Monthly Archives: October 2012

Pest Management

Pest World’s PSA Contest

School is back in session and teachers across the United States are already working in full force stirring the minds of our nation’s youth.  Pest World For Kids and the National Pest Management Association (NPMA) would like to help to spread the word about the insects and pests that surround us all in our daily environment, and the importance of protecting our homes and health from the dangerous health threats that they pose.

Pest World For Kids offers a wide variety of pest information for both teachers and students.  Teachers are invited to visit the website for complete lesson plans, coloring sheets, pest projects, and craft ideas.  This fantastic website has interesting and helpful information that is geared for ages K through 8th grade.

Students are encouraged to visit the website for interesting ideas and helpful information on report writing about pests.  Students will also find information about how scientists think so that they will be about to successfully complete a science fair project.  In addition, there are “pest games” that can be accessed that will test what a student has learned about the insects and rodents in the world we live in.

Adults throughout the United States visit the National Pest Management Association’s website on a regular basis to learn about pests that invade their homes, yards and businesses.

Pest World For Kids invites teachers and students to compete in their yearly PSA Contest.  Each video entry must be between 30 and 60 seconds long and must feature just one invasive pest.  Contest entries may be submitted until December 21, 2012.  The winning school will not only have bragging rights, they will also receive a $3,000 award for their schools science department.  For more information check out the Pest World For Kids website.

Bed Bug News

Where There’s Smoke, There’s Fire…Or A Bed Bug Bomb!

NJ pest control specialists have known for quite some time that foggers and bug bombs are ineffective treatment methods for the treatment of bed bug infestations.  Countless New Jersey residents have tried this remedy only to find that the tenacious pests persist to suck their blood night after night.

In many cases, using foggers and bug bombs is not only ineffective, it actually makes a bed bug infestation worse!  Bed bugs, like cockroaches, have good survival techniques.  They are able to detect the poisonous gas from this type of treatment method.  Once they detect it, they will high-tale it out of the area that they are holed up in.  This in turn causes the infestation to spread into other rooms, or even other apartments or condos when it is a multi-unit building.

Here’s an interesting bug bomb story for you…

The Bangor Daily News reported on August 22, 2012 that firefighters were called to the scene of a suspected fire in Portland, Maine.  It appeared that a historic building, which is now converted to apartment units, was going up in smoke.  Reports are that three fire trucks arrived onto the scene and safely cleared out the building of all of the residents.

The good news is that no fire was actually found within the historic building.  Upon inspection of the site, firefighters were finally able to determine that a resident had pulled the alarm as he/she mistakenly thought that the plumes of “smoke” being emitted from one particular apartment were not plumes of actual smoke from a fire.  Instead the plumes were caused by the resident who was using a bug bomb/fogger to try to kill the bed bugs that infested the unit.

No harm, no foul.  It was a case of mistaken  identity…but without a doubt; those bed bugs surely survived the ordeal.  Hopefully someone has hooked the resident up with a licensed pest control professional with experience in bed bug eradication!

Bed Bug News

Maybe OK Legislators Do Not Completely Understand Bed Bugs And Other Insects!

Bed bugs are apparently alive and well in Oklahoma.  According to News9.com on October 2, 2012, an Oklahoma City apartment complex is crawling with bed bugs, cockroaches, and fleas.  Residents are having a difficult time getting rid of the pests in their apartments as these invasive bugs travel from home to home with ease.  Just as one apartment is cleared of the bugs, they move next door to bug the daylights out of the next tenant.  Residents report that before you know it, the pests are back in their apartment once again.

Many states have enacted laws in regards to various pests that invade rental properties.  Some pests are considered to be “vermin” while others are not.  In most states, cockroaches, mice, and rats fall into the category of “vermin” as they carry dangerous diseases that can be transmitted to humans.  On occasion you will find a state that actually considers bed bugs to be vermin, despite the fact that they are not known to transmit diseases onto humans or pets.

Oklahoma legislature states that renters do have some rights when it comes to eradicating pests within their living quarters.  Tenants are responsible for notifying their landlord in writing when pests such as bed bugs are found in the rental property.  The landlord in turn is responsible for eradicating the pests within 14 days of written notification from the tenant.  If the landlord does not provide services, the tenant is allowed to break their lease and vacate the premises without any consequences.

Although good in theory, there are a few problems with this legislation.  In the case of bed bugs, if tenants choose to break their lease and move to a new location, they will undoubtedly take along the bed bug infestation to their new rental property, thereby spreading the infestation.  Landlords who do not properly treat their facility in the first place will simply be infecting the next incoming tenant, which will also cause the bed bug infestation to spread to yet another family.  Is it no wonder with laws like this that the bed bug problem in the United States is so out-of-control?

Bed Bug Information

The Social Stigma Of Having Bed Bugs

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If you have ever had a bed bug infestation, you know that there are many social implications that are associated with having the bloodsuckers in your home.  If you have not had an infestation, consider yourself to be among the lucky.

The social implications of having bed bugs are not widely discussed.  Many people focus on tactics of killing the pests, pesticides that are used, lawsuits that are filed, and places that have the critters.  People who have had or do have bed bugs suffer from the pests in many ways.

Bed bugs can take an emotional toll on their victims as they often cause a lack of sleep.  People who have the pests often report that they wait up at night for the bloodsuckers to surface.  They also report trouble sleeping as they know that the bed bugs will arrive soon after they have drifted off.

People who have experienced or are experiencing a bed bug infestation are often shunned by family and friends.  It is not surprising that upon learning about a bed bug infestation, that people tend to not want to come to your home, nor do they want you to come to theirs.  Even long after the pests are gone, it is not uncommon for family and friends to be afraid of visits because bed bugs are so difficult to eradicate.

There have been incidents where people who have had bed bug infestations have been fired from their jobs.  In today’s economy, employment is difficult to come by.  Some employers have been worried about bed bugs being brought into the work environment, which is a valid concern, although firing an employee because of bed bugs is not legal.  People who have bed bugs do not often tell their co-workers about the infestation, and those that do report that they have them are often shunned by their peers.

Victims of bed bug infestations can feel like a leper.  It is important for everyone to take precautions against these troublesome pests at all times.  If you suspect that you have bed bugs in NY, NYC or NJ, contact Stern Environmental Group for expert bed bug eradication services.