News & Notes

Editor’s note: Suppliers and PMPs, if you have a bed bug-related news item or product you’d like to have highlighted in an upcoming issue, please send a press release and a high-resolution photo to jdorsch@gie.net.

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CPCA Bed Bug Legislation Signed Into Law

On June 3, Colorado Governor Jared Polis (D) signed into law HB 1328, Duties for Landlords and Tenants Addressing the Presence of Bed Bugs in Residential Premises, a bill that positions pest management professionals as a private-sector solution for Colorado’s bed bug problem, the National Pest Management Association reported.

HB 1328 requires tenants to promptly notify a landlord when a lessee knows or reasonably suspects that a rented residential unit contains bed bugs. Not more than 96 hours after receiving notice, a landlord in most circumstances must hire a pest management professional to inspect and treat the dwelling unit and any contiguous dwelling units for bed bugs. Except as otherwise provided, a landlord is responsible for all costs associated with mitigating bed bugs.

The full text of HB 1328 can be found here.

BedBug University Revamps Bed Bug Boot Camp

Editor’s note: The dates for the BedBug University's December Boot Camp have changed since the publication of the September issue of PCT. The new dates are Dec. 10-12, 2019. Learn more here.

BedBug University, BedBug Central’s educational arm, announced a revamped version to its Bed Bug Boot Camp training session for its Dec. 3-5 dates.

“We’ve taken our proven program and shortened it to two-and-a-half days to give our attendees the education they want and need without sacrificing as much time away from their business,” said Robert DiJoseph, president of BedBug Central. “It’s still the same great experience with the unique hands-on training, but just in new format and features a new, lower price point.”

The new two-and-a-half day training session, held in Lawrenceville, N.J., is designed to cover all aspects of a bed bug management program including the science and biology of bed bugs, the hands-on field day where attendees perform “No Prep” services, as well as the sales and marketing of bed bug services.

“The new program is concise, thorough and really ‘packs a punch’ for attendees,” said Danny White, instructor for BedBug University and national account manager for BedBug Central. “We’re excited to debut this new program and look forward to delivering the education and training that we have been known for the last 10 years. It’s a great opportunity for business professionals who don’t have the time to spend away f

rom their company but still want our quality, hands-on ‘No Prep’ training on bed bugs.”

BedBug University’s December Boot Camp has a limited number of attendees. To learn more, visit www.bedbugcentral.com/professionals/bed-bug-boot-camp.

P.E.S.T. Relief International, CPCO of Georgia Help Create Sanitary Shelter

On Feb. 23, a team of volunteers collaborated to bring comfort and relief to the Salvation Army in Atlanta. P.E.S.T. Relief International, Ashley Furniture, CPCO of Georgia and Sword of the Spirit Ministries International brought in forces to create safe and sanitary sleeping spaces for shelter residents.

Throughout the day, William Hudson and his bed bug inspection K9 Lilly from Clark Pest Remedy performed an inspection; also, an army of 20 volunteers unpacked and encased 55 twin mattresses with new bed bug certified encasements.

Ashley Furniture’s Hope to Dream foundation provided mattresses, water bottles, new bedding and t-shirts, while Mattress Safe provided bed bug certified mattress encasements to protect and preserve the new mattresses.

Before leaving, final details were added to every bed. All 321 pillows were adorned with candy and notes of encouragement conveying to each resident how special and valuable they are.

Learn more about P.E.S.T. Relief International at www.pestreliefinternational.com.

Volunteers included:

• CPCO of Georgia: Maria Angela Collins and Glenda Lehmberg
• Sword of the Spirit Ministries International: Shandor Burke, Ebony Bob, Jeremiah Stokeling, Gregory White, April Smalls and Kameron White
• Ashley Furniture: Nina Fulton, Pam Redwine, Tiffany Hicks, Erica Hunter, Darby Aldine and Tarsha Terrell
• Future Services: Teresa Carley
• Your Choice Wildlife: Joe Maxwell
• Clark Pest Remedy: William Hudson and K9 Lilly
• PEST Relief International: Dianne Cornwell, Jean Autrey, Michelle Flynn and Andrea Hancock

Terminix Names Top 50 Bed Bug Cities

Terminix this summer announced its 2019 ranking of the top 50 most bed bug-infested cities in the country.

Philadelphia reclaimed the top title it last held in 2014, while Cleveland fell to No. 7 after two years as No. 1 on the list. New York, Dallas, Indianapolis and Cincinnati rounded out the top five spots. Ohio dominated the list with six cities in the top 50, and Florida followed closely behind with five.

Terminix based its rankings on the number of services rendered in each city in the past year. The top 50 cities for bed bug infestations in the United States are:

Female Bed Bugs Control Immune Systems Ahead of Mating

Female bed bugs who are “full bellied” (and therefore more attractive mates for males) are able to boost their immune systems in anticipation of catching sexually transmitted infections, research has found.

Led by the University of Sheffield, the research discovered a correlation between fed females and the chances of them being inseminated and therefore infected as a result.

To mitigate this, female bed bugs that have just dined on blood and are therefore full, are able to cleverly manage their simple immune system in anticipation of mating. This is in comparison to female bed bugs that do not get regular food, do not mate regularly and therefore do not have the same need to boost their immune system in defense of infection.

Mating among bed bugs involves the male critter inserting its needle-like penis into the female bed bug’s abdomen, in a process known as traumatic insemination.

The study found that females that boost their immune system in anticipation of this traumatic insemination also benefit from a longer life span — by being better able to resist the effects of infection — and have greater reproductive success. This is despite laying eggs at the same rate as “hungry” females.

While it was previously known that insects can aid their offspring when in a parasite-rich environment, this is the first evidence that an individual bed bug can regulate immunity in anticipation of infection. The team now believe this ability to “manage” immune systems might be shared by other insects.

Professor Mike Siva-Jothy, from the University of Sheffield’s Department of Animal and Plant Sciences, who led the research, said: “This is a pretty clever skill that bed bugs have developed to protect themselves against infection from what is quite a brutal mating ritual.

“This ability for bed bugs to do complex things with their simple immune systems thanks to some clever management may well also be something other insects have grasped the ability to do.

“Everyone knows bed bugs are some of the most unwanted human bedmates. We hope the findings might therefore help us pinpoint ways of making females more susceptible to natural routes of infection, something that may help us find new ways of controlling them.”

The study looked at hundreds of bed bugs over several years, during experiments that lasted two to three months.

The experts say they believe the key reason why male bed bugs are attracted to recently fed females is because they are full of blood and will therefore lay lots of eggs. In addition, these full females will be fat from their blood feast; they cannot fight back against traumatic insemination.

Siva-Jothy added: “We now need to understand how this boost to the immune system is switched on and off in reproductive cycles and whether other organisms use similar systems to minimize infection by sexually transmitted diseases.

The research was published on July 1 in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS). Source: University of Sheffield