It has been said that “discretion is the better part of valor” and this is especially true in pest management. There are times when the only way to assist someone that believes they have a pest issue is to know when to walk away. That may seem strange to you, after all isn’t that why we are in business? There lies the irony; most individuals would assume that stating they have a pest issue is enough to have treatment performed. However, the reality is that unless a pest has in fact been identified, any treatment would be a violation of the law.

One of the most difficult situations to handle as a pest management professional has always been the client that has convinced himself or herself that they have biting insects throughout their home. Some may, at this point, think that would be the easiest sale to make, but it is not so. A true professional will want to be sure that there is evidence to proceed with the service for a number of reasons (legality being the least concern). Usually, you would be able to tell if the individual is an “acarophobic” (may have phobias of chemicals and rodents as well). When you detect that is the case, the kind thing to do is walk away when they insist on treatment rather than allowing you to monitor the situation first. Sadly, once someone has convinced themselves that they are being attacked by some mystery pest you will never be able to reason with them even when the evidence proves otherwise.

The recent accounts that have been sensationalized in the media of the resurgence of bed bugs are a case in point. Why do I say that? Because every itch that occurs in the mind of the “phobic” is a result of a bed bug and nothing you say or evidence you provide to the contrary will change their mind. Don’t misconstrue my statement as lack of sympathy for those that suffer from these types of “phobias”. It’s for that very reason that I state, know “when to walk away”. It’s a kindness to do so rather than re-enforcing their phobias.

This past week I attended the Pest Expo in New York City; its focus was the current resurgence of bed bugs. The main speakers, Dr. Michael F. Potter, Professor of Entomology at the University of Kentucky and Dr. Dini M. Miller, Ph.D, Associate Professor in the Department of Entomology at Virginia Tech., are leading experts in the field of bed bugs and both stress this simple fact, the future does not look good. Why? There is nothing on the horizon that addresses the need for an effective residual material assisting in the elimination of bed bugs. Their research therefore stressed the importance of educating ourselves and our clients on the need of vigilance if control is to be achieved.

Dr. Potter stated that bed bugs have become the six legged mold (health concern of today). Both Dr. Potter and Dr. Miller expressed that what continues to contribute to the resurgence of this blood sucking pest is the negative stigma that individuals associate with it. Incidentally, another contributing factor to the difficulty in dealing with this problem is the attitude many have today of instant gratification. The idea that as a client, they play an important role in the elimination process is unthinkable (after all, this is what they are paying us for). This is why education is an important facet of any bed bug elimination program (we provide a seminar as part of our program); it stresses the partnership that must exist if the program is to be effective.

A recurring theme during the Expo was “amateur treatments produce amateur results”. Not to mention the misapplication of insecticides (as seen in the case of an individual setting off 30 total release foggers in his apartment, where each fogger treats an area of 100 sq ft). I’m sure that you have heard it said that “God protects children and fools” this case is proof He does. This individual very easily could have blown up his apartment and those adjacent to his. As a pest management professional, I recommend the documentation of any previous treatments performed by the homeowner as well as taking photographs of the current conditions. Hence, as I stated in an earlier Newsletter, this is one of those occasions better left for a trained professional to handle.

Though the use of extreme heat and fumigation have been proven to be effective (costs are prohibitive), it can only guarantee that you are bed bug free for just one day. Which is why, the future does not look good. Stay tuned as we continue to monitor this story.

Over the past 30 years I’ve witnessed many strange and unusual events during my pest control career. Let me tell you one story that is sure to knock your socks off. Early in my career, I had the pleasure of treating one of the oldest insects, dating back over 200 million years. These creatures have wings, six legs, two antennae and like to eat sweet and floury foods. They live in dark, wet places and are the most common household pest. What are they? German cockroaches.

