Comments on: “The most useful application of the bed bug alarm pheromone may be to cause dispersal.” http://newyorkvsbedbugs.org/2009/05/18/the-most-useful-application-of-the-bed-bug-alarm-pheromone-may-be-to-cause-dispersal/ A bed bug policy advocacy group Sun, 14 Mar 2010 12:52:11 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.9.2 hourly 1 By: Finally, researchers on the efficacy of dusts — New York vs Bed Bugs http://newyorkvsbedbugs.org/2009/05/18/the-most-useful-application-of-the-bed-bug-alarm-pheromone-may-be-to-cause-dispersal/comment-page-1/#comment-6621 Finally, researchers on the efficacy of dusts — New York vs Bed Bugs Sat, 23 May 2009 01:52:32 +0000 http://newyorkvsbedbugs.org/?p=2752#comment-6621 [...] exposures, anything to help us understand the provocative remarks in Benoit et al. that we recently discussed. I also understood that researchers at Virginia Tech had been conducting tests with dusts. (There [...] [...] exposures, anything to help us understand the provocative remarks in Benoit et al. that we recently discussed. I also understood that researchers at Virginia Tech had been conducting tests with dusts. (There [...]

]]> By: sam http://newyorkvsbedbugs.org/2009/05/18/the-most-useful-application-of-the-bed-bug-alarm-pheromone-may-be-to-cause-dispersal/comment-page-1/#comment-6619 sam Fri, 22 May 2009 23:31:02 +0000 http://newyorkvsbedbugs.org/?p=2752#comment-6619 love to chat with you David.... the more colleagues who can discuss this intelligently and share experiences and thoughts, the better chance we have to get ahead with solving the problem. I certainly agree with you 100% about not depending on some magic bullet solution. I just received a forwarded message today from another one of those medicine men style of marketers promoting a one product magic bullet. I never presume a product is not good until i have seen good solid data, but you know the way it goes... claims of miraculous cures.... i don't have your e-mail but mine at work is [sam dot bryks at hsisolutions dot ca --Ed.] .. look forward to hearing from you, i don't have skype but perahps we can chat on MSN messenger or i can learn skype. take care, Sam Sam love to chat with you David…. the more colleagues who can discuss this intelligently and share experiences and thoughts, the better chance we have to get ahead with solving the problem. I certainly agree with you 100% about not depending on some magic bullet solution. I just received a forwarded message today from another one of those medicine men style of marketers promoting a one product magic bullet. I never presume a product is not good until i have seen good solid data, but you know the way it goes… claims of miraculous cures…. i don’t have your e-mail but mine at work is [sam dot bryks at hsisolutions dot ca --Ed.] .. look forward to hearing from you, i don’t have skype but perahps we can chat on MSN messenger or i can learn skype.
take care,
Sam
Sam

]]> By: David Cain http://newyorkvsbedbugs.org/2009/05/18/the-most-useful-application-of-the-bed-bug-alarm-pheromone-may-be-to-cause-dispersal/comment-page-1/#comment-6610 David Cain Fri, 22 May 2009 16:34:14 +0000 http://newyorkvsbedbugs.org/?p=2752#comment-6610 Hi Sam, We will agree to disagree ont he encasements other than the claims which I am getting close to naming and shaming. Yes we do have some data on the field use of the monitors including one hotel that caught a infestation after just 2 or 3 days and managed to treat the room by removing it and a close inspection to ensure that there was no more activity. When the monitors was examined it contained a single female adult and 3 or 4 eggs. It has need checked every few days and after 14 it is still clear. I am not a big fan of searching for the holy grail because any single tool or product is a weak point that biology will always adapt to and over come. If you want to chat in more detail drop me an email and we can skype. David . Hi Sam,

We will agree to disagree ont he encasements other than the claims which I am getting close to naming and shaming.

Yes we do have some data on the field use of the monitors including one hotel that caught a infestation after just 2 or 3 days and managed to treat the room by removing it and a close inspection to ensure that there was no more activity.

