Bed Bug Central TV » Product Reviews

The Bed Bug Beacon

admin — Mon, 17 May 2010 14:38:47 +0000

In this episode, Jeff will discuss the Bed Bug Beacon which is an active bed bug monitor that releases carbon dioxide to attract bed bugs to it. The Bed Bug Beacon utilizes a powder and water mixture to create carbon dioxide which is known to be attractive to bed bugs. Manufacturer directions claim that the monitor will release at least 5 days of carbon dioxide. In preliminary tests, the Bed Bug Beacon has been shown to have the ability to collect bed bugs in a high level infestation (lots of bugs present) and in one apartment caught a similar number of bed bugs as the Nightwatch bed bug monitor. Additional tests need to be performed to determine how effective the monitor is for detecting low level bed bug infestations and how long the monitor releases carbon dioxide for. If this monitor is found to be effective in collecting low level bed bug infestations, it could pose challenges for other active bed bug monitors on the market due to the fact that it has a much lower price point. Stay tuned for more information…..

Products to Treat Personal Belongings for Bed Bugs

admin — Thu, 06 May 2010 19:26:20 +0000

In this episode, Jeff will discuss Hot Shot No-Pest Strips and Nuvan Prostrips. These strips are very similar to each other in that they use the same active ingredient, dichlorvos or DDVP, in the same percentage and are to be used in similar settings. The difference between the two products is that bed bugs is listed on the Nuvan Prostrips label which makes it available for use in states where the pest is required to be listed on the directions for use. These strips primarily fit into bed bug control plans in that if you have a bag of belongings that you cannot treat with pesticides and cannot launder, if the items in that bag are listed on the label as able to be treated by this pesticide, you could place a strip in that bag treat the belongings for bed bugs. Recent research indicates that belongings should be left for at least two weeks, and maybe more, to be effective against bed bugs and their eggs. Please be aware that research found that bed bugs survived in certain items even when you left them exposed to Nuvan Prostrips for more than two weeks. These products provide you with another option to treat items you cannot launder or treat for bed bugs.

Laundry Bags for Bed Bugs

admin — Tue, 23 Feb 2010 20:30:15 +0000

In this episode Jeff will describe Green Clean dissolvable laundry bags and how they fit into a bed bug prevention or control plan. Green Clean dissolvable laundry bags are bags that you can place launderable items in that dissolve in a washing machine. This makes transferring items from a suitcase to a washing machine quick and easy. By using these, you could even bag your launderable items in the hotel room before you leave and then just take the bags and place them directly in the washing machine when you arrive home. Other industries that are using them are hotels and universities where they can provide them to people who may have suffered bed bug infestations while staying on their property and they can then place their items in these bags and limit the chance that they introduce bed bugs in an undesirable place (i.e. laundry room, vehicle).

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Nightwatch Bed Bug Monitor

admin — Wed, 27 Jan 2010 15:20:56 +0000

In this episode Jeff will talk about the Nightwatch bed bug monitor, how to set the monitor to trap for bugs, ideal situations to set the trap in and what to expect when setting the trap. The Nightwatch bed bug monitor is an active monitor that release attractants that are intended to attract hungry bed bugs. Always remember that not all bed bugs in a given infestation are going to be attracted to a monitor and therefore a zero-trap-catch does not necessarily mean that bed bugs are not present. This monitor is intended to be used to help evaluate if bed bugs are present in a given environment. Studies have been conducted that did show that this monitor can be effective for detecting low level bed bug infestations. Some ideal situations for this monitor are in situations where it does not compete with other hosts (ex. humans, although it has been shown to be effective for detecting bugs in the presence of humans) such as: offices, schools, vacant apartments or homes, pre-move-in inspections, etc…

Phantom Insecticide for Bed Bug Control

admin — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 20:04:02 +0000

In this episode Jeff will explain why Phantom insecticide may be one good option for bed bug control and why if you are evaluating a pest control company and their protocol, you may want to see this pesticide being used. Phantom insecticide is a pesticide that, in some areas, may be used as part of a bed bug control plan. As stated previously, a multi-disciplinary approach to bed bug control is highly recommended (steamers, Cryonite, vacuums, etc) but when pesticides are needed, Phantom may be a good option to choose. Laboratory studies have shown that Phantom may be a good option to address pesticide resistant bed bugs as this pesticide falls into a different class of chemicals compared with the commonly seen synthetic pyrethrins. In addition, this pesticide has shown some residual effects with bed bugs. One concern is that Phantom has been shown to take 7-14 days or more to kill bed bugs and this may be a concern if people are being bit by bed bugs and the pesticide that has been applied takes 14 days to address those issues. Either way, many progressive bed bug control companies are incorporating Phantom into their bed bug treatment plans and when selecting a pest control company to treat your bed bug infestation, this may be a product you want to see incorporated into their protocol.

