Experts weigh in with bed bug inspection tips

We asked Pest Management Professional’s columnists and editorial advisory board members to offer up their favorite bed bug inspection tips. Here are some of the experts’ responses from our June 2024 print edition.

Please take a minute to answer our latest one-question poll on this topic: What’s your favorite bed bug inspection tip?

PMP’s Editorial Advisory Board and Regular Contributors

Greg Baumann: “You know the bed bug; know your customer. Do they spend sleeping hours in the recliner? If so, put your focus there.”

Foster Brusca

Doug Foster: “Start where the client spends most of their time at home, whether that be their favorite recliner, couch or bed. Also, ask lots of questions: recent travel, newly acquired furniture, overnight visitors?”

Pete Schopen: “Follow the fecal trail. Many times, you won’t find the bed bugs, nymphs or cast skins, but you can always find the fecal matter left behind after they leave the host. Also, use a real flashlight, not your phone’s flashlight.”

Mark Sheperdigian: “Start with the chair that has the best view of the TV — or the head of the bed on the side that has the alarm clock.”

Michael Broder

Michael Broder: “Treat every inspection as if the customer has a horrible infestation, no matter how ‘clean’ it looks. Put on booties or disposable coveralls and be careful where you put bags or your jacket. The last thing you want to do is bring a bed bug home with you.”

Foster Brusca: “Inspecting for bed bugs demands meticulous attention and patience. An inspection kit is essential for this task. It should include a high-lumen flashlight, vials for sample collection, an inspection mirror to inspect areas behind and beneath furniture and other objects, and a multitool for removing switch plates and outlet covers and accessing harborage areas where bed bugs may reside.”

Eric Scherzinger: “Check the box spring. Don’t be afraid to pick up the bed and look under the box spring, as well as the headboard. Those are the two easiest places to find bed bugs. Then, move out from there and be thorough.”

<p>The post Experts weigh in with bed bug inspection tips first appeared on Pest Management Professional.</p>

from Pest Management Professional https://www.mypmp.net/2024/07/21/experts-weigh-in-with-bed-bug-inspection-tips/
Sacramento CA