The future of the fight against bed bug issues

bed bug on wooden pointAre bed bug issues becoming more prevalent? How should we improve bed bug infestation treatment? Can a tool like an electric duster help? Across the country, bed bug issues are increasing in frequency and intensity. Fortunately, the Exacticide electric duster is an outstanding solution for your clients.

Reports abound about bed bugs in hotels, apartments, condo buildings and detached homes in the U.S. These pests are alarming, and people are looking for solutions.There are several possible reasons for the recent surge in bed bug issues. One possibility is that the creatures are increasingly resistant to insecticides. Yet a more likely reason is that more people are traveling today than in the past. As people visit different parts of the world, they also are bringing back more bed bugs and other health challenges.

Fortunately, the pest control industry is keeping ahead of the problem with new solutions and treatments such as the cutting-edge Exacticide electric duster, which can apply these solutions in the places where they’ll have the greatest effect.

New treatments for bed bug issues

A new chemical called Ivermectin won the 2015 Nobel Prize for Medicine. It’s now in development as a bed bug infestation treatment. It works by adhering to the body of insects, paralyzing them and killing them. Still, it will not be available for commercial use for some time.

Other new ways to treat bed bug issues are making their way to the marketplace, too. Insect traps with a surface similar to Velcro cause pests to get permanently stuck. Additional treatments mimic chemicals called pheromones, which attract insects into a trap.

Biopesticides are natural enemies of bed bugs. For example, a fungus called beauveria bassiana can clog a bed bug’s circulatory system. The trouble with these kinds of treatments is that they are passive. They only work when bed bugs wander into them or come into close proximity with them. Even if a trap is visibly full of bed bugs, it’s no guarantee the trap has caught all, or even a majority, of the pests. Most clients want positive evidence that the treatment for which they are paying has eliminated bed bugs from their home. A positive treatment requires a tool such as the Exacticide electric duster to apply insecticide where it is needed.

Keeping bed bugs out

Dealing with a homeowner’s bed bug issues requires more than just the application of the right insecticide in the right places. It also requires you to provide sound advice that will help clients avoid future infestations. Remember that while bed bugs do not spread disease, clients want them gone. They prefer the taste of human blood, and bites that appear in the morning on a client's skin can be one sign of bed bugs.

An electric duster is an effective treatment for bedbugs, but the best way to deal with bed bugs is to prevent them from getting into a home in the first place. Bed bugs are excellent hitchhikers, according to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. They can sneak into luggage and hide in clothing, and they can live for months without feeding. That makes it easy for someone to bring bed bugs home from a vacation or a business trip in their luggage.

Advise your clients to check their luggage and clothing before returning from a vacation. They should also check second-hand furniture they might buy, especially beds and sofas, for any signs of a bed bug infestation before bringing it into the house. Shared laundry facilities are another potential source for bedbug infestation.

Signs to look for

Here are some indicators clients can monitor to determine whether they have bed bugs and need a pest professional:

  • bite marks on the skin in the morning
  • rusty or reddish stains on sheets or mattresses
  • dark spots on fabric that might spread like ink (bed bug excrement can appear this way)
  • pale yellow skins about 1 mm long (these can be eggs and molted exoskeletons)
  • live bed bugs crawling:
    • in the seams of chairs and sofas, between cushions and in the folds of curtains
    • in drawer joints
    • in electrical outlets, switches, etc.
    • in appliances
    • under loose wallpaper
    • in crevices between wall and baseboards
    • in the corner between walls and ceilings.

Exacticide: the bedbug solution

The Excaticide electric duster applies effective insecticide dust exactly where it will be the most effective. With its extended plastic applicator wand, it’s able to apply the right pest-control products exactly where they are needed most. With its total reach, it gives pest-control professionals and clients confidence that bed bugs and other pests will be eliminated.

As a pest-control professional, you have the knowledge and expertise to provide answers to bed bug issues. We have the electric duster you can use to help clients maintain their homes pest-free. Contact Technicide for more information and to stay up to date on pest control industry news.


Jim Harper
Jim Harper

Author



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