While industry research has provided important insights into treating bed bugs, other areas could be explored further. According to PMPs, concerns ranging from public health to pest dispersal behavior are ripe topics for research.
“Although under normal circumstances we have not discovered a mode of transmission of human pathogens by bed bugs, I would like to see research continued regarding bed bugs and the potential of newer flaviviruses,” said Christian A. Borre, technical director, Select Extermination , New York, NY
Mark “Shep” Sheperdigian, Vice President of Technical Services, Rose Pest Solutions, Troy, Michigan said, “Spreading behavior is still difficult to predict.” He would like to know, “What does dispersal convey? What makes a bug return to a known haven?”
In the western US, Daniel A. Baldwin, vice president of technical services, Hawx Services, who works out of Arizona, would like “more work on practical, low-cost prevention.”
Still, Dennis Weiss, technical director at Saela in Orem, Utah, said he thinks bed bug research is well focused.
“Most of the research and material I’ve seen lately is aimed at better detection and monitoring methods and treatments with minimal risk, and that’s what the industry should embrace,” Weiss said.
The level of sensitivity of active monitors and their ability to detect low-level populations was an opportunity noted in The Mallis Handbook of Pest Control, which noted that while expensive monitors “might limit widespread use,” new surveillance tools are “truly groundbreaking” and have “set the stage for the further development of improved and more economically affordable surveillance tools.”
While continued research will lead to more effective tools and methods for detecting, treating, and eradicating bed bugs, the cost of these tools will affect their use, particularly in lower-level socioeconomic areas.
Mallis also noted that research into the role of IGRs (insect growth regulators) in controlling bed bugs would also be useful “given the conflicting results reported in the academic community.”
How can pest controllers stay up to date with new findings?
Borre sees and listens.
“Fortunately, the pest control industry has a large community of entomologists, researchers, professional bodies, conferences, manufacturers, distributors, publications, and an ongoing network of pest control technicians, managers, and owners willing to share their experiences,” he said. When he first encountered bed bugs in 1998, he noticed that logs were rare. Since then, he has “learned so much about situations that can cause an application to fail, that could affect the success of a dog inspection, and newer procedures that are less invasive than years ago.”
Baldwin relies on industry publications, technical representatives from its manufacturing partners and, of course, Dr. Rick Cooper,” an industry expert who contributed to Mallis and is a co-author of Bed Bug Handbook.
Conferences are useful to Sheperdigian along with professional publications and scholarly publications. He also visits the researchers themselves and follows their results.
“I’m consulting with urban entomologists from other service companies and comparing experiences and practices,” he said, noting that “bed bugs don’t spread as easily as we used to think. They develop resistance within a few generations.” As a result, he found that early detection is key to cost-effective bed bug management.
Referring to these methods, Weiss added that “special web searches are performed every month [are] a great way to stay at the forefront of the industry.” He also said that the second edition of the bed bug guide was “a huge help.”