When the monitors was examined it contained a single female adult and 3 or 4 eggs. It has need checked every few days and after 14 it is still clear.

I am not a big fan of searching for the holy grail because any single tool or product is a weak point that biology will always adapt to and over come.

If you want to chat in more detail drop me an email and we can skype.

David .

]]> By: sam bryks http://newyorkvsbedbugs.org/2009/05/18/the-most-useful-application-of-the-bed-bug-alarm-pheromone-may-be-to-cause-dispersal/comment-page-1/#comment-6609 sam bryks Fri, 22 May 2009 16:12:16 +0000 http://newyorkvsbedbugs.org/?p=2752#comment-6609 Hi David, i had written a response a few days ago, but then it disappeared into cyberspace because of an impatient ISP.. oh Dear.. and damn as they say.. Regarding the mattress encasements, while I agree with you David about the nonsense of ridiculous claims and I have seen plenty of those over the years for a variety of products, I don't agree about excluding mattress encasements as part of an IPM strategy. These are not, strictly speaking, control devices as such nor do they prevent infestations however, they do contribute to the total picture. Not all service providers are as meticulous as you are David, and it is altogether too easy to miss some aspect inside a box spring.. further, in consideration of a chemical treatment of a sleeping area, the encasements lock in freshly hatched nymphs from eggs resistant to spray, and that alone is a great benefit. Apart from the protection of the bedding, both the matttress and the box encasesments REDUCE harborage by significant proportions and make it easier to control bed bugs in the long term. The typical hiding places such as seams of mattresses, corner plastic guards of box springs in additon to the undersurface of hte box springs, and for matresses with vent openings ( I recently saw a style that had a very dozen vent holes through which adults and nymphs could easily travel... So the bottom line is that encasesments are very valuable for so many reasons and in my view, in bed bug management they are an ESSENTIAL element of IPM of bed bugs. As for claims, this was raised at the EPA summit in terms of pr;oducts not registered as pesticides due to low toxicity, such as Cedar Oil and Limoneme oil . I read these ridiculous statements about "not toxic " and natural. Time magazine had an article last year about the green charlatans using the "green" label to make all sort of ridiculous claims. If it were not toxic, then how can it kill bed bugs and natural does not mean non-toxic.. Some of the most toxic substances are natural... We have a product in North America, a device that the manufacturer claims will control everything under the sun by just plugging into a wall.. (Riddex), and really all it accomplishes is stealing people's money and doing nothing at all, but it is shown in slick informercials on cable. I met a rep of a firm selling cedar oil at the EPA summit and of course, their main promotion was "buy this, and you can do it yourself without paying someone else" targeted at the property management market, and of course, this is ludicrous as mostly it will fail ............. Some of these products may have a use ultimately, but not until proper studies of efficacy have been undertaken, and even at that, the average person would not want to go through the meticulous effort needed.. enough that they have to go through preparartion. I did see you passive monitor device in Washington. Mathew Kaye of Brandenburg showed it to me.. Wonderful innovative device.. Do you have field data and images showing its effectiveness? Renee recently shared Clive Boase perspective on the bigger problem and the meta-population model, and my response to this is that without IPM approaches being mandatory requirements through legislation, the problem is will continue to get worse much as Michael Potter predicts. I don't agree with him about no solution until an equivalent to DDT is found in the 21st Century. I focus more of the practice of IPM than on any single product. Sadly, this is not done much as it should be, and I face this reality almost every day when I hear of complaints about unresolved infestations and some of the people in charge just not seeing that they need professionals to implement and manage these programs. Too many still live in the misconception that control can be achieved by amateurs.... Of course, people can be trained ot understand the overall concept .. it is not rocket science, but until there is enforcement at the municipal level of standards of program and of service delivery, it is going to continue to get worse. The benefit of professionals is that they keep up to date and look at best practices. Citizen advocates like Renee who has made herself expert in the area.. knowing more about this now than most pest control service people, are very very rare... Kudoes to Renee for creating this web blog... Hi David,
