11/12/2011
What I learned today.
After attending the Pest Control Expo in New York City, and experiencing first hand the nighmare of bed bugs in a NYC apartment, I have learned that there is a whole lot more to bed bug control than simple extermination. The sad fact is that most "pest control experts" are not so expert! If we are ever going to manage what has become a pandemic (my students know what that word means) we really need to approach this problem from a public health perspective which includes prevention in addition to early treatment. So what is prevention.......I will get to that later. But I will tell you that I won't bring a suitcase back into my home from a plane, train or hotel without making sure it is treated. That is where bed bugs find us and they are EVERYWHERE. The finest hotels are having to exterminate on a regular basis.
If you have bed bugs regardless of the type of treatment that is used, chemical, heat, freezing, steam, etc. the environment NEEDS to be PREPARED. It is labor intensive and if not done right YOU will be blamed for ineffective the treatment.
