Pest Management Professional, August 2011

bedbug tales Lee Whitmore Beneficial Exterminating Elaine Yetzer Simon Contributor Lee Whitmore vice president of Hawthorne Calif based Beneficial Exterminating shares his insights about bedbugs Q Whats the largest bedbug infestation youve treated and what techniques did you use Whitmore The largest application weve done for bedbugs has been a 32 unit apartment building Almost all the units were infested and the buildings management tried to use conventional general pest techniques to eradicate the problem Management contracted with us to perform a fumigation to eradicate the problem That process lasted 35 days and involved preparatory town hall style meetings with all tenants We distributed preparatory checklists to everyone posted instruction sheets in the common areas and laundry rooms and set up check points to verify that when tenants left they didnt take belongings such as luggage which is part of the preparatory process I looked at another one unit for volumetric heat and it was infested so heavily that when I met the homeowner and he opened the door the lights were dim and it looked like the wall was moving behind him Once I entered I realized the shimmer was thousands of bedbugs on the wall moving from the light coming in from the front door They were scurrying up and down trying to get away I couldnt believe the infestation level These professional people had their pants rolled up so they could notice if they were crawling on their Web Exclusive Visit www audioacrobat com play WPHM8FTW to listen to PMPs complete interview with Whitmore legs They called after seeing the bloodstains on the sheets for weeks These two werent having the allergic reactions to the bites but the bites were occurring Needless to say we had to inspect all adjacent units and sure enough there was activity in those too Q Whats the most difficult bed bug infestation youve treated and how did you eliminate every one Whitmore For us thats different We offer subcontract volumetric heat and whole structure fumigation processes so generally by the time the call comes to our operation the problem has grown and theres been conventional application attempts to remove them Ive had instances in which weve had the same problem cant figure out where they are Ive assisted some of our clients and found them in the most peculiar of places in the inset screw holes in furniture turned upside down All of them seem to be living in one location Ive also been called out to a property and the customer continued to call He wanted us to fumigate the property but indicated he had no signs of activity The homeowner was convinced she had bedbugs and it seemed to be a case in which she was suffering from psychosomatic conditions There was no infestation Those are sad and difficult to deal with pmp Elaine Yetzer Simon can be reached at eysimon@ gmail com Lee Whitmores dos and donts Do Develop a written bed bug action plan Cover the inspection process procedures for documenting whats found what treatment techniques will be used the step by step decision making process qualitycontrol measures and standardized disclosures for building owners and clear preparatory instructions for the occupants Inspect thoroughly and document everything Charge enough to offer a thorough and comprehensive treatment Dont Overpromise and underdeliver Nothing a technician provides guarantees bedbugs wont re infest the property immediately Establish control policy contracts instead Assume that because tenants have been told what to do theyll comply Verify Ignore any callback or complaint Empathize with the customer and figure out where to go from there 28 August 2011 Pest Management Professional mypmp net