i had written a response a few days ago, but then it disappeared into cyberspace because of an impatient ISP.. oh Dear.. and damn as they say..
Regarding the mattress encasements, while I agree with you David about the nonsense of ridiculous claims and I have seen plenty of those over the years for a variety of products, I don’t agree about excluding mattress encasements as part of an IPM strategy. These are not, strictly speaking, control devices as such nor do they prevent infestations however, they do contribute to the total picture. Not all service providers are as meticulous as you are David, and it is altogether too easy to miss some aspect inside a box spring.. further, in consideration of a chemical treatment of a sleeping area, the encasements lock in freshly hatched nymphs from eggs resistant to spray, and that alone is a great benefit. Apart from the protection of the bedding, both the matttress and the box encasesments REDUCE harborage by significant proportions and make it easier to control bed bugs in the long term. The typical hiding places such as seams of mattresses, corner plastic guards of box springs in additon to the undersurface of hte box springs, and for matresses with vent openings ( I recently saw a style that had a very dozen vent holes through which adults and nymphs could easily travel… So the bottom line is that encasesments are very valuable for so many reasons and in my view, in bed bug management they are an ESSENTIAL element of IPM of bed bugs.
As for claims, this was raised at the EPA summit in terms of pr;oducts not registered as pesticides due to low toxicity, such as Cedar Oil and Limoneme oil . I read these ridiculous statements about “not toxic ” and natural. Time magazine had an article last year about the green charlatans using the “green” label to make all sort of ridiculous claims. If it were not toxic, then how can it kill bed bugs and natural does not mean non-toxic.. Some of the most toxic substances are natural… We have a product in North America, a device that the manufacturer claims will control everything under the sun by just plugging into a wall.. (Riddex), and really all it accomplishes is stealing people’s money and doing nothing at all, but it is shown in slick informercials on cable. I met a rep of a firm selling cedar oil at the EPA summit and of course, their main promotion was “buy this, and you can do it yourself without paying someone else” targeted at the property management market, and of course, this is ludicrous as mostly it will fail …………. Some of these products may have a use ultimately, but not until proper studies of efficacy have been undertaken, and even at that, the average person would not want to go through the meticulous effort needed.. enough that they have to go through preparartion.
I did see you passive monitor device in Washington. Mathew Kaye of Brandenburg showed it to me.. Wonderful innovative device.. Do you have field data and images showing its effectiveness?
Renee recently shared Clive Boase perspective on the bigger problem and the meta-population model, and my response to this is that without IPM approaches being mandatory requirements through legislation, the problem is will continue to get worse much as Michael Potter predicts. I don’t agree with him about no solution until an equivalent to DDT is found in the 21st Century. I focus more of the practice of IPM than on any single product. Sadly, this is not done much as it should be, and I face this reality almost every day when I hear of complaints about unresolved infestations and some of the people in charge just not seeing that they need professionals to implement and manage these programs. Too many still live in the misconception that control can be achieved by amateurs…. Of course, people can be trained ot understand the overall concept .. it is not rocket science, but until there is enforcement at the municipal level of standards of program and of service delivery, it is going to continue to get worse. The benefit of professionals is that they keep up to date and look at best practices. Citizen advocates like Renee who has made herself expert in the area.. knowing more about this now than most pest control service people, are very very rare…
Kudoes to Renee for creating this web blog…

