Bed Bug Central TV

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…

Advisory – Dry Ice Bed Bug Trap Update

admin — Mon, 18 Jan 2010 06:41:24 +0000

In this episode Jeff will recap some of the information discussed in the original episode about the DIY Bed Bug Dry Ice Trap and further discuss some potential hazards associated with some of the information being reported by the media. Since the concept of this trap was released by Rutgers University researcher Dr. Changlu Wang at an entomological conference in December, several media outlets have run stories about a “great DIY bed bug trap that is affordable to make and anybody can use it”. While some of this information is true, a few news stories have began to report this monitor as a control device that can eliminate bed bugs from your home for a very small amount of money. THIS DEVICE IS NOT A CONTROL TOOL AND THERE IS A GOOD CHANCE IT WILL NOT ELIMINATE YOUR BED BUG INFESTATION. The stories that discuss this as a control tool can be very misleading and again, this is to be used as a monitor to help you determine if you have a problem, not to control your problem. Also, there are a few concerns about pest control companies using this monitor which include the hazards associated with dry ice. Please tune it to this episode to make yourself aware of some of the concerns we have about the DIY bed bug dry ice monitor so that if you do decide to set it in your home, you can do so in a knowledgeable fashion.

Related links:

Bed Bug Dry Ice Trap

ABC NY Original Story (NOT A CONTROL TOOL!)

Reasons Why Bed Bugs Spread

admin — Fri, 15 Jan 2010 15:12:28 +0000

In this episode Jeff will discuss the scientific article that was recently published in the American Entomologist and the Journal of Medical Entomology which discusses the bed bug reproductive process “traumatic insemination” and how this may influence the way bed bugs spread throughout an infested home. Traumatic insemination is the process by which bed bugs reproduce in that the male pierces the females abdomen with his reproductive organ and injects his seminal fluid into the body cavity of the female which then circulates to the ovaries and fertilizes the egg. For years bed bugs experts have noticed that when they are in an infested apartment, the bugs they typically see away from the aggregations of bugs (away from the sleeping areas) are typically female bed bugs. The theory behind this behavior has been that females will be continually “assaulted” by males who are trying to reproduce with the females and this aggressive reproductive behavior can lead to infection and death in females. The theory was that by fleeing the aggregations of males the females increase their chances to survive the reproduction cycle. The paper that was recently published from the University of Florida proved in laboratory tests that adult females were typically the life stage that was dispersing away from aggregations of bed bugs. This article started to put some scientific evidence behind this long-standing theory.

Releated Links:

New York vs. Bed Bugs

Journal of Medical Entomology Download

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Bed Bug Dry Ice Trap

admin — Tue, 29 Dec 2009 14:11:49 +0000

In this episode Jeff will discuss the recent news on a simple and easy to make bed bug monitor created by Rutgers University to monitor for bed bugs. The Bed Bug Dry Ice Trap is an easy to create monitor for bed bugs that utilizes dry ice as the attractant that hungry bed bugs are attracted to. It is true that bed bugs are attracted to the monitor and this monitor can be the most effective that we currently have available to us, but there are some things you should be aware of if you do try to create this monitor on your own (do-it-yourself). Please also be aware that even though this monitor was shown to outcompete the commercially available monitors (CDC 3000 and Nightwatch), those devices were also very effective in detecting low level bed bug infestations. First, this monitor is not intended to be used by pest control companies as there are hazards associated with dry ice that may create liabilities for pest control companies setting this monitor in clients homes. Pest control companies should consider using the commercially manufactured devices (CDC 3000 and Nightwatch) that were found to also be effective for detecting bed bugs Also, please remember that a zero-trap-catch does not necessarily mean that you do not have bed bugs. These monitors are intended to attract hungry bed bugs to them and therefore not all bed bugs are attracted to these types of monitors. In order to create this monitor you will need: a dog bowl (that can be used similarly to a Climbup device), dry ice, a thermos to place dry ice in, talcum powder, tape or sandpaper and possibly a towel. Please watch this episode for some pointers on how to construct this device properly.

Related Topics:

Bed Bug Dry Ice Trap Article

Praxair’s Dry Ice Safe Handling Site

Bed Bug Central

Bed Bug TV Episode 20: Climbup Devices

Placing Items in the Cold to kill Bed Bugs

admin — Mon, 14 Dec 2009 14:30:04 +0000

In this episode Jeff will discuss why placing bed bug infested items outside in the cold may not be an effective option for eliminating bed bugs from items. Bed bugs may not be as susceptible to cold as they are to hot and therefore, placing items outside may not be effective for eliminating bed bugs. In addition, no matter how cold it is outside, there may be areas on that couch that the cold never treats and thus the bugs may be insulated from the cold temperatures. Even though snow may be on the couch, the snow may insulate the bugs from the cold environment and not eliminate bugs from it. In conclusion, placing items outside in the cold to eliminate bed bugs is not recommended and may not be effective in controlling bed bugs.

Related Links:

University of Kentucky

Bed Bugs 101

Taking the Bite out of the Holidays

admin — Tue, 08 Dec 2009 17:38:38 +0000

In this episode, Jeff will discuss a Holiday Bed Bug Charity he has been working on. For more information regarding “Taking the Bite out of the Holidays”, please visit http://www.bedbugcentral.com/holidays/

Bed Bug Treatment by Structure

admin — Mon, 30 Nov 2009 15:42:48 +0000

In this episode Jeff will discuss the differences in bed bug treatments when the infestation is in a stand-alone, single family house vs. an apartment vs. a townhouse or condominium. From a treatment perspective, the manner with which a pest control company treats bed bugs shouldn’t differ depending on a structure. For the most part, the way a company treats a bed in an apartment shouldn’t differ from the way it is treated in a house. Where these treatments start to differ is when you start to consider surrounding unit concerns. In a stand-alone, single family home, surrounding units aren’t a concern. In an apartment, the property management will need to be involved in order to gain access to the surrounding units to make sure that the known infestation wasn’t caused by one of the surrounding apartments. In condominiums, townhouses and row-homes, this process can become more complex due to the fact that the surrounding homes could be owned by different people and different management companies and they may not be interesting in allowing you to inspect their home. If that is the case, and they do have bed bugs, it may be almost impossible to eliminate the bugs in the known infestation if they are originating from a surrounding unit that the pest control company is unable to address.
Related Links:

Bed Bugs 101 – Surrounding Units

Chicago vs. Bed Bugs

New Jersey Apartment Association

Bed Bugs and Personal Belongings

admin — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 18:25:51 +0000

In this episode Jeff will summarize the different options that exist for treating items that you cannot launder or directly treat. Such items could be: electronics, books, paintings, pictures, dvd players, radios, alarm clocks, boxes and just clutter in general. The three main options you have in order to deal with these items are: the Packtite portable heating unit, DDVP pest strips (Hot Shot No-pest strips or Nuvan pest strips) or commodity fumigations. Please watch episodes 32, 28, 22 and 5 for additional information on these 3 options. In regards to commodity fumigations, the Bed Bugs in Cars episode talks about the technology but in order to use this technology you would need to load all of your personal belongings into a truck and drive the truck to a fumigation company to perform the service.

Episode 5: Hot-Shot No-pest strips

Episode 28: Bed Bugs in Cars

Episode 22: Nuvan pest strips

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.