Comments on: Q & A with NYC pest management pro John Furman

By: JOHN D

JOHN D — Thu, 29 Oct 2009 21:28:53 +0000

I opened this link searching for something else about bed bugs and man have I got well INFORMED!!!!!! newyorKvrsBedbugs you guys have really done one hell of a job finding these top dogs in their fields and interviewing them so that the common joe like myself can get INFORMED.I as like many others live in a 17 unit dwelling moved in 12-01-08 the worst mistake of my life.I am on my 3rd living room suit,2nd mattress and boxspring,just tossed out for the 2nd time the kids bed.Found it safer for them to sleep on air matress fold it up in morning and put it in the trunk of the car until the next night.I am on SSI do to car crash year out of high school and said to my wife lets move into a apartment for a year save up some money and get us a house.WRONG! Every dime we have had and didnt have has went to replacing infested furniture and worthless sprays,alcohol etc…etc…We have had 3 so called TREATMENTS by this company since 09-01-09 and it seems like there is more than before.The company has never been in here for more than 15 minutes TOPS more like 10 minutes each time.I am so glad I got to read this and will pass it on to everyone I know.You people at newyork vs bedbugs should get some kind of award for putting this together.I now have more knowledge than every pest control company in the Cincinnati area when it comes to these man eaters (BED BUGS) Thank you so much Sincerley, John D. Cincinnati,Oh

By: Preparation, money, and the shortening of the window to act — New York vs Bed Bugs

Sat, 06 Jun 2009 19:39:23 +0000

[...] consumer-oriented method that is predicated on meticulous, sometimes hours-long inspection. We interviewed him last year and asked him about his prep philosophy: My approach is very different than most companies treating [...]

By: Consumer Reports, world-class tease — New York vs Bed Bugs

Consumer Reports, world-class tease — New York vs Bed Bugs — Tue, 31 Mar 2009 00:09:09 +0000

[...] is available here—it features an in-the-field interview with John Furman whom we’ve also interviewed, via unexciting email however), Consumer Reports does this: Essential information: Visit The [...]

By: Renee Corea

Renee Corea — Sat, 17 Jan 2009 20:30:56 +0000

Sam, thanks for that great comment. This is why this problem is so confounding. But here’s the thing, if this problem is so impossibly expensive to solve, as clearly it is, even if this realization is actively avoided by public health departments and municipalities, then isn’t it incumbent on us to invest appropriately in applied research? This is what I don’t understand.

By: sam bryks

sam bryks — Sat, 17 Jan 2009 19:19:28 +0000

This is excellent material Renee…
John’s comments about preparation and not having tenants move mattresses or box springs before treatment is right on!!!! We have had a few firms here that advise tenants to vaccum and lift up the matt and box in advance of treatment, and of course, just as John has said, if you disturb the most common site where the bugs are and scatter them to other hiding places, no wonder control is so difficult. And many pest control firms do not want to see a vacuum as part of their own work, when removal is a most elegant and non-chemical means of reducing visible population.. spraying beds when it doesn’t kill eggs instead of vacuuming is really nonsense in my view. Treating the interior of box springs is another situation, but once the matt and boxes are in enclosures, it is a moot point.
John’s other nuances are also excellent, and his description of his early career and the pest control tech doing 15 calls at day – at 15 minutes each has been a norm for producti0n in pest ocntrol firms but really a useless service to truly address any pest problem. Years ago when I worked for a large firm, one of the service managers had sold a chain of corner grocery stores like 7-11’s for a service charge of about $4.50 per store.. Enough time to say hello and how are ya? and goodbye.. And the rational was his commission and the fact that the company was passing through the area anyhow.. The contract didn’t last 6 months because of the poor service. It takes time to do a proper job. It was not unusual for some pest control firms to build their profits on the backs of their employees.. no overtime and impossible expecations, and spend money to market for new clients when you lose the others. A horrible unending cycle of cheap service.. The same firms gave better service to premium clients. NOt much has changed in this regard.. still the same as John notes.
I have had discussions with some experts in the field with suggestions of 3 hours of service to treat a one bedroom apartment for bed bugs. This is tough as the cost can be upwards of $250 – $300 for one service. and if one multiplies that in terms of two services each and a spreading infestation with a whole buidling treatment of say 100 units or more – the cost then is from $50,00 – 60,000 and up . This is a huge expenditure and without a sustainable program the problem will return in no time at all. I know of cases in which a few hundred thousand dollars were spent with major recurrence after 18 months.. The thoroughness of treatment is about the difficulty of getting every last survivor, every last hatchling from eggs.. My own thought is that if the infestations are found early, and if the awareness of potential spread between units enables better prevention, education, and appropraite measures, then perhaps treatment will be more successful. Focus on the hot spots, and treat conservatively… but this is a judgement call … when we see how bed bugs can lay a few eggs in almost any crevice … one can understand that for a well established infestation, the extent of treatment will be exhaustive.. Being able to implement the judgement of appropriate intensity of treatment is very hard so the experts basically recommend the full scale and this is what takes so long.
The clutter factor makes it very very difficult, and as John says.. living out of bags for a year is a ridiculous situation for sure..
His insights are certainly on the money… It just shows how much training and education are needed to enable good treatment and prevention.
Sam

By: Renee Corea

Renee Corea — Tue, 06 Jan 2009 03:36:33 +0000

Hi Janie, thanks for your comment. Five treatments sounds like an experience, I know exactly how you feel. Here’s to the end of bed bugs.

By: Janie

Janie — Tue, 06 Jan 2009 02:42:19 +0000

People like John Furman give me hope. I went through 5 treatments with my PCO to kick the problem. But if it happens again, I’ll be calling John Furman–after reading this, I would be silly not to.

By: KillerQueen speaks! Over at New York vs. Bed Bugs… : Got bed bugs? Bedbugger.com

Mon, 05 Jan 2009 02:37:27 +0000

[...] The hardest working bed bug activist and blogger, Renee Corea, did a nice in-depth interview with h… [...]