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Inspection/detection in house that is often unoccupied
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JRA79
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Posted 11 months ago
Tue Jun 5 2012 15:21:17
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What's the best way to confirm or deny bedbugs in a house that is largely unoccupied? We have had two confirmed outbreaks in our city apartment. I can say with almost 100% certainty that nothing from the affected room in our apartment has been taken to the house. We have one bag that goes back and forth with us from apartment to house but that doesn't go into the affected room in our apartment, ever.
No one is getting bitten in our house. We've been there fewer than 10 nights in the 3 months between the original all-clear in our apartment and this new outbreak. The PCO that we have been using in the city offered us an inspection up there for $425, but it was with the same person who came here and admitted that his dog was alerting as often as possible in our affected room because she wanted more treats. I just didn't get a great feeling from him.
Any thoughts? Is there a monitor I could use? I see bedbug beacon, bedbug alert active, bedbug alert passive....these seem certainly more cost effective than a K-9. Any thoughts? Anyone know a great inspector or treatment company that will come to Upper Westchester if it comes to that?
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oldtimer
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Posted 11 months ago
Tue Jun 5 2012 16:38:56
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Hi,
Hungry dogs alerting for treats, don't fall into the trap of blaming the dog, its the handler who is the moron in that equation.
If you cant get a visually confirming K9 and handler team then I would say the bedbug beacon is the best option for a time when you are not staying there and Passive Monitoring is an option if you are staying there.
Basically in that order you get the best options in terms of speed of answer although not necessarily the same way around for value for money.
Another option worth considering is an experienced visual inspector, I am certainly prepared to pit my team against any K9 team on accuracy and reliability even down at the 1 - 5 bedbugs levels although at the same time I do acknowledge that is far from the industry standard.
I am sure Paul will be able to offer some local options though.
David Cain
Bed Bugs LimitedIn accordance with the AUP and FTC I openly acknowledge my vested interest in the Passive Monitoring technology a the inventor although as with this case it is not always the best tool to use.
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JRA79
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Posted 11 months ago
Tue Jun 5 2012 16:52:37
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I wasn't blaming the dog at all! Of course the handler. I didn't get a good feeling from the handler. I had found something that I thought might be a cast. He said it absolutely was, but the technician who treated us said it was just debris.....who knows.
At any rate, my gut says he's not my guy. If I have an infestation in my house, I'm paying for the treatment, as opposed to in my apartment where my building management pays. So in my house I'd want to be sure. I would love to hear some suggestions for local options if anyone has any. I wish your team was available....if I find a low cost flight, could you spare someone?
In any case, you think K-9 over the bedbug beacon? I could absolutely get someone there, but what do you think is more reliable? K-9 or bedbug beacon? When we stay there it's for 1-2 nights at a time, would the passive monitor even be a choice for that amount of time?
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JRA79
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Posted 11 months ago
Tue Jun 5 2012 16:53:51
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also, for a K-9 to alert, would I need to have spent time sleeping in the house immediately prior to the inspection?
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oldtimer
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Posted 11 months ago
Tue Jun 5 2012 17:09:08
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JRA79 - 3 minutes ago »
I wish your team was available....if I find a low cost flight, could you spare someone?Sorry but my US visa does not allow me to do any paid work as a pest controller and that is before we look at the licenses I need to have in order to work there. Its just not financially feasible unless you want to spend $3,000+.
JRA79 - 3 minutes ago »
In any case, you think K-9 over the bedbug beacon? I could absolutely get someone there, but what do you think is more reliable? K-9 or bedbug beacon? When we stay there it's for 1-2 nights at a time, would the passive monitor even be a choice for that amount of time?My list was based on speed of answer not necessarily reliability. The problem with K9 versus anything inanimate is that there is always little or no variability with inanimate whereas there is a lot of biological variability with an animal. If the K9 and handler had the right training and understanding and followed best practice at an affordable cost I would most likley go for them for speed of answer.
If there was not a viable option I would go for a Beacon install, lets say your current PCO is the only option you have or the other options say silly things like dogs are always 98% accurate or we get our bedbug knowledge from the Brothers Grim training school (its a fabled school of bedbug knowledge more fairytale and nightmare than fact).
If you could only spend 2 nights at the location and then a break of 5 days before spending time there again I would go for the Beacon over the Passive Monitor as it is more likely to attract hungry bedbugs in your absence and it may take a little while for them to find the Passive.
Although Passive Monitors are reliable occupation is essential because you are relying upon bedbugs coming out of existing refugia and relocating / exploring the Passive because it is more optimal than their current harbourage.
If your occupation changed to 3 or 4 out of 7 in the property I would at that stage switch to Passives as a front line. However all that said and gone given the logic of the product and the nature of the pest I am amazed as to why people don't have them installed as a matter of precaution, it would certainly save some of the second and third exposures we see.
Hope that explains.
David
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oldtimer
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Posted 11 months ago
Tue Jun 5 2012 17:10:30
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JRA79 - 15 minutes ago »
also, for a K-9 to alert, would I need to have spent time sleeping in the house immediately prior to the inspection?No the dog and handler do the work so you don't need to. It's another one of the reasons why its not a directly comparable contrast, each has unique features and benefits.
David
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JRA79
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Posted 11 months ago
Tue Jun 5 2012 18:33:51
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I appreciate your explanation. I think I will go for the beacons...just given that according to the pest person I use upstate, bedbugs are very rare. That makes me think that maybe the very best handlers aren't available in the area and as you say, the monitors are completely objective
I have a few more questions. I have 4 beds, so I'd need 4? or if I'm not so concerned about speed I could do one at a time, yes? Also, in a room with 2 beds, each would need its own separate monitoring, correct?
What if I'm gone for more than 5 nights? Do I have to check it on the morning after the 5th night or can it run, say, from Sunday night through the following saturday?
As for my apartment....I'm getting one passive per bed. That sounds correct, no?
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oldtimer
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Posted 11 months ago
Tue Jun 5 2012 19:28:27
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Hi,
When Beacon monitoring we deploy 1 or 2 per room for detection and QC and more if we are dealing with a confirmed issue or heavy case. You can swap them between rooms by rotation but should always start with the most suspect room. In your case I would say the corresponding room the biggest issue in your more occupied location. When deployed we usually check on the 5th day if convenient to do so but will always pick up by the 7th day as we know they are no longer effectively capturing.
I have not done any comparison work in locations so in rooms with 2 beds I would tend to deploy one per bed so it mimics a human host by location.
Spot on with the Passives though, 1 per occupied bed and checkly weekly to start of with and then after a few weeks step back to monthly or when your experience symptoms. With monthly we encourage people to pin the activity of inspection to their deep clean of the bed. Although bedbugs have nothing to do with cleanliness the fact that we all tend to spend 180 hours a month in our beds justifies 30 minutes of deep clean once a month. Put that way it's just logical.
David
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JRA79
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Posted 11 months ago
Tue Jun 5 2012 21:37:28
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thanks....last question, in the event that I can't pick up by the seventh day, the evidence will still be there, if any, even if I return on the 10th day, right? or pickup by 7th day is mandatory?
And thank you, I appreciate your input.
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