]]> By: Sam Bryks http://newyorkvsbedbugs.org/2009/05/18/the-most-useful-application-of-the-bed-bug-alarm-pheromone-may-be-to-cause-dispersal/comment-page-1/#comment-6583 Sam Bryks Thu, 21 May 2009 01:18:02 +0000 http://newyorkvsbedbugs.org/?p=2752#comment-6583 Hi David.. good to read your posts.. I did see your passive detection monitor when i was in Washington in April. Your colleague from UK - the managing director of that large firm that handles light traps and air sterilization equipment (his name escapes me at day's end) = showed it to me. I thought this was a most elegant design using readily available materials. I will certainly order some of those.. I do understand your concern about wild claims by some retailers about mattress encasements, and i have always been shocked by the outrageous pricing which i simply do not believe it justified. $150 for a single bed encasements is ludicrous. I hope that the market place will result in lower priced units of good quality. I know from my research that fairly good encasements exported from China cost less than $30 landed for a single and less than $40 for a queen or a double, so a markup of 500% is really horrible. I am also familiar with the scare tactics of some of the same firms when they were selling pillow nad mattress encasesments as defense against dust mites, conveniently invisible, but certainly visible in scare videos showing the critters in their full scanning electron microscope glory. Though dust mites are recognized as a significant pest in relation to allergies and asthma, i believe that a combination of good climate control and housekeeping eliminates most of these, and only in extreme cases of allergy or asthmatic individuals would the encasements really be merited in most cases. Having said that i disagree with your reluctance to include these as an IPM tool. I know that not every service provider would be as meticulous as you are David, as I know from reading your comments and interview with Renee, that you are committed to do an excellent job,, but in many many cases, the treatment of box springs would not succeed, and the protective encasement is an excellent IPM tool to be used AFTER treatment. Keeping them out of the box spring structure is a huge benefit. And these encasements last for years.. so the overall benefit is huge in my view.. Of course, the claims are ridiculous.. and i put such claims into the garbage heap where they belong, but the claims should not devalue the usefulness of the encasements and I believe that these are becoming a standard to not only protect the beds from soiling, but to keep the bed bugs out of ideal harborages in box springs, and certainly to reduce harborage on mattresses.. I have seen mattresses with tiny holes for air that would enable adults and nymphs to get inside the mattress, and for these, the encasements are invaluable.. IPM has many tools and I support the encasements as a valuable IPM tool in the case of bed bug management.. but i do appreciate your reflections David... lots for us to learn... best regards Sam Hi David..
good to read your posts.. I did see your passive detection monitor when i was in Washington in April. Your colleague from UK – the managing director of that large firm that handles light traps and air sterilization equipment (his name escapes me at day’s end) = showed it to me. I thought this was a most elegant design using readily available materials. I will certainly order some of those..
I do understand your concern about wild claims by some retailers about mattress encasements, and i have always been shocked by the outrageous pricing which i simply do not believe it justified. $150 for a single bed encasements is ludicrous. I hope that the market place will result in lower priced units of good quality. I know from my research that fairly good encasements exported from China cost less than $30 landed for a single and less than $40 for a queen or a double, so a markup of 500% is really horrible. I am also familiar with the scare tactics of some of the same firms when they were selling pillow nad mattress encasesments as defense against dust mites, conveniently invisible, but certainly visible in scare videos showing the critters in their full scanning electron microscope glory. Though dust mites are recognized as a significant pest in relation to allergies and asthma, i believe that a combination of good climate control and housekeeping eliminates most of these, and only in extreme cases of allergy or asthmatic individuals would the encasements really be merited in most cases. Having said that i disagree with your reluctance to include these as an IPM tool. I know that not every service provider would be as meticulous as you are David, as I know from reading your comments and interview with Renee, that you are committed to do an excellent job,, but in many many cases, the treatment of box springs would not succeed, and the protective encasement is an excellent IPM tool to be used AFTER treatment. Keeping them out of the box spring structure is a huge benefit. And these encasements last for years.. so the overall benefit is huge in my view..
Of course, the claims are ridiculous.. and i put such claims into the garbage heap where they belong, but the claims should not devalue the usefulness of the encasements and I believe that these are becoming a standard to not only protect the beds from soiling, but to keep the bed bugs out of ideal harborages in box springs, and certainly to reduce harborage on mattresses.. I have seen mattresses with tiny holes for air that would enable adults and nymphs to get inside the mattress, and for these, the encasements are invaluable..
IPM has many tools and I support the encasements as a valuable IPM tool in the case of bed bug management..
but i do appreciate your reflections David…
lots for us to learn…
best regards
Sam

