Pest Management Professional, February 2019

TIPS TRICKS CONTINUED FROM PAGE 66 BED BUGS The bed bugs would come out and bite him and then climb right back in Finding the source was an extremely time consuming project ConidioTec LLC By Dr Nina Jenkins CTO and Founder Bed bugs can be one of the most difficult pests to eradicate If customers are not made aware of these important points you may be setting yourself up for more callbacks than you anticipate Here is a simple checklist of what to discuss 1Where do you think the bed bugs came from If the source of infestation is likely to pose a threat of reintroduction this must be addressed 2Ensure that customers understand that the use of off the shelf products will increase the chances of failure 3Customers should not leave home or their usual bedroom after treatment Human occupation is important to keep the bugs moving 4Dont wipe or clean treated surfaces until the infestation has been eradicated 5Be patient All treatments other than heat take time to bring infestations under control Rockwell Labs By Dr Jamel Sandidge BCE Research Entomologist It is well established by university research that bed bugs have developed multiple resistance mechanisms to certain chemical treatments Some populations of bed bugs also have shown rapidly developing cross resistance to other classes of pesticides It is the responsibility of PMPs to help reduce the development of increasing pesticide resistance by rotating products often and by implementing mechanical and non chemical control methods into their programs Heat treatment cryogenic cold treatment desiccants such as silica gel and fungal spores are increasingly being used for knockdown and long term residual control However there are no silver bullets and each treatment should be thorough and complete Using a combination of physical mechanical biological and or chemical treatments can greatly increase your chances of success So next time you receive that dreaded callback review your records to determine which products you previously used Use a different product for the follow up service preferably one with an entirely different mode of action because simply rotating one product within the same class of chemistry for another will not likely improve results Zoëcon By Mel Whitson Senior Field Technical Services Manager The Spring Break travel season is near bringing with it a greater risk for bed bugs in hotels While this is the most common non residential site for treating bed bugs the focus tends to be on hotel rooms and beds However its important to remember other areas of the hotel that need to be considered when treating for bed bugs including Coat check A bed bug population can quickly explode here thanks to the frequency of coats coming in and all of the available hiding spots Remove and treat all articles of clothing and inspect all potential hiding spots such as dark corners and shelves or where carpet meets the wall Lobby seating areas Hotel lobbies are high traffic areas conducive to spreading bed bugs Make sure to thoroughly treat all areas of the furniture including the seat fabric and under the frames as well as the carpet Fitness center If the fitness center offers a locker room or other shared storage space for users to hold their belongings bed bugs can quickly move from one person to the next Treat these areas with a strong residual product to prevent them from returning Nisus Corp By Dr Reid Ipser Technical Services Director Here are three tips that too often are overlooked in bed bug service offerings CONTINUED ON PAGE 70 68 February 2019 Pest Management Professional mypmp net