(PRWEB) May 08, 2012

Sleep Tight Pest Control, a San Francisco-based company with over 12 years of experience in bed bug control, will be holding a seminar at the Joan and Ray Kroc Center in San Francisco on June 8, 2012. This one-day seminar will be conducted through the companys newest venture, Sleep Tight Academy and offers the most up-to-date trainings and information regarding the best practices of bed bug control.

Although DDT eliminated bed bugs in the United States in the early 20th century, resistance to DDT and other traditional chemical treatments has left most pest control companies baffled as to how to handle this new epidemic. Treatments are expensive and often dont work the first time, requiring landlords and tenants to pay thousands of dollars, often with no relief.

Bed bugs are being found and fought all over the United States- in single-family homes, apartment buildings and condos, hotels and motels, retail establishments, and even schools and churches. A survey, sponsored by the National Pest Management Association (NPMA), found that bedbug-related calls to exterminators have risen by 81% over the last decade and by 57% over the last five years.

Sleep Tight Academy uses seminars to educate property managers, hotel managers and staff, tenants, social service staff, and the general public about bed bugs and successful bed bug eradication. Sleep Tight Pest Control boasts a 98 percent success rate and provides a 30-day guarantee on all of their treatments.

Specializing in working with the highest-risk populations, Sleep Tight Pest Control developed their comprehensive bed bug control process based on Integrative Pest Management strategies using 12 years of experience fighting bed bugs. Sleep Tight Pest Controls bed bug abatement philosophy emphasizes prevention, active participation of all stakeholders and treatment of all items in the unit, leaving nothing to chance or human error. Sleep Tight Academy will utilize this expertise to provide InvaderSF2012 participants with a comprehensive understanding of the bed bug issue and empowering them to fight the bed bug epidemic.

Special guest speakers will include San Francisco District Supervisor Jane Kim and Department of Public Health Program Manager Karen Cohn, who will speak on recent and upcoming changes to San Franciscos bed bug regulations.

InvaderSF2012 participants will choose from eight workshops: Treatment 101, IPM Strategies, The Financial Impact, Property Management Responsibilities, Stopping the Problem Before It Starts, Bridging the Gap Between Landlord and Tenants, Be a Bed Bug Detective, and When Two Issues Collide: Hoarding and Bed Bugs.

San Diego, Los Angeles, and Honolulu can also expect a visit from Sleep Tight Academy in the next few months. Register for InvaderSF2012 now at http://www.SleepTightAcademy.com

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Want to Stop the Bed Bug Invasion? Sleep Tight Academy Will Show You How

If you think youre a picky hotel guest, check out the pet peeves of Anthony Melchiorri, who critiques hotels for a living and hosts a new show called Hotel Impossible on the Travel Channel. Melchiorri is freaked out by dirty grout, hates Internet fees and always checks hotel rooms for something he almost cant bear to name.

On the show, which airs at 10 p.m. Mondays, Melchiorri advises hotels on how to improve everything from facilities to service to decor with a goal of increasing sales. Hes brought his in-your-face, can-do assessments to properties ranging from Gurneys, a historic beachfront inn in Montauk, N.Y., in the Hamptons, to a boutique hotel, The New Yorker, in Miamis artsy MiMo district. This week, he visits the Purple Orchid in California wine country.

Melchiorri has been in the hospitality business for 20 years and has helped reposition storied Manhattan hotels such as the Plaza and the Algonquin. But he hasnt lost touch with what the average traveler experiences in those first few minutes in a hotel, and he shared that process.

The lobby: When I walk into a hotel, I want the illusion that my stay is going to be perfect. I want to see the bellman greet me. I want to see that the paint isnt chipping. I want the front desk to engage me, treat me like a person, so that I know any problem I may have, they will take care of me. By the time I get to the elevator, Im already starting to be comfortable.

Biggest fear: As soon as I walk in the room, I put my luggage in the bathroom because thats the safest place away from any insects. I say insects because I dont even want to use the word. Now I inspect the bed. Im looking at the seams of the mattress and headboard, end tables, the side of the bed. Let me be clear: Most hotels dont have bed bugs. I have never found a bed bug in a hotel. But I never put my luggage on the bed, ever. And once I realize theres nothing living in the bed, I look for a metal luggage rack and put my luggage on that. (Metal repels bed bugs; they prefer wood.)

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The routine: I bolt the door to the room, and if theres an adjoining room, I check the door to make sure that room is locked. I cannot tell you how many times people have walked in on me. I also look in the shower, sink and tiles for dirty grout. I cant get in a shower with dirty grout, not even in my own house. It freaks me out. Then I open up the ironing board, I make sure its functional, I look to see that theres no water in the iron and I put it in a corner of my room so its ready to use. And then I unpack. … I have a plastic liner from the drycleaners and I put that in the drawer first.

The exhale: Now that I know my room is clean, I can forget that Im a germaphobe. I can forget that I didnt want to touch the remote control. If the hotel does its job, and gives me the illusion that its perfect, then my defenses go down. But if theres a dirty hallway or a light bulb is out or an employee was rude to me, then my cootie-ometer is up.

Pet peeves: Rooms that dont have enough electrical outlets; alarm clocks that go off at 4 a.m. because the maid didnt turn off the previous guests setting; hotels that charge for Internet. The Algonquin Hotel was famous for hosting a lot of writers. When Dorothy Parker was sitting there at the Algonquin Round Table, and she needed a pen, she got a pen for free. Today we write using the Internet. Why should I charge somebody for the Internet if I dont charge them for a pen?

The phone call: I once implemented a policy at a hotel that every single guest be called by the front desk within 10 minutes of being in the room to make sure they didnt need anything. But then I started getting complaints from people. I just got in my room, I was in the bathroom, I thought my wife was calling! If I need you, Ill call you! So I stopped the phone calls to guests.

