Editor’s Note: PMP’s June issue will include an exclusive survey of readers and the bed bug segment, which readers can compare to the early-season information below.
Jeff White
According to a survey BedBug Central conducted in February 2017, early spring bed bug activity appears to be similar across most of the country, with most regions reporting about 50 percent of companies being “up,” about 40 percent being “flat” and about 10 percent being “down” (about 50 percent of companies reporting bed bug activity being flat or down). We are conducting this survey monthly, and will compile the March results in the coming weeks.
For February, the only region of the continental U.S. to differ from the rest was the West Coast, where companies reported about 25 percent being “up,” about 35 percent being “flat” and about 40 percent being “down” (about 75 percent of companies reporting bed bug activity being flat or down).
Overall, I would interpret these results as suggesting that bed bug activity was slow in February, as overall most regions are still reporting that bed bug revenue is growing from month to month, but February had about 50 percent or more companies reporting “flat” or “down” revenue. Activity being “flat” or “down” is consistent with historical trends, as much of the industry is aware that February in most markets tends to be a slow month for bed bugs.
The only other observation from the data submitted was that companies who determined their bed bug activity status from budgets or the same month in previous years reported very different trends compared with companies that determined their activity by feel or gut-sense. This suggests that even though bed bug activity may feel “up,” “flat” or “down,” how activity feels isn’t always the true story when compared to budgets and historical data. We mapped it out as follows:
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