Effectiveness of Steamers on Bed Bugs

admin — Fri, 02 Oct 2009 17:51:36 +0000

In this episode Jeff is explains how to determine if the steamer you have purchased or have at home will be effective in killing both bed bugs and their eggs on contact. One thing that we know about bed bugs is that they are susceptible to heat and if they are exposed to temperatures in excess of 180oF both bed bugs and their eggs should be killed on contact. In previous episodes we have also discussed how steamers can be effective for killing bugs and their eggs on contact and good be a good tool to address resistance concerns in a bed bug population. If you have purchased a steamer and would like to determine if it will be effective in killing bed bugs and their eggs on contact, you should first purchase an instant read thermometer (similar to the one you would use to cook food in an oven). If you then take the steamer and turn it on and move the steamer over the thermometers sensor you can see if you are achieving temperatures in excess of 180oF. If you do achieve temperatures in excess of 180oF then that steamer should be sufficient to kill bugs and eggs on contact. Please be aware that steamers can damage fabrics and finishes on different surfaces, so always use caution when steamer different items.

UPDATE: Packtite Heating Unit

admin — Wed, 15 Jul 2009 18:04:25 +0000

This video is an update to the original BBCTV #21 – PackTite Portable Heating Unit product review. Please view that video first before watching this one.

In this episode Jeff will perform an experiment with the Packtite portable heating unit where he will place a fully packed suitcase into the unit and monitor temperatures within the contents to test if lethal temperatures for bed bugs are achieved. After performing these tests, it is still Bed Bug Central’s recommendation that any items that can be laundered are removed from the suitcase and laundered to reduce the amount of clutter in the items to be heated to increase the chance that lethal temperatures are achieved throughout the items.

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Flea and Tick Prevention

admin — Mon, 04 May 2009 21:18:15 +0000

In this episode, Jeff will explain how pet flea and tick prevention products work and their effect on bed bugs. There are many different products on the market that can be applied to your pet to help with flea and tick prevention. There have been many questions raised as to how effective these products are against bed bugs and unfortunately there is not any information available about the effectiveness of these products on bed bugs. As any information becomes available, he will provide that information as soon as he can.

Bed Bug Prevention

CDC3000 Bed Bug Monitor

admin — Tue, 28 Apr 2009 14:12:31 +0000

In this episode, Jeff will show you the CDC 3000 active bed bug monitor, explain how it works and where he thinks it fits into a bed bug management program. The CDC 3000 is an active bed bug monitor that uses heat, carbon dioxide and a chemical lure to attract bed bugs to it. You can take this unit and place it in a home that bed bugs are suspected to be in and theoretically bed bugs should be attracted to it. We have placed the monitor in units where a large population of bed bugs existed and did in fact collect bugs. At this point there is still a lot of information that needs to be researched in regards to what the capabilities of the monitor are. Some of those questions are: Does the monitor out compete a human host? How close to an area that you want to monitor do you need to place the trap? If the monitor doesn’t collect bugs what does that tell you about the presence of bugs? Either way, we do think that the monitor is a great design and does hold value in monitoring for bed bug populations but to what extent is yet unknown. If an when you purchase a CDC 3000, please remember to follow all manufacturer directions on how to properly set and use the monitor. Also, if you have any concern about the unit being infested with bed bugs, it is highly recommended that you treat the monitor in a Packtite portable heating unit for the maximum length of time that the portable heating unit runs.

Nuvan Prostrips

admin — Tue, 07 Apr 2009 00:18:46 +0000

This video has been updated, and can be viewed here – http://tv.bedbugcentral.com/index.php/2010/05/products-to-treat-personal-belongings-for-bed-bugs/

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