Mid Atlantic Real Estate Journal — Professional Services — November 23 - December 6, 2012 — 1C
www.marejournal.com
P eST c onTRol M anageMenT Corbett Exterminating Bed bug management: Technology update
B
ed bugs have replaced cockroaches and ants as the number one pest
done to eliminate bed bugs? Do they have an Achilles’ heel? They certainly do. The control method that overcomes all of these obstacles is heat, bed bugs have poor tolerance for it. Adults and nymphs die at temperatures above 113°F and eggs die above 122°F. To create and distribute the heat inside an apartment, Cor- bett Exterminating has incorpo- rated the Thermal Remediation equipment by TempAir into our B.I.T.E. Back! ™ system. Our Bed Bug Intensive Thermal Elimination (B.I.T.E.) program uses stand up heaters to create hot air which we precisely direct throughout each roomwith large fans. Bed bugs die anywhere and everywhere we can get the hot air to blow through. This program takes more of the responsibilities and stress off the resident through dra- matically decreased prepara- tion requirements, quicker reentry times (usually an hour or less after completion) and decreased pesticide usage. The heat also kills a variety of other insects including all fly-
ing insects and cockroaches. Actual heating time ranges from four to six hours in each apartment with temperatures maintained between 125°F and 135°F. Bed bugs exposed to these temperatures die in less than a minute. Our proactive approach is unique, thorough and three dimensional using very little pesticide material. Corbett Exterminating is GreenPro Certified through the National Pest ManagementAssociation, the world leader in promoting green pest management. The treatment takes place in one day and there are two follow up inspections included during the first 45 days after the treatment. Apartments directly adjacent to the prob- lem unit are monitored for bed bug activity before, during and after the treatment. It is important to note that we do not rely solely on the heaters to kill bed bugs; this is not a passive program. Our pest man- agement professionals perform other pest control functions continued on page 20C
in multi-family housing. Their reach extends beyond our cities well into suburban and rural apartment complexes. Most housing managers have already dealt with them and the prob- lems they bring. Contrary to what some people still believe bed bugs do not come from a “dirty house” and they are not invisible. Adult bed bugs are about the size and shape of an apple seed and as flat as a piece of paper when they have not fed. Most feeding occurs at night while people are asleep. Bed bugs return to their hiding places soon after feeding. Like mosquitoes, they puncture the skin and feed on blood but unlike mosquitoes there is no evidence that they transmit diseases. Like cockroaches, bed bugs have an aggregation pheromone that makes them want to clus- ter together. This would help the control effort if they all did what they are supposed to, but rogue females leave the group
Corbett technician setting up Thermal Remediation equipment, part of the B.I.T.E. Back! Bed bug treatment.
for a variety of reasons to stay alone - possibly behind a picture in the hallway, under the jacket of a book or inside the telephone for example. Traditional chemical treat- ments may be effective but the problem must be successfully micromanaged to work properly. Quite often, the stray individual bed bugs must be found and eliminated. To complicate the
issue, many bed bug groups have developed a resistance to pesticides, making them much harder to kill with these materials. Bed bugs also have internal defense mechanisms for detoxification and a thicker exoskeleton that is harder for pesticides to penetrate. Bed bug biology and habits work against us and in favor of the bed bug. So what can be
Servicing: NJ/NY/CT/PA/DE/MD/VA/DC/MS
SERVICES: • B.I.T.E. Back!
(Bed bug Intensive Thermal Elimination)
• Bed Bug Elimination • C.E.M.I.T.
(Cockroach Elimination Management Inspection & Treatment) • Rodent Cleanouts & Proofing • Wood-Destroying Insect Inspection & Treatment • Vertebrate Animal Control • Bird Control & Exclusion
“Experts in the Art of Elimination”
www.CORBETTEXTERMINATING.com T elephone: (800) 888 – PEST (7378)|Fax: (800) 889 – 5455
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