EcoRaider was pleased to attend this year's Pest World
Expo in Phoenix, AZ, sponsored by the National Pest Management Association
(NPMA.) Every year over 3,000
scientists, vendors from all aspects of the pest control industry, and pest
control professionals from around the world gather to exchange ideas, and learn
from experts in field of pest control management.
Among the many educational sessions at this year’s Expo
was a presentation by Dr Dini Miller, PhD of Virginia Polytechnic and State
University, Blacksburg VA, who described some other latest research into bed
bug behavior, and some of the causes for the recent proliferation of bed bug
infestation..
Notable is the fact that bed bugs are highly mobile
creatures. An infestation in a single apartment unit can easily spread to an
adjoining apartment in as little as 48 hours in search of a host -- a human --
to feed upon.
Complicating matters, the rapid reproductive cycle, and
the fact that bed bugs are increasingly developing resistance to many of the
commonly used pesticides and treatment protocols.
In fact, a recent survey of pest control professionals
around the country found that 78% of these professionals considered bed bugs
the most difficult insect pest to control.
As science advances in understanding of bed bug behavior,
and physiology, EcoRaider will continue to be on the forefront of the effort to
bring this pest under control.