]]> By: David Cain http://newyorkvsbedbugs.org/2009/05/18/the-most-useful-application-of-the-bed-bug-alarm-pheromone-may-be-to-cause-dispersal/comment-page-1/#comment-6571 David Cain Wed, 20 May 2009 10:40:18 +0000 http://newyorkvsbedbugs.org/?p=2752#comment-6571 Hi Sam, In fact that ;last post spurred me on to look at an advert I saw the other week that claims: Mattress encasement's: Increases time between re-infestations Decreases the scope of a re-infestation The ad is also peppered with images of dust mites when it is clearly sold on a page about bed bugs. Now from my point of view I cant see how a bed bug that you encounter away from home knows its you have a mattress protector or not. The answer is they don't, they don't care and if you have one installed it has no bearing on if you will be infected again or not. If anyone wants to try and explain how it reduces your risk of re infestations please let me know. Until then I think I am more than justified as viewing this as an expensive add on sale that adds little or no value to a bed bug treatment in terms of speed of eradication. David Hi Sam,

In fact that ;last post spurred me on to look at an advert I saw the other week that claims:

Mattress encasement’s:

Increases time between re-infestations
Decreases the scope of a re-infestation

The ad is also peppered with images of dust mites when it is clearly sold on a page about bed bugs.

Now from my point of view I cant see how a bed bug that you encounter away from home knows its you have a mattress protector or not. The answer is they don’t, they don’t care and if you have one installed it has no bearing on if you will be infected again or not.

If anyone wants to try and explain how it reduces your risk of re infestations please let me know. Until then I think I am more than justified as viewing this as an expensive add on sale that adds little or no value to a bed bug treatment in terms of speed of eradication.

David

]]> By: David Cain http://newyorkvsbedbugs.org/2009/05/18/the-most-useful-application-of-the-bed-bug-alarm-pheromone-may-be-to-cause-dispersal/comment-page-1/#comment-6570 David Cain Wed, 20 May 2009 10:23:38 +0000 http://newyorkvsbedbugs.org/?p=2752#comment-6570 Hi Sam, I agree with you on the use of mattress protectors for sanitation and good hygiene, as you say a good mattress is a serious investment and needs to be protected. We have more box spring type beds in the UK than almost any other type, yes they are a pain to deal with but its not impossible. The real shocker is that in over 9,000 cases I have not used a single mattress encasement, so I have to say they are not an essential part of IPM. If you want something that really helps with detecting an infestation early and therefore making it easier to clear get a passive monitor and set the spare money to one side in case its needed. If you don't have an infestation a normal mattress protector will suffice and will give exactly the same benefits as one with a more expensive sealing system on it. I would also say that the one failing of most current alleged IPM approaches is that they lack sufficient education to assist the occupant of the property to identify and avoid future infestations, I would agree with seeing that before I am ever likely to endorse the current mattress encasement technologies. David Cain Hi Sam,

I agree with you on the use of mattress protectors for sanitation and good hygiene, as you say a good mattress is a serious investment and needs to be protected.

We have more box spring type beds in the UK than almost any other type, yes they are a pain to deal with but its not impossible.

The real shocker is that in over 9,000 cases I have not used a single mattress encasement, so I have to say they are not an essential part of IPM.

If you want something that really helps with detecting an infestation early and therefore making it easier to clear get a passive monitor and set the spare money to one side in case its needed.

If you don’t have an infestation a normal mattress protector will suffice and will give exactly the same benefits as one with a more expensive sealing system on it.

I would also say that the one failing of most current alleged IPM approaches is that they lack sufficient education to assist the occupant of the property to identify and avoid future infestations, I would agree with seeing that before I am ever likely to endorse the current mattress encasement technologies.

