National Pest Management Month on April, 2024: What's the deal with bed bugs? How do you know if you have them?

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What’s the deal with bed bugs? How do you know if you have them?

The New York City Department of Health recommends a couple of things when it comes to bed bugs.

First the Health Department recommends that homeowners hire pest control professionals licensed by the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) to get rid of bed bugs.

They say you should request the following from the pest control company. They should Inspect your home to confirm the presence of bed bugs. This includes finding for the purpose of eliminating all their hiding places. We also recommend you ask them for a written report on how they plan to eliminate you bed bugs, and what they plan on using. Treating your home with special cleaning agents and/or pesticides may be necessary. Ask for the labels for your own review, and the MSDS sheets as well, you have the right to know what they are putting in your home. The NYC BoH recommends the pest control company make return visits to make sure bed bugs are gone. We at alpha Pest Management insist on a minimum of two visits, Bed Bug eggs can survive initial treatment and a follow up 14 days later helps insure hatched eggs are treated.

What ever you do, DO NOT throw your mattress or furniture away without treating it, defacing it, and wrapping it first. You could very likely spread the bed bugs throughout your residence and building resulting in more treatments and unnecessary cost to you and your neighbors. Absolutely do not wait to make a decision, an embedded infestation is much more costly and difficult to eliminate then the few you are now seeing. Speak to your landlord, in some states they are required to take care of this for you. Don't be shy talk it up with neighbors and cooperatively go after this bug before it gets worse. You can also get info from the National Pest Management Association at

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Be sure you hire a licensed exterminator. Ask to see a copy of the license or check directly with NYS DEC by calling (718) 482-4994 or visiting pesticid/appman.htm

what can cockroaches do to harm us?

what can cockroaches do to harm us?

Roaches, ew! Some interesting facts though. According to one evolutionary theory, the earliest cockroach-like fossils are from the Carboniferous period between 354–295 million years ago.

Female cockroaches are sometimes seen carrying egg cases on the end of their abdomen; the egg case of the German cockroach holds about 30–40 long, thin eggs, packed like frankfurters in the case called an ootheca. The eggs hatch from the combined pressure of the hatchlings gulping air and are initially bright white nymphs that continue inflating themselves with air and harden and darken within about four hours. Their transient white stage while hatching and later while molting has led to many individuals to claim to have seen albino cockroaches.

The female may produce up to eight egg cases in a lifetime; in favorable conditions, it can produce 300-400 offspring. Other species of cockroach, however, can produce an extremely high number of eggs in a lifetime. Laying up to 100 eggs in each egg sac, it only needs to be impregnated once to be able to lay eggs for the rest of its life, allowing one single cockroach to lay over a million eggs during its lifespan.

The cockroach is also one of the hardiest insects on the planet, capable of living for a month without food. It can also hold its breath for 45 minutes and has the ability to slow down its heart rate.

But now, to the health risks roaches can posess:

A 2005 US national study on factors that affect asthma in inner-city children shows that cockroach allergens appear to worsen asthma symptoms more than other known triggers. This study, funded by the US National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS) and the US National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), is the first large-scale study to rank asthma triggers according to severity.

Additionally, a 2005 research study, sponsored by the National Pest Management Association (NPMA), shows a disparity in homeowner knowledge about this link. Only 10% of homeowners nationwide feel that cockroaches are a threat to their family's health.

So the main risk factor they posess is the ability to trigger allergic reactions, especially in small children, or the elderly.

Hope this helps!

Bed Bugs: Am I paying for an exterminator I don’t need?

Bed Bugs: Am I paying for an exterminator I don't need?

You are right. These things are gross and incredibly hard to eradicate from a home. That's not to say it'ss impossible, but using a well-educated pest management firm is crucial. And well-educated doesn't necessarily mean national company.

Dr. James Ballard a PhD. in Entomology and bed bug expert shared some commonly know facts you should know about bed bugs.

1. Bed bug control programs are very expensive in anxiety, time, and cost.

2. It typically takes at least two treatments (1-2 weeks apart) or more to get control.

3. It can take months for the customer and the pest management professional to determine if the infestation has actually been controlled.

Dr. Ballard provides the following information. It seems something you might want to consider when hiring a pest management professional.

Successful bed bug control programs involve inspection, preparation for treatment, treatment, and re-inspection(s) / retreatment(s). The inspection is needed to determine that the pests are, indeed, bed bugs and where visible signs of infestation are located. Because bed bugs are capable of hiding an almost any nook and cranny in a room, including behind walls, the best treatment involves treating the entire room and surrounding rooms – left right, up and down. You should get a copy of the the pest management's recommended treatment. I don't think you should go it alone. The expense may seem astronomical, but it is worth it to do it right the first time. These suckers are hard to get rid of!

There are some great websites out there for research. www.pestworld.org and bedbugger.com. There are advancements made everyday in the war against bedbugs. It is important for you to know the facts and use a professional pest management firm. IT will take a combination of things to really get things under control. I hope this helps. Good luck with your effort.

Disclosure: I am the publicist working with Allergy Technology who is the patent holder and manufacturer of ActiveGuard mattress liners. ActiveGuard liners is a product now available in the US that is having great result when combined with a full treatment program. Mattress encasements trap live bugs and nymphs left after treatment. ActiveGuard is different because within 72 hours whatever is left on the mattress and box spring is killed. Basically, that means no live bugs crawling around under you while you sleep. ActiveGuard can also help in recurrence of an infestation. allergytechnology.com

Holidays also on this date Monday, April 1, 2024...