One morning, around 2:30am, police were responding to a complaint of a barking dog in Schenectady, New York. When they arrived, they were literally ankle deep in what came to be known as the largest infestation of German cockroaches in the country. The cockroaches had spilled out into the street, up into the trees and in surrounding neighbor’s yards. We were called in immediately by the Board of Health to remedy the infestation. As soon as we opened the door to the home, cockroaches came raining down from the ceiling, spilling out onto our feet. The house was completely saturated. There were cockroaches living in every square inch of the home. A 64 year old woman, two dozen dogs, over a dozen cats, two mice and a parrot were all found inside, all badly bitten by cockroaches and fleas.

We had to treat the three block radius surrounding the infested house, including all neighboring homes, lawns, trees, sewer lines and even the police vehicles and ambulances that carried the woman and her pets out. Some of the pets were so badly harmed that they did not survive. The house was ordered destroyed and the residents were charged with cruelty to animals. As the building was being torn down over the next few days, we had to use power sprayers to kill and control the spread of the cockroaches. It was the most incredible thing I’ve ever witnessed. Definitely not your average infestation.

What comes to mind when I say Emergency Room? Perhaps hectic, noisy, chaotic, sterilized, but I’m sure you would never say insects. Let me simply say that hospitals have the same pest issues as any other facility. They might have rats, mice, cockroaches, ants or flies, just to mention a few. “Absolutely disgusting” you say. After you read this account you will never look at an ER the same way ever again.

I was asked to evaluate a gnat condition in a hospital ER. As I began my inspection of the ER, which included a number of the partitioned examining areas, I quickly recognized the gnats to be Phorid Flies. This insect does not fly far from its breeding site (usually a broken sewer line or some other source of decaying organic matter). Knowing this helped me to focus on those areas that are most likely to provide the prefect breeding site. The insect fly lights that were installed earlier as part of our regular pest management program also were of assistance in determining the heaviest concentration. One thing is clear in pest management; solutions never come easy, as this case proves. After hours of searching I was still not close to ascertaining their source. At this point I did what the doctors that work in the ER do when they come up against a troubling case, ask questions. Doing so led me to the most unlikely source; I found one thing in common in the areas with the heaviest concentrations.

You’re going to love this; the architect of the ER came up with the novel idea of a commode that would close up into the wall (flushing its contents once closed) providing additional space when it’s not in use. Sounds like a great idea, right? Not exactly. The staff informed me that though it may have been a great idea, in actual practice there were mechanical issues that caused them to discontinue their use. I asked one of the maintenance personnel to open them up so that I could examine them. This is the part you’re going to love; it appears no one informed one of the patients that the commode was no longer in use. So after he used it, he closed it up. That’s right, and for months no one was aware that its contents were fermenting in the wall until the flies appeared and I discovered their breeding site (by the way, when the right one was opened the smell cleared the area as you can well imagine). Once the site was discovered, treatment and elimination was rather easy. At this point, the staff made sure that they would never be used again by permanently sealing them.

So what do you think now? No doubt, “absolutely disgusting”.

As I reflect back to some of those interesting places pest management has taken me (some more interesting than others), the World Trade Center was one of them. We had been called in to treat the Center after the 1993 bombing. It was “Spooky” as our crew entered the vacated structure months after the initial investigation of the bombing had begun. Up to this point, the only individuals that were allowed into the structure had been investigators with various governmental agencies and construction workers assigned to the task of making repairs to the 98 foot wide hole (through four sublevels of concrete). Stepping up to that crater and looking down into it was extremely surreal when you realize what could have happened if they had placed the explosives in a different location.

But, why would they need pest management? What pest could possibly survive such an ordeal? As I have said previously in this Newsletter, they always find a way. What we would consider to be a hostile environment, cockroaches, flies, mice and rats just call it home. As we began our inspection we discovered that these adaptable critters were doing extremely well. In that rather short period of time, their numbers had increased dramatically. It was clear to us that we had our work cut out for us.

As the months rolled by it would be a year before we ultimately achieved control. Yet, during the entire process that “Spooky” eerie feeling never left anyone that worked at the WTC before it re-opened.