Could it be that the new NightWatch bed bug trap due to hit the market for pest control professionals in November will be the new silver bullet for bed bug control?  It may be so, but anyway you look at it, it is an effective new product that warrants careful review.

NightWatch is an innovative bed bug trap and monitoring device that uses heat, CO2, and a patented lure mimicking the natural kairomones (chemicals that bed bugs extrude to find their nest) to trap bed bugs and kill them. The NightWatch trap creates the same chemical patterns that a sleeping human does; attracting bed bugs for a quick bite, a snack, and then death.

This new product has been created by BioSensory Inc. and was extensively tested by Entomologists at Purdue University. The Entomologists concluded from their experiments that ” pitfall traps with heat and chemical lures have potential to be useful tools for monitoring bed bug infestations and reducing bed bug numbers.” — Just the right combination of elements that NightWatch provides to attract and then trap pesky bed bugs.

“Bed bugs are a scourge that must be dealt with” says Patrick Callahan, Director of Global Sales and Marketing for BioSensory in Connecticut. With NightWatch, pest management professionals have another excellent tool to monitor for and then kill bed bugs effectively.

Several real world uses for NightWatch would be:

1. Consumer rental of traps to validate a bed bug problem. As many pests can be thought to be bed bugs, the verification of the presence of bed bugs or lack there of can save extermination fees, which for some homes can be several thousand dollars.

2. Hotels and motels may want to purchase several NightWatch traps and rotate them on their floors to verify that their proactive bed bug prevention treatments are working. Additionally hotels and cruise ships may want to rent units to validate a bed bug finding before hiring bed bug extermination professional to treat the problem.

3. Hotels and motels may want to keep traps for a week in rooms next to bed bug infested rooms that have just undergone treatment to make sure that bed bugs have not crawled under a wall or through a ceiling vent to spread the problem into adjoining rooms.

BioSensory has advised the Stern’s Chatter blog team that they will showcase their new product at the National Pest Management Association Convention on October 22 to 25 and then release the product for sale to professionals in November. Stern Environmental Group will be purchasing several NightWatch units. We think that they will be innovative control and monitoring devices that will help our clients sleep better at night and protect their property investments.

To find out more about NightWatch, we invite you to download the BioSensory NightWatch brochure courtesy of BioSensory Inc.

You may also want to review the scientific findings from Gary Bennett, Changlu Wang, Greg McGraw, Abou El-Nour, and Susan McKnight, of Purdue University’s, Department of Entomology located at 901 W. State Street, West Lafayette, Indiana. This scientific team presented their paper titled “Traps and Attractants for Monitoring Bed Bug Infestations” and an associated PowerPoint slide show at the annual meeting of the Entomological Society of America in December 2007. (BioSensory has supplied the PowerPoint presentation to us for web posting.) We think that you will find it to be interesting reading.

NYC and NJ apartments with bed bugs have been complained about on a website devoted to bed bug complaints. It’s a free site and is devoted to issuing warnings about bed bug infestations in apartments and hotels located in the United States and Canada.

The site claims to give people a reliable platform for mentioning their unwanted visits with bed bugs and give other people the opportunity to avoid these bed bug infested buildings.

What happens if someone has a terrible time at hotel; perhaps their towels were not fluffy enough or a bell hop smirked at a guest for wearing an ascot featuring the color chartreuse. The disgruntled hotel guest then seeks revenge by writing an anonymous phony story about being attacked by hundreds of bed bugs. The hotel could loose significant business.

Perhaps an apartment renter that was miffed after being told by management that repeatedly falling off his balance beam at three in the morning while attempting a double flip with a half twist was annoying the downstairs neighbor and decides to get revenge by anonymously making some phony bed bug posts about the apartment. 

Conclusion: The web site could do some good and could do some harm.

NJ and NYC bed bugs professionals can destroy the critters.

In continuation to the post on Tuesday.

Most people try to get rid of mice by putting traps (sticky boards or snap traps) or using bait systems.  These can be useful tools, but not always the best alternative when you have a large infestation problem.

The great news is that a new system is available from a professional rodent exterminator for residents of New York City and New Jersey.  The Track and Trap solution will help rid your home of mice super fast.

Here’s how the system works…..a special mouse tracking box is loaded with special treats that mice love to eat.  While inside the box, the unsuspecting mouse is lingering in a powdered fluorescent chemical that sticks to their feet and bodies.  Once the mouse leaves the box for a return to the nest, he leaves tracks as he goes.  A day or so later the mouse tracks are observed using a special UV light.   The mouse tracks lead straight to the mouse nest so that traps can be set to rid your life of these pests.
 
Additionally, mouse entry points are found and sealed so that mice cannot return to your home.  The bonus to using this system is that it is environmentally friendly.  Click here for more information on the Track and Trap system.

Most New Yorkers and New Jersey residents are aware that tourists from all over the world unknowingly bring bed bugs to America. However the airplanes are actually part of the problem. Bed bugs are hiding in the creases of the seats and seat-belt fasteners and other locations in airplanes. They also are thriving in luggage areas where they have the opportunity to move from one suitcase to another one.  

 The next time you get on a plane instead of asking what movie they are showing or if they are serving properly chilled Margaritas you might want to ask if they have properly vacuumed the seats, including the creases and the back sides. Ask a stewardess if the airline employees, including the cleaning crew have been trained in spotting bed bugs.  Tell them your not picky just prudent. 

Delays at airports prompt some passengers  to open up their bags which provides bed bugs the opportunity to climb out and search for a human meal. Opening a suitcase at an airport including in New York could become a major form of misbehavior. Hopefully the procedure won’t lead to passengers being kicked out of New York.

If you live in an airplane or a home call a NYC bed bugs pest control professional to get rid of the critters. 

Oh those dreaded mice.  How can something weighing about ½ ounce be so destructive and cause so much fear?  Mice are one of the most troublesome rodents in the United States.  They thrive in homes, commercial buildings as well as fields and farm lands. 

Mice can cause economic damages.  They can damage your property and structures.  They consume and contaminate food sources meant for humans, pets and livestock.  They are pesky creatures that are known to carry pathogens that cause many diseases.  They can go anywhere and live anywhere they please.

You should keep an eye out for their nests, which are usually made of shredded paper or like material.  They like to travel in the walls and along the walls.  They love living in cupboards where they can hide until their nighttime feeding ensues.  They mostly like nuts and grain food sources, but as scavengers, they will snack on mostly anything.

The life span of a mouse is pretty short.  They only live 9 to 12 months, but a female can have up to 10 litters a year.  Each litter has on average 6 babies.  Each baby reaches maturity at 10 weeks. You do the math.  Without quick elimination, one mouse can turn into hundreds in a short period of time.

Please check back on Thursday for the conclusion to this post.