Monthly Archives: August 2012

Bed Bug Monitoring Device

Verify Bed Bugs With Verifi Bed Bug Detector

Controlling bed bugs is a difficult task.  Bed bugs have evolved over the years and have become resistant to many of the pesticides that once were able to kill them.  Pest control professionals are always on the hunt for new and exciting equipment and devices that promise huge results when it comes to bed bug control and elimination.   Stern Environmental Group has just the solution that pest control professionals from coast to coast are looking for…the Verifi Bed Bug Monitor.

In past years, hotels, motels, apartments, and other multi-unit buildings did not provide bed bug treatment until it was reported by residents.  In most cases, the delay caused the bed bugs to spread from room to room until the infestation was out-of-control.

There are many different monitoring devices available on the market.  Some have had promising results, some have had limited success.  The Verifi Bed Bug Monitor is touted as an “intelligent device” in that it is able to lure bed bugs and trap them in the device so that pest control professionals will be able to find an infestation at the early stages. The Verifi Bed Bug Monitor has a lure that mimics the CO2 that humans emit while sleeping.  Bed bugs are then attracted to the lure and once at the device, they quickly fall inside of the pitfall area where they are unable to escape.  The lure provides 90 days of continuous active bed bug monitoring which can be replaced once the 90 days are complete.

This innovative bed bug monitoring and trapping device is available in our online store.  Please visit our website for more useful bed bug tips and resources.

Bed Bug Resources

Bed Bug Blue Fecal Spot Detection Kit Part 2 Of 2

Continuing from Wednesday…

Bed bugs are known for their ability to hide in any type of crack or crevice.  Common places where bed bugs hide are behind baseboards, behind headboards, in the cracks of drawers, behind mirrors or pictures, in the seams of curtains, in or under carpeting, in the cracks of wood flooring, in bedding, mattresses, or box springs, and behind wallpaper that is peeling up.  Bed bugs will also climb into electrical devices to await their next blood meal.  They typically hide during the day and come out at night to feed upon their victim.

Bed bug fecal spots can be difficult to accurately identify.  Bed bugs that have eaten will walk and poop so fecal matter can be just about anywhere.  Fecal matter contains digested blood.  When dried in a mattress or on wood, it often looks like the markings left behind from a permanent marker.  Bed bug fecal matter can also be flaky like pepper or like dried specks of mascara.

Bed Bug Blue Fecal Spot Detection Kit is a new creation that will allow anyone the opportunity to identify bed bug fecal matter accurately in minutes.  The inexpensive kit tests for the presence of blood that exists in bed bug fecal matter.  The test is so sensitive that it will test for spots that are up to two years old as long as they have not been disturbed by another cleaning product.  The kit is perfect for homeowners who can quickly identify if bed bugs are present.  It is small enough that travelers can take it along on a trip to ensure that they are bed bug free.  Pest control experts and K-9 handlers can also use the Bed Bug Blue Fecal Spot Detection Kit to confirm the presence of bed bugs to their clients.

You can find this innovative kit available at Stern Environmental Group.

Bed Bug Resources

Bed Bug Blue Fecal Spot Detection Kit Part 1 Of 2

I have been lucky enough to stay in many high priced hotels in my lifetime.  The knowledge about the resurgence of bed bugs has likely afforded me from taking the bloodsuckers home with me over the years.  Two years ago while staying in a pricey hotel in Philadelphia I performed my typical hotel room inspection for bed bugs.  The room was spectacular and cleaned to perfection.  No signs of bed bugs.  As is always my routine when looking for bed bugs, I work from the walls, searching every nook and cranny to the bed (my last stop).

As I peeled back the beautiful Egyptian cotton bedding, at the foot of the bed, there was a strange gathering of unidentifiable material.  It looked oddly like someone had eaten a pile of chocolate chip cookies, not like typical bed bug fecal matter.  As I collected the material with my tweezers and ran the tweezers along the stitching of the mattress, I was surprised to dislodge five live bed bugs of various sizes.  Needless to say, I gathered my bugs and fecal matter and headed off for a conversation with the hotel manager.

Despite me just leaving the room, and even with the live bed bugs in hand, the manager insisted that they call a bed bug sniffing dog in to confirm the whereabouts of the infestation.  The dog and handler would not arrive until the following day, which gave the existing bed bugs time to move on to another room due to the delay in treatment of the pests.  Incidentally, the bed bug sniffing dog did indeed confirm the exact location of the bed bugs in the bed once he arrived.

Please check back on Friday for the conclusion.

Bed Bug News, News

How Do We Keep Elderly Folks Safe From Bed Bugs?

As the summertime travel season draws to a close, many people are returning home from their vacation travels with an unwanted souvenir.  Bed bugs continue to find their way into American homes from coast to coast.  Although some cities have seen a decline in their bed bug reports (New York City), others continue to be plagued by the bloodsuckers, with no signs of relief.

NYC pest control experts, and those from around the United States, do not know the exact cause as to why bed bugs continue to thrive in the US.  They suspect that the lack of knowledge about the little vampires, their increased resistance to the pesticides, as well as the ease of international and domestic travel is all contributing factors in the bugs’ ability to continue to multiply.

Researchers at the University of Kentucky, Department of Entomology have found that nursing home patients are particularly susceptible to bed bug infestations.  According to McKnight’s Long-Term Care News & Assisted Living on August 10, 2012, reports from the University of Kentucky show that “nursing homes account for about 18% of all bed bug infestations.”

Nursing homes are hotspots for bed bug activity for several different reasons.  Bed bugs are attracted to heat and the CO2 that humans exhale.  A person lying in a bed for any period of time, especially a long period of time such as residents in a nursing home would be, would attract hoards of bed bugs to the bed side.  Because people live in close proximity with shared walls, any infestation in a nursing home will quickly spread from room to room.

Nursing home facility workers must check often for the signs of bed bugs as adult and nymphs are easy to see.  At the first sign of the bloodsucking pests, they must immediately call a pest control professional for fast bed bug eradication services.

News

Help With NJ Paper Wasps

As opposed to yellow jackets which are considered to be aggressive wasps, paper wasps are normally non-aggressive.  They can and will sting when they feel that their nest is being threatened by an intruder.  Unlike a honeybee which has a barbed stinger which can only sting one time, the paper wasp is able to sting multiple times.  Like other wasp species, paper wasps have the ability to call other colony members into battle by using alarm pheromones and chemical messages which will tell other colony members that the nest needs defending.

Paper wasps are considered to be beneficial wasps in that they do eat other harmful insects and collect insects to feed to their young.  Paper wasps help to benefit landscaping and garden areas by keeping harmful insects out.  The problem with many paper wasps nests is that they are often constructed near the opening of a home or in close proximity of people, which will then put people at risk for stings.

Paper wasp nests are easily recognizable as they are often found under eaves, on deck railing, in soffits, in gazebos, and even in bird houses and feeders.  The queen starts the nest in the spring by masticating wood fibers into pliable pulp.  Once her first generation of workers is born, they assume the duties of building the nest.  Paper wasps construct open-celled nests that can become quite large by the end of summer.

Like other wasp venom, paper wasp venom can be very dangerous.  Handling a paper was nest should be left to a NJ pest control professional.  Contact Stern Environmental Group for expert pest control services in NJ, NY, NYC and CT.