Pest Management Professional, September 2015

SHEPErSPEctivE bed bugs i deally there will be no bugs seen once the treatment is completed but it is not uncommon for a few bugs to be found Lets look at the list of reasons this might happen along with steps that can be taken to prevent them 1 OccuPantS carriEd bugS Out witH tHEm and brOugHt tHEm rigHt back in aftEr tHE trEatmEnt waS cOmPlEtEd We can refer to these as lightening reintroductions because they happen so quickly This is usually the result of a heavy infestation combined with incomplete preparation We must ensure occupants understand what they are to do the day of the treatment and that they have the means or support to do it In heavily infested homes the occupants need to have new or freshly laundered clothing stored in an impervious container to put on while they vacate for treatment They may have walkers wheelchairs or scooters that are infested These should be inspected and de infested This can be done by providing clean equipment to use during that day or by de infesting the equipment at an alternate location during the treatment 2 an OccuPant fOr wOrk Or SOcial rEaSOnS rEgularly viSitS an infEStEd EnvirOnmEnt and bringS bugS HOmE For heavy and long standing infestations occupants may visit friends relatives or other places regularly These places might have become infested in previous months and now serve as a reservoir to re infest the freshly treated home These reservoirs must be identified before the treatment 3 a viSitOr tO tHE unit bringS in bEd bugS On tHEir PErSOn Anyone who lives in works in or regularly visits a heavy infestation can unknowingly transport bed bugs We as pest management professionals PMPs carry out bed bugs after we visit heavy infestations In communities with lots of bed bug activity any number of visitors may be bringing in bugs Even maintenance personnel might be carrying bed bugs 4 diSPErSing bugS tHat crawlEd in frOm a HEavily infEStEd nEarby unit As stated in Section 99 of the Best Management Practices from the National Pest Management Association NPMA adjacent units should always be inspected You can reach Sheperdigian at shep@ rosepest com Source BedBugBMPs org It is common while doing so to find even heavier infestations that have remained unreported Remember with condominiums poorly written bylaws might not allow the inspection of adjacent units without the co owners consent 5 tHE bugS wErE HarbOring in a PrOtEctEd arEa Of tHE unit and wErE nEvEr ExPOSEd tO lEtHal tEmPEraturES Heat treatments are complex operations that require numerous factors to be addressed to expose all areas harboring live bugs to lethal temperatures This can be problematic for treatments made during cold weather or in buildings constructed of concrete for example High winds in poorly sealed buildings might cause an airflow driven by exterior winds called the stack or the chimney effect whereby hot air is sucked out of a building the way a chimney works to By Mark Sheperdigian BCE Contributor what we have here is a failure to eradicate Live bugs found after a heat treatment survived the treatment or were reintroduced Making sure the occupants are prepared and then properly managing the heat will avoid most failed heat treatments 78 September 2015 Pest Management Professional mypmp net PHOTO Mark SHePerdigian Live bed bugs after a heat treatment does not necessarily indicate failure Live bed bugs after the heat treatment How can this be Is this a failure Continued on PagE 82