David Cain

]]> By: Sam Bryks http://newyorkvsbedbugs.org/2009/05/18/the-most-useful-application-of-the-bed-bug-alarm-pheromone-may-be-to-cause-dispersal/comment-page-1/#comment-6555 Sam Bryks Wed, 20 May 2009 00:28:52 +0000 http://newyorkvsbedbugs.org/?p=2752#comment-6555 After re-reading the posts here, i am not so confident of an alarm pheromone. In terms of treatment, I don't think that dispersal is useful. We want to treat them where they are concentrated and in early infestations that is at the sleeping areas. I have heard anecdotal reports of dispersal by local treatment (such as a homeowner using a "Raid" style product - killing the visible bugs, but actually causing dispersal. I think that aggregation pheromones would be much more useful as well as the insect horomone mimicker (sp) products. Regarding micro=environments, the simple reality is that bed bugs, like roaches, thrive in human created interior environments. I agree with the comment about the discomfort of sitting in the sun. Even desert creatures hide from the sun during the day and most of them are active at night when it is cooler. Regarding mattress/box spring encasements, i am sometimes truly amazed at the misconceptions about what they do or don't do. Mattress encasements protect mattresses from the soiling caused by bed bugs. I would not expect any live bed bugs on most mattresses after a proper treatment, though i must admit i have seen some designs with tiny openings with metal vents -- and in that case, the encasement would shut any bed bugs inside till they died of dessication or starvation. But most mattresses do not have vent. And I would hope that vacuuming, steaming and treatment killed any bed bug stages , so the encasement also serves to protect the mattress because for some people soiling is so aesthetically revulsive that they would discard the mattress on the fact of the soiling alone. A good mattress can cost $800 - $1500 and more, so this is not a frivolous benefit of the encasements. Some mattress retailers base their return policies on use of encasements. Box springs are a different story as treatment of the interior of the box spring is very difficult no matter how done.. whether with spray or with steam... time consuming.. So an ecasement locks in all stages. The other benefit is that the ideal refugias near the host are now gone. An encaseed mattress with no edged seam or an encased box spring, without exposure of the plastic corner guards, or even the harborage between the mattress and the box that is presented by the stitched contour of a mattress resting on a box spring ( a most marvellous refugia -- i have seen hundreds of bed bugs concentrated in that very location). so the encasements serve multi-functions and are really a must for bedding for all the noted reasons. The encasements are not a solution of course, but they are part of that "integrated" aspect of measures to enable control that is Integrated Pest Management. Renee, you should laugh at the predictable way i end with IPM as the focus. After re-reading the posts here, i am not so confident of an alarm pheromone. In terms of treatment, I don’t think that dispersal is useful. We want to treat them where they are concentrated and in early infestations that is at the sleeping areas. I have heard anecdotal reports of dispersal by local treatment (such as a homeowner using a “Raid” style product – killing the visible bugs, but actually causing dispersal. I think that aggregation pheromones would be much more useful as well as the insect horomone mimicker (sp) products. Regarding micro=environments, the simple reality is that bed bugs, like roaches, thrive in human created interior environments. I agree with the comment about the discomfort of sitting in the sun. Even desert creatures hide from the sun during the day and most of them are active at night when it is cooler.
Regarding mattress/box spring encasements, i am sometimes truly amazed at the misconceptions about what they do or don’t do. Mattress encasements protect mattresses from the soiling caused by bed bugs. I would not expect any live bed bugs on most mattresses after a proper treatment, though i must admit i have seen some designs with tiny openings with metal vents — and in that case, the encasement would shut any bed bugs inside till they died of dessication or starvation. But most mattresses do not have vent. And I would hope that vacuuming, steaming and treatment killed any bed bug stages , so the encasement also serves to protect the mattress because for some people soiling is so aesthetically revulsive that they would discard the mattress on the fact of the soiling alone. A good mattress can cost $800 – $1500 and more, so this is not a frivolous benefit of the encasements. Some mattress retailers base their return policies on use of encasements. Box springs are a different story as treatment of the interior of the box spring is very difficult no matter how done.. whether with spray or with steam… time consuming.. So an ecasement locks in all stages. The other benefit is that the ideal refugias near the host are now gone. An encaseed mattress with no edged seam or an encased box spring, without exposure of the plastic corner guards, or even the harborage between the mattress and the box that is presented by the stitched contour of a mattress resting on a box spring ( a most marvellous refugia — i have seen hundreds of bed bugs concentrated in that very location). so the encasements serve multi-functions and are really a must for bedding for all the noted reasons. The encasements are not a solution of course, but they are part of that “integrated” aspect of measures to enable control that is Integrated Pest Management. Renee, you should laugh at the predictable way i end with IPM as the focus.

