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| DATE:
July 15 2007 |
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Battling Bedbugs on the Front Line
As staff entomologist and technical director of Lawrenceville, NJ-based Cooper Pest Solutions, Richard Cooper has witnessed the resurgence and rapid growth of the bed bug scourge that continues to plague the hospitality industry. Unfortunately, there’s no end in sight.
While various theories have attributed the rise in the bed bug population to increasing international travel, changing pesticide practices and pesticide resistance, no one knows for sure the reason for the continuing spread.
One thing’s for sure, says Cooper: “A lack of public awareness is contributing to the rapid spread of bedbugs. Two to three months might pass before people realize bedbugs are biting them. They don’t see them until the population becomes large and by then it’s hard to eliminate
them.”
A primary refuge and incubator for bed bugs is a bed’s mattress and box spring. “The box spring and mattress create major challenges,” says Cooper. “The box spring is a complicated environment, with wood framework, coils, insulation—many places for bed bugs to hide and thrive. One of the keys to managing bed bugs is taking the bed out of the equation by encasing the mattress and bedspring.”
Cooper turned to Protect-A-Bed and its bed bug proof and anti-allergy encasements, and now considers its products a key weapon in his arsenal to fight the pests for his hospitality clients.
The company’s AllerZip product encases the mattress and two other products in jersey or non-woven material encase box springs. The mattress encasement features a cool and absorbent cotton terry surface, Miracle Membrane
waterproof and bed bug barrier, waterproof polyester
side and bottom, reinforced zipper on three sides with an allergen flap and Bug Lock seal.
“Every infestation is unique,” says Cooper. “It requires repeated visits for treatment and management. That’s why encasements become so important in a pest control program. It’s proactive and while it might not prevent bed bugs from coming into the environment, it will prevent them from infesting the bed.” |
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