This article by entomologist Dr. George Rotramel has been burning a hole in my head since I read it.
Now that I’ve re-read it, it may not be as bad as that depressing first read, but it’s still not very encouraging.
Redefining failure and collecting bed bugs so that you can later say they are different bed bugs seems so CYA-ish to me.
Is this what modern bed bug management is about?
And this business of identifying populations by sight?
KNOW THE OLD FROM THE NEW. Even though your treatment eliminated the original infestation, a new population of bed bugs may have been brought into areas that you didn’t treat and/or into areas where the residue from your treatment is no longer effective. To address this problem, collect and label dry samples of bed bug adults, nymphs, eggs, cast skins and egg shells from every account before you make your initial treatment and then take samples of live bugs and live eggs from areas in which you are going to make a retreatment.
An expert often can tell different populations of the same species of bed bugs apart based on the shape and sculpture of their eggs and the size, shape and distribution of the hairs on their bodies. These samples also can be used to determine how many different populations are involved.
Emphasis decidedly mine.
Surely, “to address this problem” is not a meaningful phrase in this context.
March 18, 2009: Dr. Rotramel responded here.
No related posts.
{ 1 comment… read it below or add one }
There is so much useful information on this blog, that it is easy to miss some and also easy to be here for a long time reading…
I blundered into the long feedback post and then arrived here.. Read Dr. Rotramel’s responses.. Interesting stuff.. I have never read about the mixed populations and distinctions based on sculpture of egg cases. Fascinating. Not sure to what extent this will ever become common practice… but certainly an interesting area….
short post here.. Dr. Rotramel’s comments about IPM are right on the money…
“The good news is our bed bug problem is forcing us to go from ‘spray and pray’ to integrated pest management (IPM) whether we want to or not. We can’t control the bugs unless we coordinate (integrate) the activities and functions of all of the people involved. Once these systems are in place and habits are learned they can be extended to include problems with roaches, ants, mice, and our other urban pests. ”
He has said in a nutshell paragraph what it is really about.. and I have to say that this is little promoted out there.. and that is a huge failing of the industry I’m afraid. Whenever I raise the issue at symposia, and I do so when I see that presenters are just not speaking of this in relation to bed bug management, I get ackowledgement and apologia, but then nothing changes. I attended a talk at which one presenter spoke of a “green” rodent control program and it was IPM, but when I asked why label it green instead of IPM, I got the horse laugh (call it whatever you want). After the talk, the speaker came to me and said, “you’re absolutely right but our client wanted to label it “green” as it carried more “public responsibilty” in sound bite. ” with a kind of apologica for putting the laugh on me. I rode through the laugh in silence as I had no choice and knew I was right. His apology made it right I guess.
The concept remains misunderstood by many and unfairly characterized as being “anti-pesticide”.. Nice to hear someone else got it right.
We need the concept because it is through concepts that people can apply a practical approach. We need to teach the field people so they really understand this… A lot of them already do without labels, but when you actually are doing IPM and you can demonstrate this to a client in a practical context… it is what adds professionalism to the industry and really encourages “best practices” which is another term supporting good work.. Best practices in IPM is a good way to look at this..
Sam