Check out the new “Bed Bug Supplement” in August’s PCT: Bed Bugs: A Market Opportunity, Pest Control Technology Magazine – August 2009.

I know: the title grates on us.

It’s hard to think of your itchy, costly nightmare with a blood-sucking parasite as someone else’s “market opportunity,” but it is to our advantage as bed bug sufferers if pest control companies take their work seriously, and become as educated as they can about bed bugs.

Inside the supplement, “Bed Bugs: Vectors of Human Disease?” by Jerome Goddard, “Bed Bug Business Concerns,” (an excerpt from the Bed Bug Handbook by Lawrence Pinto, Richard Cooper, and Sandra Kraft), and some new product information under “Bed Bug BYTES” (including a free “Bed Bugs: a Public Health Pest” poster by Bayer, in Spanish and English).

By far the most interesting item to our readers (and the most helpful to PCOs, in my opinion) will be Jerome Goddard’s article, with its tables showing bed bug bite reactions, the potential for disease transmission, and treatments for bed bug bites, all as noted by various researchers.

The section entitled “Bite Reactions” (54) is particularly important for pest professionals to read; you’d be surprised how many PCOs still think that everyone reacts to bed bug bites.  And yet, as Goddard notes,

It seems that the usual response to a bed bug bite appears to be no reaction with a barely visible punctum at the location of the bite.

(Emphasis mine.)

Many pest control techs assume only the room in which a person complaining of bed bug bites sleeps is infested.  These under-informed types probably also don’t read PCT, but hopefully their employers do.

Keeping in mind that this is all aimed at the PCO market, it is good to see well-researched information being conveyed about bed bugs, reactions to bed bug bites, and the potential of bed bugs as a disease vector.Similar Posts:

• What percentage of people react to bed bug bites?
• New York Times Health article on bed bugs: bed bugs bite
• Bed Bugs and Public Health
• North Carolina shelter with bed bugs: outlook grim
• Don’t Let the Bed Bugs Bite Act of 2009: new and improved

I think the news media should cover bed bugs more, not less.

However, sometimes I am frustrated by the information readers are given.

For example, a new article from KVAL in Eugene, Oregon states,

A key place to look in your home is the edge of your mattress.

“This will be the first place you check when you peel this back,” Lamm said. “This will be loaded with eggs.” Lamm said.

Really?!?  It that always so? It wasn’t in my case, nor in many others. (”Lamm,” by the way, is Joseph Lamm from Mr. Bug Pest Control in Eugene.)

It’s not that you necessarily won’t have “loads” of eggs underneath your mattress.

But if I had a dollar for every person who flipped their mattress back to find absolutely nothing obvious — no live bed bugs, no obvious fecal stains, no bed bug eggs — well, I would be a very rich gal right now.

The danger is that –having flipped the mattress back and seen no bed bug eggs — Eugene residents may simply say, “Well, I guess I don’t have bed bugs.”

When, in fact, they certainly might.

The amount of bed bug evidence you find is going to depend on how long you have had bed bugs.  It can be a little, or a lot.

It may even be very difficult to detect, especially for someone with no experience.

And where you find this evidence may vary.  The bed is a good place to start, to be sure, but there may be other harborages.

The article is not a bad one, but contains other statements which may mislead those who do not know if they have bed bugs or not.

Take, as a second example, the title of the article, another quote from Mr. Lamm:

Well, um, maybe.

But bed bug bites can cause a variety of reactions, from nothing, to small pink bite marks, to large red welts, to scabby bites that look like scratches. Bites may be in lines, or rows, or triangles, or they may be single, isolated bite marks.

Readers may rule themselves out as not having bed bugs if they don’t see the signs this PCO is implying are the usual.

See: ‘You will actually have lines down your side like a feeding trough’ | KVAL CBS 13 – News, Weather and Sports – Eugene, OR – Eugene, Oregon | Health.Similar Posts:

• Article on Lou Sorkin’s work in forensic entomology
• Animal Planet’s “Monsters Inside Me” episode on bed bugs
• Apartment Therapy on bed bugs, bed bug sniffing dogs
• Building with bed bugs hosts polling station this week
• Steven Kells: bed bugs “could almost be considered like a disease themselves”

The NYC Pest Control Operator known as KillerQueen on our Bedbugger Forums is, in fact, John Furman, who runs Boot-a-Pest.

The hardest working bed bug activist and blogger, Renee Corea, did a nice in-depth interview with him over on New York vs. Bed Bugs.

Furman’s magic secret may be his belief in careful, detailed inspections:

The inspection for bed bugs takes time. Not 10 or 15 minutes either. My inspections for low level infestations take an hour and a half or more. I don’t do free inspections and if you have a problem, I will usually find it. I turn furniture upside down, I remove the batting on your box spring, and I spend a half hour just looking at your bed. I check behind pictures, pull the edges of carpeting up, etc. This type of inspection and service I can’t do for free.

