Bed bug intervention: Early detection is the key to control

You've seen the torrent of news media coverage nationwide warning consumers about the unexplained, but dramatic growth of bed bug infestations. According to the National Pest Management Association, 95 percent of pest management companies recently surveyed said they had encountered a bed bug infestation in the last year, compared to only 25 percent before 2000. The fact is, people are becoming very concerned, and for an ample host of reasons, so should you. The huge increase in bed bug infestations presents an enormous risk to commercial property management and service professionals because they can appear almost anywhere at any time and, once colonies are established, eradication can be a very difficult, expensive and long-term undertaking. What's more, the extremely repulsive reaction that your customers are likely to have upon exposure can wreak havoc for you and your organization, destroy the reputation you have worked hard to establish, and even put you at risk for lengthy and damaging litigation. Early detection is the answer Given the reality of increasing bed bug infestations, what steps can commercial property management professionals take to keep these determined insects from seriously impacting their businesses? The answer lies in implementing an early detection strategy that can do several important things: 1. Help determine when bed bugs arrive at the earliest possible time 2. Enable corrective steps to be implemented to intervene in the spread of the infestation 3. Limit treatments to areas specifically affected 4. Reduce the amount of pesticide application to the lowest effective level. This is critical because early management means inhibiting the growth of the problem before it gains a solid foothold. What is bed bug Monitoring? Bed bug monitoring means putting a strategy in place to watch for the invading insects even before they arrive. In fact, the concept of early detection is supported independently by the U.S. Center for Disease Control and Prevention, which states that the use of bed bug monitoring devices should be part of an overall integrated pest management strategy. Intervention is key to this process because it is most effective when populations are low, hence the value of effective monitoring. One of the newest developments in monitoring is a simple, cost-effective cardboard sheet that works as a "passive" device designed specifically for monitoring for bed bugs on a large scale as part of an inspection/prevention strategy. Key to its effectiveness is its design, which simulates the conditions that bed bugs consider "perfect harborage" - tight, dark tunneling and rough woodsy material. Common examples of this are the small grooves one would find in corrugated boxes, mattress creases and wood furniture. If bed bugs are nearby, they are drawn monitoring device and trapped in its patented dot-matrix adhesive. This system is designed to be one part of the overall strategy to combat and manage bed bugs. It can provide you with valuable information, such as where bed bugs may be harboring, and it can confirm beyond any doubt that bed bugs are present. When strategically placed throughout the target areas, these monitors act as both an interceptor trap, by creating an adhesive barrier when used around bedposts, and as a passive monitor, to provide early detection in sheltered locations, thus allowing chemical treatments to be limited to fewer areas and minimizing the potential for pesticide misuse, a critical public health concern. Other preventive steps Clearly, awareness of the bed bug issue is the first and most important step that commercial property managers can take in keeping ahead of these determined insects. It is also important to remember that those who are having success are using an integrated approach and not relying on any one technique to deliver a bed bug free environment. This sort of multi-faceted program could involve steps such as vacuuming, steaming, inspection, pesticide applications and timely follow up. While vacuuming may not remove every bed bug, there is value in the physical removal of as many bed bugs as possible. By following up the vacuuming with steaming, which kills all insects it contacts, additional treatment with chemicals where necessary can go a long way to make harborage areas unsuitable for infestation. Surprisingly, simply disposing of infested chairs or furniture may not be an ideal solution, considering that deliveries of new replacements sometimes come in trucks that have picked up other discarded pieces. This means your new ones could already have been exposed to bed bugs before they ever reach your facility. For reasons such as this, care is required. What you can expect Confidence through awareness of the problem is just one of the benefits when it comes to bed bug preparedness. By recognizing that a very real problem exists, commercial property management professionals can put appropriate precautions in place that minimizing exposure to bed bug infestations, helps avoid the myriad expensive/unnecessary complications, keeps costs to a minimum and above all, helps to protect the very facilities that are the essence of everyday business interests. Ed Dolshun is northeast regional sales manager at AP&G Co. Inc., Brooklyn, N.Y.