned to fail Carefully consider all options when putting your service plans together and constantly analyze and modify them The bed bug was with us when we lived in caves and chances are it will be here long after each of us has moved on Dr Austin Frishman always maintains we should never bet against the bug Thats particularly true with the bed bug pmp You can reach Meek international technical and training director for Orkin at fmeek@ rollins com Frank Meek Columnist The approaches used for bed bug control are as varied as are PMPs answers to the question What is IPM Bed bugs require complete arsenal Photo courtesy of Orkin LLC 50 April 2012 Pest Management Professional mypmp net