Special Report: NPMA Bed Bug Seminars
1 Jul, 2005 By: PMP Staff Pest Management ProfessionalWe helped deliver bed bug education to you in a whirlwind, cross-country odyssey
I spent two weeks on the road in May helping the National Pest Management Association (NPMA) talk about bed bugs. Here's a summary of what I learned:
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STOP 1: NEWARK
NPMA technical director Greg Baumann unveiled a sample bed bug contract that will soon be available at PestWorld.org, while Rick Cooper, technical director of Cooper Pest Solutions in Lawrenceville, N.J., and Orkin Technical Director Frank Meek demonstrated the proper way to do bed bug inspections.
Mischelle Testerman, district manager for J.C. Ehrlich's Gaithersburg, Md., office and Greg Ose, technical director for Takoma Park, Md.-based American Pest Management, discussed their companies' approaches to bed bugs and how their programs worked in the field. The Newark stop also included an appearance by Michael Weisburger of Weisburger Insurance Brokerage, who discussed potential liability issues involved in doing bed bug jobs.
STOP 2: CHICAGO
In Chicago, Bob Dold Jr., director of operations for Rose Pest Solutions in Chicago, discussed why his firm charges by the hour rather than on a per-job basis for bed bug jobs. Pat Hottel, technical director for Hoffman Estates, Ill.-based McCloud Services, called for more pesticide trials on field-collected bed bug specimens.
But the star of Chicago was Stephen Alcala, owner of Pronto Pest Management in Royal Oak, Mich., when he talked for 45 minutes about his experiences treating a heavily infested apartment complex.
STOP 3: ATLANTA
In Atlanta, PMPs heard Terminix International's VP of service and technical, Fred Strickland, say he and other industry leaders were worried about the overall lack of knowledge of bed bug biology and treatment in the industry. Billy Blasingame, vice president of Atlanta-based Arrow Exterminators, says he expects his company to move to separate bed bug contracts in the near future.
Meek called upon old friend and former colleague (and current Atlanta-area PMP) Alton Smith to demonstrate how to deal with infested hotel bed sheets: Put them in a plastic bag and have housekeeping wash them right away.
STOP 4: ANAHEIM
David Waite, an environmental lawyer who represents the California Hotel and Lodging Association (CHLA) told PMPs he figured they would find a way to deal with bed bugs the way they'd dealt with cockroaches.
I passed University of Kentucky professor Dr. Mike Potter the microphone, so he could politely, but firmly tell Waite that bed bugs were not the same ascockroaches.
NPMA consulting entomologist Dr. Harold Harlan told PMPs they had to treat rooms on both sides, above and below infested rooms to to be effective. Crane Pest Control's John Lennon discussed the importance of getting hotels to abide by bed bug treatment protocols. Then Western Exterminators' Sam Makhani said bed bug technicians must be detectives.
STOP 5: DALLAS
Rick Rogers, VP of operations for Myers Pest & Termite Services in Dallas, warned PMPs that they have to treat housekeeping carts and rooms to eradicate the problem from hotels.
Then Dr. Mike Merchant, professor and extension urban entomologist at the Texas Cooperative Extension in Dallas, detailed the potential problems PMPs might face as more delusionary parasitosis sufferers start calling about bed bug infestations.
For more coverage of the Bed Bug Barnstorming Tour, see my Field Reports archived online at www.pestcontrolmag.com.
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