But the importance of a thorough inspection is paramount. I have done inspections for people suffering from fleas, carpet beetles, etc. they insisted they had bed bugs but no evidence proved there suspicions. They were confident in my findings and moved on to resolve the true problem at hand.

Many PCOs will search for bed bugs, but readers regularly report their inspections lasted for fifteen minutes or less. Some people watch as a PCO pokes around for ten minutes before declaring them “bed bug free.”

Some people, of course, don’t have bed bugs. But the industry really needs to face the fact that cursory “inspections” won’t do.

The next step for many who have such a cursory inspection, but who cannot determine any other reason for their skin problems, is to bring a bed bug k9 team in to inspect. And dogs can be a real help in many cases.

Here’s the problem: if your dog alerts to bed bugs, but the PCO who subsequently comes in to treat still does not inspect carefully, won’t it be difficult to make sure all harborages are detected and treated?

Be sure and read the rest of Renee’s discussion with John Furman, here.Similar Posts:

• Footage from the recent New York Pest Expo: Bed Bug Edition
• Bed bug sniffing dogs abound
• Brief report on Seattle NPMA Bed Bug Symposium; bed bug dog awareness among customers
• Boston University dorm residents bitten by bed bugs
• Seattle Housing Authority, you are smart about bed bugs

I don’t have enough time at this moment to do much commentary on this, but I want to point you to New York vs. Bed Bugs, where Renee of New York vs. Bed Bugs posted a new podcast with David Cain of Bed Bugs Limited (many readers will also know David from our Bedbugger forums, both for his knowledge of bed bugs and his sense of humor).

Among other things, the discussion covers David’s recent London Bed Bug Survey, and various types of bed bug monitors.

Thanks to Renee, and to David!Similar Posts:

• Post-recall, Nightwatch good to go

It was the Farmington, New Mexico Days Inn that hotel guests claimed had the recent bed bug troubles.

But KOB reports that the local Best Western is now publicizing their pro-active campaign against bed bugs. They say exterminators are coming once a month and spraying when needed. The video (below) shows Ladybug Pest Control peering into the cracks where the floor meets the wall, and looking closely at overturned box springs.

Note to hoteliers: being seen to be pro-active about bed bugs is good for business.

See the video on this story, from KOB, below.

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HealthDay News (part of U.S. News and Word Report) reports that

Between 2001 and 2006, commercial “bug bomb” insect deterrents caused 466 cases of acute pesticide-related illness or injury in eight states, U.S. researchers reported Thursday.

Presumably many more cases have happened in the other 42 US states and in other countries.

We have been told these types of foggers do not work with bed bugs and may actually spread bed bugs further and deeper into homes.

But they’re also potentially dangerous.

We encourage you to find a professional who knows how to treat bed bugs safely, and not to experiment with bug bombs.

We are also reminded that one of the potential negative “health hazards” presented by bed bugs is the danger of misuse of pesticides.Similar Posts:

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Editor’s note:

Miranda sent us an update today. You can read the first part of her story here. When we last heard from Miranda, a PCO tech (called Ariel) had promised her a second, thorough, bed bug treatment from her original tech (Caliban) in her apartment in a multi-unit building.

Rated PG [language]

————————–

Miranda’s story, part 2

Now, Caliban was supposed to come to my apartment at 6:00 last night to do a follow-up, per Ariel.

According to Caliban, though, Ariel was supposed to have treated five other apartments on Saturday, but instead sat on my couch shooting the shit about Madonna with me. So, to cover his ass, he had to double-book himself and Caliban on Monday and today. Caliban called and told me about this ahead of time but told me I couldn’t tell Ariel that Caliban had warned me that he was no longer scheduled to treat my apartment. Caliban assumed that Ariel would call me to reschedule and told me to insist that someone do my follow-up last night, because it was only right.

I never received a call from Ariel, so at 6:05 last night, I called him. He did not answer. I left a message saying I just wanted to make sure someone was coming to do my follow-up, because it was after 6:00 and no one had arrived. By 6:35, no one had called and no one had shown up.
I called Caliban. He told me he’d come to do the follow-up tonight even if he didn’t get paid for it, because this was not right.

Caliban showed up tonight looking almost exactly like Ariel did on Saturday, minus the chest hair. He had on nice jeans, black shoes, a nice button-down shirt, and he reeked (absolutely reeked) of cologne. And he was holding a single can of D-Force. I couldn’t make this shit up if you paid me, I swear it.

