Monthly Archives: November 2010

Bed Bug Information, Bed Bug Resources, Bed Bugs, Commercial Services, Pest Control, Pest Eradication, Pest Management, Residential Services

Bed Bug Travelers Card – A Valuable Tool

The Thanksgiving travel season will be here next week and New York City bed bug infestations are not the only places that you need to keep a lookout for the nasty bloodsuckers. Sadly, bed bug sightings are now being reported all around the country in homes, hospitals, schools, college dorms, hotels, motels, airports, and theaters.

As you pack your bags this holiday season, it would be wise to always keep in mind that you can easily encounter bed bugs anyplace that you are visiting. Being proactive in your quest to avoid bringing bed bugs home with you will save you costly extermination fees and countless hours of de-bugging your home of these little vampires!

To help travelers avoid bed bugs, Stern Environmental Group would like you to check out the Bed Bug Travelers Card. This free travel tool can be printed and cut down to size to fit into your wallet or purse for easy reference while traveling. This fabulous resource material was created by the Cornell University Cooperative Extension and is part of the New York State Integrated Pest Management Program.

The Bed Bug Travelers Card contains valuable information on how to inspect a hotel room before you settle in, information about bed bug bites, and how to avoid bringing the buggers home with you when you travel. You will also find information on how to inspect a hostel or dorm room, and important information that will keel college students safe. The card contains actual pictures of bed bugs, the skins they shed, and the blood spots that they leave behind after they feed, as well as the pictures of the threes sizes of bed bugs that you should be looking for when you travel. Additionally, the URL links that are provided on the Bed Bug Travelers Card will give immediate access to additional information that is crucial to anyone that has encountered bed bugs or is seeking further education
regarding these pests.

Bed Bug Detection Dogs, Bed Bug Information, Bed Bug Resources, Bed Bugs, Commercial Services, Pest Control, Pest Eradication, Pest Management, Residential Services

New York City And New Jersey Bed Bug Sniffing Dogs Can’t Be Beat

They are cute and cuddly, and considered man’s best friend, and they are sweeping North America by storm in the war against bed bugs.  Bed bug sniffing dogs are becoming a popular tool in the search and destroy mission when it comes to bed bug infestations.

Using a canine to help humans accomplish a task is not a new concept by any stretch.  Dogs are currently trained and used successfully for a variety of different tasks.  They dutifully perform their jobs with what appears to be great pleasure.

A canine’s highly sophisticated nose enables it to detect a variety of substances that typically goes un-noticed by humans.  A dog’s nose has an average of 200 to 250 million scent receptors compared to the human nose which only contains 5 million scent receptors.  Dogs are routinely used by law enforcement agencies for bomb sniffing, drug detection, cadaver searching, missing persons, arson detection, weapon searching, and an attack dog will be hot on the scent of anyone who makes the mistake of running.

Bed bug infestations are not limited to just being found in beds as bed bugs are masters at hiding in many different places in a home or business.  These tiny little blood sucking creatures typically come out from their hiding spots during the early hours of the morning before a person wakes to obtain a blood meal of their victim.  Bed bug sniffing dogs can easily detect bed bugs that are hiding at any time of the day or night.

In the pest control industry, working dogs undergo hundreds of hours of training so that they can differentiate between infestations of termites, cockroaches, ants, bed bugs and other insects.  Like with other types of doggie training, not all pooches make the cut, only the best!  Once a dog is successfully trained, it is matched with a handler for more rigorous training of both human and canine.

Our bed bug sniffing dogs are extremely accurate in the quest to find live bed bugs, dead bed bugs, their eggs and feces.  Eradicating a NYC or NJ bed bug infestation can be a frustrating experience, but bed bug sniffing dogs make locating the little vampires swift and easy so NJ or NYC bed bugs can be destroyed.  Contact Stern Environment Group for expert NYC and NJ bed bug sniffing dog and pest control services!

Bed Bug Information, Bed Bug News, Bed Bugs, Commercial Services, News, Pest Control, Pest Eradication, Pest Management, Residential Services

New York City’s Bed Bug War Rages On

Bed bugs have taken New York by storm.  They have reared their ugly beaks in bedrooms, hotels, theaters, office buildings, retail stores, courtrooms, taxi cabs, and now three locations of the District Attorney’s offices.  You can’t send children to school in New York City without the fear of them bringing home blood sucking bed bugs either as the parasite has been found in many of the public schools so far this year.

Manhattan Borough President, Scott Stringer, is calling for an all out war to be waged against bed bugs in New York City.  For many residents of the city, they have already been called up to active duty in what appears to be a never ending battle against the blood sucking insects that are plaguing one of the greatest cities in the world!  Scott Stringer told the Daily News “We should deal with bedbugs the way we deal with crime spikes, and we need to do it before it gets out of control.”  Mr. Stringer’s call to arms is great news as any additional help fighting the little vampires would be welcomed by those who are suffering…but many would agree that the bed bug situation in New York City is already out of control, and has been for quite some time!