]]> By: David Cain http://newyorkvsbedbugs.org/2009/05/18/the-most-useful-application-of-the-bed-bug-alarm-pheromone-may-be-to-cause-dispersal/comment-page-1/#comment-6547 David Cain Tue, 19 May 2009 20:01:23 +0000 http://newyorkvsbedbugs.org/?p=2752#comment-6547 Hi Renee, I have been working on ways to treat unoccupied areas of recent and hope to have some data to share soon. I also wanted to say that encasement's encase they don't cure it a bit like putting a bag on the issue, its still there just contained. Short of rips and holes they should not be able to get out. I do however have an issue with isolation of the sleeping area during treatment which our comparative studies have shown can increase the duration of the infestation by a few weeks and may cause the bed bugs to find new homes further from the main sleeping area. The problem is however finding people who are prepared to allow you to "experiment" with an infestation is difficult at best, lets face it most people just want them gone as quickly as possible so they can get back on with their lives. David Hi Renee,

I have been working on ways to treat unoccupied areas of recent and hope to have some data to share soon.

I also wanted to say that encasement’s encase they don’t cure it a bit like putting a bag on the issue, its still there just contained. Short of rips and holes they should not be able to get out. I do however have an issue with isolation of the sleeping area during treatment which our comparative studies have shown can increase the duration of the infestation by a few weeks and may cause the bed bugs to find new homes further from the main sleeping area.

The problem is however finding people who are prepared to allow you to “experiment” with an infestation is difficult at best, lets face it most people just want them gone as quickly as possible so they can get back on with their lives.

David

]]> By: Renee Corea http://newyorkvsbedbugs.org/2009/05/18/the-most-useful-application-of-the-bed-bug-alarm-pheromone-may-be-to-cause-dispersal/comment-page-1/#comment-6540 Renee Corea Tue, 19 May 2009 17:12:17 +0000 http://newyorkvsbedbugs.org/?p=2752#comment-6540 Well David we could take all day to discuss your assorted mattress 'heresies' but at this point I am more inclined to agree with you than disagree when it comes to encasements. It is well to consider whether for some people mattress encasements will merely prolong an infestation, because they will not be aware of or simply will not be able to find the holes. They don't tell you about the tears. The authors of this paper mention that there is disagreement on the mode of action of DE and the synthetic dusts. The synthetic stuff is adsorptive and the DE is generally believed to be abrasive. That could account for much of the performance difference. One might hope they really could find a way to get bed bugs to expend energy in unoccupied rooms without increasing the risk of emigration, since motion + starved status = death (I could add 'seems to' but let's be bold). There may just be no application for this. Further, I think the lives of bed bugs are probably short in natural conditions. If it takes 30 days, for example, to kill a bed bug with dusts and they've laid numerous eggs before they die. Well. Well David we could take all day to discuss your assorted mattress ‘heresies’ but at this point I am more inclined to agree with you than disagree when it comes to encasements. It is well to consider whether for some people mattress encasements will merely prolong an infestation, because they will not be aware of or simply will not be able to find the holes. They don’t tell you about the tears.

The authors of this paper mention that there is disagreement on the mode of action of DE and the synthetic dusts. The synthetic stuff is adsorptive and the DE is generally believed to be abrasive. That could account for much of the performance difference. One might hope they really could find a way to get bed bugs to expend energy in unoccupied rooms without increasing the risk of emigration, since motion + starved status = death (I could add ’seems to’ but let’s be bold). There may just be no application for this.

Further, I think the lives of bed bugs are probably short in natural conditions. If it takes 30 days, for example, to kill a bed bug with dusts and they’ve laid numerous eggs before they die. Well.

]]>