He took one look at my sweats and ratty hair (rainy commute) and then barely acknowledged me again, except to tell me that he was not getting paid for this because his boss does not like to do follow-up treatments. He said that’s because his boss only gets paid for the first visit, so he tries to avoid coming back to do the free follow-up — it’s a waste of time and money.

He sprayed the underside of my mattress and the top and underside of my box springs (all encased) and then he sprayed my bed frame, set the can of D-Force on my bedroom floor, and said goodbye. I was really unnerved at that point– I was probably more frightened than anything, simply because I’d realized that this man was in my home on his own time, saturated in cologne, and all dressed up for SOMETHING. So all I said as he walked out the door was “What do I do if I get bit again?”. He said “You won’t. I don’t know why you’re getting bites now! I sprayed the hell out of this place the first time I was here; you shouldn’t be getting bites anymore anyway. You won’t.” He did turn to me, though, as he was walking out the door, and said “Give me a call anytime.” He smiled and winked and then he was gone.

So I proceeded to do what any normal girl would do in this situation. I mean, my landlord tried to blame me for “bringing them in” and I had to fight tooth and nail to get him to pay for this (which, for the record, cost him a whopping $160.00)! And now I know there’s no way I’m getting Caliban back in here without some sort of exchange that has nothing to do with money at all. So, I donned the rubber gloves and gas mask I’d purchased in anticipation of this exact scenario, I grabbed the can of D-Force Caliban left and the other can that Ariel had left on Saturday (presumably to go back to the office empty-handed), and I treated the place myself.

Here, my friends, is a classic example of a person who is desperate (tomorrow marks fourteen days since my first treatment; I am allergic to bed bug bites and am swelling and have hives in all sorts of fun places) taking matters into her own hands and potentially misusing toxic pesticides.

—————————–

Editor’s note:

Bedbugger.com does not recommend self-treatment for bed bugs. We simply think a well-trained pest control operator who knows bed bugs can do a better job, more efficiently, and avoid spreading the problem further.

We know people can harm themselves with pesticides or make their bed bug problems worse.

That said, we are immensely frustrated to hear stories like this from Bedbugger readers. Miranda lives in a locality where landlords are required by law to eliminate bed bugs. However, simply requiring landlords provide bed bug treatment is perhaps not explicit enough.

People with bed bugs need appropriate, aggressive treatment (and inspections of adjacent units, with treatment if necessary). Remember, Miranda told us in her last letter that she had “seen and photographed four mattresses and box springs discarded beside our building dumpsters” in the past week. Are others getting inspections? Treatment? Similar Posts:

• A visit from the PCO to treat bed bugs (first-person account from Miranda)
• A reader’s bed bug story
• Bed bugs in a senior apartment building in San Diego
• More bed bug treatments in Lexington’s Ballard Griffith senior apartments
• Fox Chicago engages with the tenants vs. landlords bed bug blame game

Dear Readers,

A Bedbugger has agreed to let me share this story of her recent treatment by a Pest Control Operator for bed bugs.

Reader “Miranda” wrote the epistle below (which she emailed me) and I took the liberty of changing names to protect the parties involved.

Sensitive readers, please be warned, the item below contains a small amount of “language” (Miranda’s, but not nearly as much as you might expect, given the scenario that unfolds), and an ignorant racist statement (heard by Miranda, certainly not made by her, or us).

Lots of tempest, no teacup.

Enjoy. And thanks to Miranda for the excellent reportage.

nobugs, your Editor

—————————————————————————

Dear nobugs,

I scheduled my follow-up appointment with the PCO for today. Here’s how my day went today:

-woke up at 8:22 am to a phone call from the president and owner of PCO company, who informed me that his tech “Caliban” had searched my apartment “from top to bottom” when he was here the first time (mind you, the guy was here for a grand total of 35 minutes) and he didn’t find any bed bugs, so unless I could produce a specimen when they arrived this afternoon, they weren’t treating

-when I said that I would have a specimen ready and waiting, he said “So if I show up with my tech today, you’ll be able to show me a bed bug?” I said that I would.

-he then said that he couldn’t understand why I still had bed bugs after his tech had inspected and treated so thoroughly (once); he said that I must be “bringing them in on [my] shoes”

-I said that I assumed, considering that I’d seen and photographed four mattresses and box springs discarded beside our building dumpsters THIS WEEK, that they were probably in our building and spreading through the walls

-he said “Hummmmmmmmmmmmmph. I’ll see you at 1:00 then” and hung up on me

-at 1:00 PM, my phone rang, and a person identifying himself as a PCO from the company asked to be let in (not my original tech)

-I answered the door to find a man dressed in black dress pants, really expensive black dress shoes, and a half-buttoned black sweater that emphasized not only his chest hair but also several gold chains, wielding a single can of D-Force, who identified himself as “Ariel”

-Ariel proceeded to enter my apartment and ask what I wanted “sprayed”

-I took Ariel to my bedroom and told him I wanted the (encased) box springs and bottom of the mattress and the bed frame “sprayed”, along with the bedside table, all the baseboards, all the cracks and crevices in the walls and window pane, and all the baseboards, cracks, and crevices in the entire apartment. I also said that I’d like for him to apply some other pesticide, preferably a dust and preferably in cracks and outlets and such

-Ariel caved quickly. He said I really needed to either do this myself because he was not prepared, or he would call Caliban (the original tech) and have him do it on Monday.

