Feb 2, 2012, 13:28 PM by User Not Found

Todays line-up:

8:30 - 9:30 Gail Getty (UC Extension) - Bed Bug Biology that effects your business bottom line

9:30 - 10:30 Jim F. (NPMA) - Detecting and controlling bed bugs in the 21st century

10:45 - Jeff Lipman - Beb bug liability, the legal precedence being set

 

On deck... Gail Getty.

Bed bug History:

DDT

• One application did the job
• No prep needed
• Inexpensive
• Resistance hit in 1947

Today

• People are NOT vigilant
• More clutter in the homes
• Key to control: through treatment

Behavior

• 90% of lifetime is hidden
• Feed 3-4 days
• Often go days to a week or more without a blood meal
• Tend to live in aggregations

How big are they? - the size of an apple seed

Let me say it right away

• Can't fly
• Don't jump
• Coloring differs from opaque to dark brown

Life cycles

• Adults
• Eggs
• Babies

Mating and dispersion

• Tramatic insemination and female dispersal
• male pierces females abdominal
• Females matted repeatedly reducing longgevity of females by 25-30%
• Female disperses
• Result eggs deposited in unpredictale fasions

Adult life cycle

• Thin with no blood meal
• Female can lay eggs from 6-18 months
• Eggs to egg 2 months

Eggs

• Lays 2-5 eggs a day
• 200-500 in her life time
• Eggs 'glued' to surfaces
• Tggs hatch in 6-10 days on average
• Temperture makes a diffrence

 

 Babies/Nymths

• Molt 5 times
• Must feed to molt

EARLY DETECTION IS KEY

Feeding

• Poorly understood
• Carbon dioxide
• Heat
• Maybe movement in room
• inject anticoagulant and numbs area
• Some people are allergic to injection
• Draws out blood

Adults

• 1 year no blood meal

Nymths

• 3 months without a blood meal
• leave dark fecal spots behind
•  One bug inflicts multiple bites
• will travel 20+ feet

Bites

• Different reactions to bites
• Proteins in bugs saliva can cause a progressive sensitivity to repeated bites
• None - delayed up to 3 weeks
• Misdiagnosis
• Most common misdiagnosis - carpet beetle

Biting marks

• Arms, legs, neck, back, shoulders and face

 

Disease

• 40 human pathogens
• Neven proven to biologically transmit any human pathogen
• Secondary infection
• Not considered to be medically important

Customer Anxiety

• It's real
• Handle with care and empathy

Where

A study in infested aparments showed

• 935 FOUND IN ASSOCIATED WITH BED
• 23% furniture
• 7% less predictable places

Thank you Gail!

 

Next Up Jim F. of the NPMA

 Understanding Bed bug treatment and inspection methods

Survey

• more than 400 PMPs surveyed
• 99% treated bed bugs
• 84 % indicated bed bugs were increasing in their region

NPMA task force

Industry -Regulators - Academics

• Consumer protection
• Identify active infestation
• Communicate fees
• Communicate details of service
• Communicate realistic expectations
• Provide bed specific information with agreements
• Canine teams require 3rd party certification
• Non-chemical
• Steam
• Vacuum
• Heat
• Freeze
• Traditional options

 

Community wide approach

• Discourage disposal of mattress and furniture
• Recommdations for inspection and treatment of surrounding areas and ajacent rooms
• recomendations for training and educating hotel and facility staff about bed bug identification

 

 Visual Inspections

Pros

• Humans can integrate facts to enhance search parameters
• Visual confirmation

Cons

• Labor intensive
• low level

Monitoring Devices

Pros

• Can be used to monitor when visual inspections are conclusive
• Proactive approach
• Can be used to measure post treatment success 

Cons

• The most effective bait is a human
• detect bed bugs over days or weeks 
• Low level infestations can be missed
• Cost 

 

Mattress and Box Spring Encasements

 

Pros

 

• Makes inspection easier
• Seals bugs and eggs inside mattress and box spring
• Easy to install 

 

Cons

 

•  Not all encasements are created equal
• Ripped covers don't work
• Covers can't be removed for Laundering

Traditional Product Application

 

Pros

 

•  Mulitiple formulations available for diffrent treatment sites
• Many effective products available

 

Cons

• Labor intensive
• Resistant populations have been reported
• Sensitivity may be a concern

 

Steam Treatments

 

Pros

 

• No residue
• Destroys all life stages, including eggs
• Penetrates fabrics and cracks 

 

Cons

 

• Labor intensive
• No residual
• Some surfaces are heat sensitive
• Temp must rapidly exceed 122 F

 

Thanks Jim!

 

Next, Jeff Lipman (Attorney/Judge) - Real legal cases

Bed bug litigation

Document you Advise - PCO are at risk of being named in a lawsuit. Improtant to document your action plan.

Follow the Action Plan

• Hotel/Motel and apartment managers will be named  in most lawsuits extremely important to follow the action plan and document compliance:
• Written actiona plan approved by the PCO
• Written engagement contract specifing bed bugs

Have PCC provide requirements for treatment readiness

 

Landlord and Hotel's duty to tenants and guests

1-provide a habiital premises

2-protect from clear and present danger

 

Landlord or Hotel Act

1-warn guests of dangers

2-evict tenants who interfere with bed bug eradiction

3-assist tenants who are mobility impaired with preparation for treatment

 

 Ongoing Duty to Investigate

1-Bed bug monitoring

2-Periodic inspections as recommended by your PCO (Pest Control operator)

 

Implied warranty of Habitability

An implied warranty of habitability

When a Liability arises

The law commands that you inspect bed bugs

Landlords Obligation

To do what is reasonable under the circumstances

Unfair Deceptive Acts and Practices

• Rental units may not contain illegal hazards that endanger the occupants well-being or make the unit unfit for habitation. UDAP violation

Jeff is now walking us through the Spaulding v. Young Case (1992)

Mathias v. Accor, 347 F .3d 672 (2003) This is a great case to research, this is regarding bed bugs at a motel.

Reliance not required (most of the time)

Generally courts are more receptive to consumer fraud class actions than common law fraud class actions.

 Fee structure

• In writing
• Req. PCO to provide written estimate
• PCO should specify work to be performed (Bed bug)

Insurance for Building (covers bed bugs risk and exposure)

Getting Sued - Call your Insurance company

• Do not speak to the client
• Do not speak to the clients attorney
• Do not speak to the press
• Speak to your Insurance company, they will do the talking for you

Burdons of proof

• Reasonable doubt
• Clear and convincing evidence
• Preponderance of the evidence

 

What Jury hears in bed bug cases

• Blood sucking pests
• Fecal smears
• Nymphs
• Carry diseases

 

What the jury see's

• Photos of sheets
• Bites (Photos)
• Suffering (Photos)
• How bb travel
• PCO records