Effectiveness of Verifi detector from FMC in university dorm?

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Effectiveness of Verifi detector from FMC in university dorm?

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Trajan

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Posted 8 months ago
Wed Sep 12 2012 12:07:52
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Hello, I'm a 23 year old student living in a university dormitory in Detroit, MI and I have bed bugs.

I'll give the short version of my story since the point of this thread was to ask a specific question.

After a few days of bug bites that could possibly be attributed to bed bugs, I sent in a request through the university housing on Monday to have an inspector come. He arrived very early yesterday morning (I didn't even know he was coming that soon) and checked my room. He saw nothing on the mattress, then found one fecal stain on the wooden frame of my Ikea bed. That was enough and he stopped his inspection.

Since my room was positive for bed bug activity, he told me they would come to do a heat treatment of the apartment. I would be getting an email from university housing with the date and preparation to be done (email hasn't come yet).

This morning, I was woken up by people from the pest control company again. Again, I didn't know they were coming (university housing isn't doing a great job keeping me in the loop, apparently). They came to install a bed bug monitor. They explained it to me briefly, and one of the men seemed startled when I asked if it was a passive or active monitor. I guess they thought I wouldn't research bed bugs quite as extensively as I have.

Anyway, they assembled a Verifi Bed Bug Detector (from FMC Professional Solutions) and slipped it in between my mattress and my headboard. They told me they'd be back tomorrow for it.

From my preliminary searching on these forums, this product seems like one of the newer ones. I can't find reviews easily and what I have read doesn't make this detector seem especially excellent. So my question is, how well do you think this will work? They only put in one unit (it's suggested there be four per room?), they're removing and checking it after 24 hours (though the CO2 will only last for 24 hours), and wouldn't I be competition for this detector when I go to sleep tonight?
imbimbo

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Posted 8 months ago
Wed Sep 12 2012 12:33:52
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We have 2 of them, had them for about 1 month or more. So far nothing has been caught. The C02 lasts 24 hours, but the attractants last 90 days.

But there are a number of factors for the reason none have been caught in my house.
My mom still sleeps on the chair where they were found, the location of the monitor, and all the diatomaceous earth I put in the random places. Also our infestation seemed light compared to others as we caught it early.

And yes you will be competition. That is why if there are barriers, they'll go to the monitor, or get stuck in the barriers. Good luck.
Trajan

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Posted 8 months ago
Wed Sep 12 2012 20:42:29
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Hi there,
Thanks very much for the reply! Though I'm not sure if I'm reading it correctly. You're saying that you expect to catch bed bugs in your detectors (because you have a current infestation), but haven't yet?

Fortunately, from my understanding, the pest control company is going to heat treat my apartment regardless of whether or not they catch anything in it.

Though I feel that university housing should invest in some passive alerts instead and hand them out to every student to put in their room at the start of the school year. Maybe they feel that's too expensive.
bed-bugscouk

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Posted 8 months ago
Wed Sep 12 2012 20:49:46
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Hi,

I have again asked for a few to test in the lab and field but they seemed rather nervous when I asked.

I know a few academics have "reviewed them" but a reviewer who never gives a bad review is about as useful as a chocolate teapot as they quickly devalue their opinion. I mean any idiot can say "it may or may not work or help you".

I will email them again in a few days to prompt them.

David Cain
Bed Bugs Limited
Trajan

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Posted 8 months ago
Wed Sep 12 2012 20:56:23
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Thanks for commenting! The two people who came by today to install it made it sound like a new protocol that they were trying out. They told me that they were going to put them in before and after heat treatments and see what results they get. It'd be pretty cool if they were a company doing field tests with the new product.

And then I could say my body (covered with many annoying bites) has furthered scientific progress!
imbimbo

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Posted 8 months ago
Thu Sep 13 2012 12:04:33
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[quote]Thanks very much for the reply! Though I'm not sure if I'm reading it correctly. You're saying that you expect to catch bed bugs in your detectors (because you have a current infestation), but haven't yet?

Yes.
Trajan

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Posted 8 months ago
Fri Sep 14 2012 11:36:01
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I'm not sure how I feel about this detector. On midnight of the day they first installed it, when checking around my bed, I saw a live adult bed bug sitting happily in a nook of my bed frame, 1.5 ft away from the detector. I don't know how long it was there before I noticed it, but watching it for 10 minutes, it didn't seem at all inclined to make a move towards the trap.

I should have gone to bed and looked to see if it was caught in the morning, but I couldn't leave a live adult wandering free, so I caught it instead. When I showed it to the PCO who came the next day to check the very empty detector, he said that maybe I was lucky and that was the only bug I had.

I very seriously doubt that. Especially since I think the one I caught was a female laying eggs.

Ah well, heat treatment will be on Monday and I'll look into getting myself a passive alert anyway.
P Bello

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Posted 8 months ago
Fri Sep 14 2012 11:48:53
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Dear trajan,

Thanks for posting your observations.

I'm not sure that being "lucky" or depending on "luck" is the optimal strategy for bed bug control but, perhaps it's just me.

As you've witnessed first hand, bed bug traps & monitors have significant challenges that they must overcome to be effective.

Just a few of these challenges include:
> what are the odds that a recently fed bed bug would leave its' harborage to enter a trap or monitor?

> is the trap or monitor more or less attractive than the host?

> has the trap or monitor been placed in the optimal location for that account?

> can the trap or monitor out compete the existing harborages already present and established?

Hmmmm, says I ! (Arghhh, sudenly it's talk like a pirate day.)

Please keep us posted on your developing observations, hope this helps ! paul b.
Nobugsonme

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Posted 8 months ago
Fri Sep 14 2012 15:30:58
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Trajan - 1 day ago »
The two people who came by today to install it made it sound like a new protocol that they were trying out. They told me that they were going to put them in before and after heat treatments and see what results they get. It'd be pretty cool if they were a company doing field tests with the new product.

As a consumer, it might be more cool if they used passive or active monitors which are already well-tested.
Trajan

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Posted 8 months ago
Sat Sep 15 2012 20:10:38
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Nobugsonme - 1 day ago »

Trajan - 1 day ago »
The two people who came by today to install it made it sound like a new protocol that they were trying out. They told me that they were going to put them in before and after heat treatments and see what results they get. It'd be pretty cool if they were a company doing field tests with the new product.

As a consumer, it might be more cool if they used passive or active monitors which are already well-tested.

That's true. But at least they're going to treat even if they don't catch anything.

I'm pretty sure it's not working since the pitfall trap is empty and I'm still getting bites after catching that one bug a few days ago. I can't be absolutely sure because of possible delayed reaction to bites.

They're going to use the Verifi Detector after treatment to monitor for activity. Of course, at this point, I don't trust it, so I'll be getting a passive monitor.
Canuck

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Posted 8 months ago
Sat Sep 15 2012 22:31:19
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Trajan,

I think your motivation for research, your patience and your observation skills are going to serve you well in your chosen field.

I am curious about the placement of the Verifi monitor; it is my understanding they are designed to be placed on a vertical surface or behind and on furniture, not as you described,
slipped it in between my mattress and my headboard
. Is it fixed in place with the sticky back? Thank you. sheree
Trajan

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Posted 8 months ago
Sat Sep 15 2012 23:08:42
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Thanks for the kind words, Canuck! I'd feel more confident if I weren't such a wimp when it comes to bugs. I'm sure I'll be seeing much worse things, haha.

It is not fixed in place with the sticky back. Rather, it is snugly pressed between headboard and mattress. Here are some pictures to better illustrate how it was installed.

Hmm... so it's possible that it's not catching anything because that's a bad location for it?