-he then said that he couldn’t understand how such a pretty, clean girl could get bed bugs

-I started educating him, using my laptop and multiple documents I’d printed

-he mentioned that my original tech was busy treating sixty (SIXTY) infested condos on the other side of town, and when my jaw dropped, he said that “black people are filthy so it’s no surprise”

-I then took out my camera and proceeded to show him the pictures I’ve taken over the last two weeks of all the mattresses and box springs (some with visible feces and bugs) discarded in my neighborhood, which is predominantly white, and pointed this out to him

-he then caved even further. He sat on my couch (crazy!). He looked at the armed forces pest control guide; he looked at the San Fransisco and the Cincinnati documents; he looked at the armed forces resistance paper

-he listened when I told him that if he or one or two of his techs became really, really informed and became bed bug specialists and truly inspected and treated thoroughly and planned and budgeted and charged according to the demands of bed bug infestations, he could make a fortune

-he told me he’d pass this along to his boss; I said his boss seemed to be quite the idiot, considering he’d suggested I was bringing bed bugs in on my shoes

-he then called Caliban and told him to come here on Monday night at 6:00 PM and spend at least two or three hours, and then he told me he would have Caliban come back as often as necessary with no charge

-then he told me that Caliban wants to date me and I should do him even though he (Caliban) is married

-then he told me that he (Ariel) is gay and would do Caliban in a second

-he finally left, after talking for fifty minutes about his Madonna tickets (which cost nearly as much as one of those new Indian cars), his upcoming Halloween party, and Caliban’s chest hair

-shortly thereafter, Caliban called to confirm our appointment and to ask me if I wanted to “get together” later today

-I told him I do not date married men, ever

-he said he understood, and then asked me how I had gotten along with Ariel; he then informed me that Ariel has been dating their boss for the last ten years (if you’re still following, you’ll know that I just told Ariel that their boss [his boyfriend] was a complete idiot)

-and then I sat down to do some research on my alderman, my ward, my senator, my representatives, and my congressman, and got bit on the neck as I typed. My ear has swelled up to twice its normal size and is now throbbing and pulsating and shit. I took pictures.

Signed,
Miranda

Similar Posts:

• Miranda’s story: a visit from the PCO for bed bugs, part 2
• Bed bugs infest New Rochelle cell block and three police cars
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• Mary-Louise Parker talks to Letterman about her current bed bug scare
• Soundbites from the EPA National Bed Bug Summit

MSNBC reports that an Eatontown, NJ man blew his apartment up while trying to get rid of insects with bug spray in his apartment:

The accident occurred as [Isias Vidal] Maceda was spraying for pests in his kitchen. Somehow the bug spray ignited a blast that blew out the apartment’s front windows and triggered a fire that quickly spread, the newspaper said.

Eighty percent of the apartment was destroyed and the neighboring apartment suffered smoke damage.

There’s no indication of whether the problem was bed bugs, though it would not surprise me, as this is one pest people often try and self treat, rather than admit to their landlords that they need help.

I think this is more true with bed bugs than with other pests because people often feel embarrassed about having bed bugs, especially if they normally keep their homes pest-free. Since this is one pest that is not attracted to messy or dirty homes, it’s impossible to prevent.

Bedbugger doesn’t recommend self-treatment of bed bugs for a variety of reasons, one of which is that they can be dangerous if misused.

An even more tragic story featuring an attempt at self-treating for bed bugs is here.

If you’re still tempted to do it yourself, read this, and remember: if you must use pesticides, always use them carefully and as labeled.
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The following podcast from PCT features an interview with Dr. Michael Potter. Potter discusses the the increased awareness about bed bugs (a good thing), the discomfort and stress experienced by bed bug sufferers, the need for Pest Control Operators to “do bed bugs” well.

He also discusses the upcoming PCT bed bug seminars where he will talk about the history of bed bug management (did you know that in the 1600s, people were talking about bed bug prevention?), new research about bed bugs, and innovations in bed bug management.

Gabcast! PCT Podcasts #53 – An Update on Bed Bugs from Dr. Mike Potter
Click the play button below to listen.

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