Because of the massive increase in bed bug reports over previous years within the NYC school system, Stringer considers the public school system as the frontline in the battle against bed bugs.  Stringer’s idea is to hire an army of inspectors and exterminators to search and destroy bed bugs within the schools.  Parents and teachers would likely welcome more NYC pest control specialists on site, but there is “substantial resource constraints” according to Daniel Kass, a deputy commissioner for the city Health Department.

Currently, if a bed bug is found at a NYC school, it is to be captured on a piece of tape and sent to the DOE for “confirmation”.  Sadly, many teachers claim that they have found bed bugs in their school, sent it to the DOE, but no extermination services have been provided or extermination services took weeks to arrive.  Bed bugs multiply quickly and can be transported easily, so there is a huge reason to be concerned about bed bugs within the NYC school system.

Once bed bugs are found at a NYC school, business, home, etc, it is important to have a treatment plan in place. Having a licensed NYC pest control specialist at the ready at NYC schools would be a great way to limit exposure to students, teachers, and staff as well.

Bed Bug News, Bed Bug Resources

NPMA is Working Hard to Create Industry Standards and Treatment Guidelines for Bed Bug Services

NPMA Blue Ribbon Panel and convention attendees.
NPMA Blue Ribbon Panel and convention attendees listen to the discussions.

NPMA is Working Hard to Create Industry Standards and Treatment Guidelines for Bed Bug Services
Just this last month in Hawaii at the National Pest Management Association convention a special Blue Ribbon panel gathered to start discussion on the creation of industry standards or best practice guidelines for bed bug pest control professionals. Topics that were discussed included:

• The need for company and technician training programs and certifications for bed bug treatment.

• Identification of the types of standards or best practices needed for bed bug inspections, treatment, and monitoring.

• Policy initiatives for bed bug extermination and consumer education that should be pursued at the national and legislative level.

• Discussion of the type, amount and funding of bed bug research still to be done.

• Efficacy of products and services (what works and what doesn’t)

With many NPMA convention attendees sitting in on this special Blue Ribbon panel session, the gathering became a rapid fire yet thought provoking conversation. Many pest control professionals expressed their desire to have the NPMA create bed bug certification programs, technician training modules, and fund or identify additional research on bed bug extermination protocols.

Of interest was the discussion on of the creation of industry standards on bed bug extermination or the creation of industry best practices. Several convention attendees expressed to the panel that consumers are the ones who would really benefit from industry certifications and that these programs including best practices/guidelines should be fast tracked.

Numerous pest control firm owners called for the creation of a certification standards for bed bug dogs; allowing for industry standardization in regards to dog training and the measuring of the success rate of bed bug identification.
With bed bugs becoming a national epidemic, the National Pest Management Association is leading the way in creating and shaping the message that will help consumers and pest professionals alike identify solutions and protocols for the effective and efficient treatment of bed bugs. The task seems huge but is necessary.

It is time for pest professionals to take action on this important issue. We commend the National Pest Management Association for spearheading this important initiative that is sure to benefit all impacted by bed bugs.
The next Blue Ribbon panel will be meeting on January 5th 2011 in Denver, Colorado at the National Bed Bug Forum. All convention attendees are invited to sit in on the panel’s second meeting.

Bed Bug Information, Bed Bug News, Bed Bug Resources, Bed Bugs, Commercial Services, Insect Control, Pest Control, Pest Eradication, Pest Management, Pest News, Residential Services

Calling For Bed Bug Guidelines For US Pest Control Professionals

It’s no secret that bed bugs are enjoying their resurgence across the United States and as a result, many new pest control companies have emerged onto America’s landscape.  To meet their customer’s needs, many existing NJ pest control specialists, and others around the US, have changed their focus from previous types of pest specialties like rats, termites, or carpenter ants, and joined others who are more experienced in the fight against bed bugs.  Despite the fact that pest control companies must be licensed, there are no real guidelines to follow when it comes to the treatment of bed bugs and often times, customers can be left dissatisfied or in some instances, in dangerous predicaments if pesticides are used incorrectly.

The Australia Environmental Pest Managers Association has developed guidelines that should serve as a great example for other countries to follow.  The “Code of Practice for the Control of Bed Bug Infestation in Australia” (CoP) is now in its third edition.  The guidelines provide pest control professionals with valuable information about insecticide efficacy, recent trends, research and innovations in control solutions, bed bug prevention and other valuable information in the treatment of bed bugs in Australia.  The CoP was developed because of the lack of information that was available in Australia and it is now the primary resource for bed bug information and guidelines in the country.  Additionally, “A Bed Bug Management Policy” was also created to help aid the hospitality industry, student and staff lodging, community housing organizations, and public housing sectors who are battling blood sucking bed bugs in Australia.

Perhaps if specific guidelines were set in place for pesticide applications for the pest control industry in the United States, certain problems could be avoided and bed bug eradication could happen faster.  With so many new pest control companies forming, and so many already in existence, there is a real need for specific guidelines that all professional pest control specialists should follow when it comes to treating bed bugs.  Ultimately, any guidelines that would be implemented would help protect our environment, protect the public, and eradicate bed bugs as well.