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'Hotel Impossible' host shares pet peeves

By BETH J. HARPAZ Associated Press

Anthony Melchiorri, host of “Hotel Impossible,” is shown in an undated photo provided by the Travel Channel. (AP photo)

If you think youre a picky hotel guest, check out the pet peeves of Anthony Melchiorri, who critiques hotels for a living and hosts a new show called Hotel Impossible on the Travel Channel. Melchiorri is freaked out by dirty grout, hates Internet fees and always checks hotel rooms for something he almost cant bear to name.

On the show, which airs Monday nights (10 p.m. ET/PT), Melchiorri advises hotels on how to improve everything from facilities to service to decor with a goal of increasing sales. Hes brought his in-your-face, can-do assessments to properties ranging from Gurneys, a historic beachfront inn in Montauk in the Hamptons, to a boutique hotel, The New Yorker, in Miamis artsy MiMo district. This week, he visits the Purple Orchid in California wine country.

Melchiorri has been in the hospitality business for 20 years and has helped reposition storied Manhattan hotels like the Plaza and the Algonquin. But he hasnt lost touch with what the average traveler experiences in those first few minutes in a hotel, and he shared that process with The Associated Press.

THE LOBBY: When I walk into a hotel, I want the illusion that my stay is going to be perfect. I want to see the bellman greet me. I want to see that the paint isnt chipping. I want the front desk to engage me, treat me like a person, so that I know any problem I may have, they will take care of me. By the time I get to the elevator, Im already starting to be comfortable.

BIGGEST FEAR: As soon as I walk in the room, I put my luggage in the bathroom because thats the safest place away from any insects. I say insects because I dont even want to use the word. Now I inspect the bed. Im looking at the seams of the mattress and headboard, end tables, the side of the bed. Let me be clear: Most hotels dont have bed bugs. I have never found a bed bug in a hotel. But I never put my luggage on the bed, ever. And once I realize theres nothing living in the bed, I look for a metal luggage rack and put my luggage on that. (Metal repels bed bugs; they prefer wood.)

THE ROUTINE: I bolt the door to the room, and if theres an adjoining room, I check the door to make sure that room is locked. I cannot tell you how many times people have walked in on me. I also look in the shower, sink and tiles for dirty grout. I cant get in a shower with dirty grout, not even in my own house. It freaks me out. Then I open up the ironing board, I make sure its functional, I look to see that theres no water in the iron and I put it in a corner of my room so its ready to use. And then I unpack. … I have a plastic liner from the drycleaners and I put that in the drawer first.

THE EXHALE: Now that I know my room is clean, I can forget that Im a germaphobe. I can forget that I didnt want to touch the remote control. If the hotel does its job, and gives me the illusion that its perfect, then my defenses go down. But if theres a dirty hallway or a light bulb is out or an employee was rude to me, then my cootie-ometer is up.

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Hotel pet peeves

This undated image from the Travel Channel shows Anthony Melchiorri, host of a new show called Hotel Impossible. On the show, Melchiorri, who has been in the hospitality business for 20 years, advises hotels on improving facilities, service and decor. He describes himself as a “germaphobe” when it comes to hotel rooms, and his pet peeves as a guest include dirty grout and Internet fees. (AP Photo/Travel Channel)

NEW YORK – If you think you’re a picky hotel guest, check out the pet peeves of Anthony Melchiorri, who critiques hotels for a living and hosts a new show called “Hotel Impossible” on the Travel Channel. Melchiorri is freaked out by dirty grout, hates Internet fees and always checks hotel rooms for something he almost can’t bear to name.

On the show, which airs Monday nights (10 p.m. ET/PT), Melchiorri advises hotels on how to improve everything from facilities to service to decor with a goal of increasing sales. He’s brought his in-your-face, can-do assessments to properties ranging from Gurney’s, a historic beachfront inn in Montauk, N.Y., in the Hamptons, to a boutique hotel, The New Yorker, in Miami’s artsy MiMo district. This week, he visits the Purple Orchid in California wine country.

Melchiorri has been in the hospitality business for 20 years and has helped reposition storied Manhattan hotels like the Plaza and the Algonquin. But he hasn’t lost touch with what the average traveler experiences in those first few minutes in a hotel, and he shared that process with The Associated Press.

THE LOBBY: “When I walk into a hotel, I want the illusion that my stay is going to be perfect. I want to see the bellman greet me. I want to see that the paint isn’t chipping. I want the front desk to engage me, treat me like a person, so that I know any problem I may have, they will take care of me. By the time I get to the elevator, I’m already starting

BIGGEST FEAR: “As soon as I walk in the room, I put my luggage in the bathroom because that’s the safest place away from any insects. I say insects because I don’t even want to use the word. Now I inspect the bed. I’m looking at the seams of the mattress and headboard, end tables, the side of the bed. Let me be clear: Most hotels don’t have bed bugs. I have never found a bed bug in a hotel. But I never put my luggage on the bed, ever. And once I realize there’s nothing living in the bed, I look for a metal luggage rack and put my luggage on that.” (Metal repels bed bugs; they prefer wood.)

THE ROUTINE: “I bolt the door to the room, and if there’s an adjoining room, I check the door to make sure that room is locked. I cannot tell you how many times people have walked in on me. I also look in the shower, sink and tiles for dirty grout. I can’t get in a shower with dirty grout, not even in my own house. It freaks me out. Then I open up the ironing board, I make sure it’s functional, I look to see that there’s no water in the iron and I put it in a corner of my room so it’s ready to use. And then I unpack. … I have a plastic liner from the drycleaners and I put that in the drawer first.”

THE EXHALE: “Now that I know my room is clean, I can forget that I’m a germaphobe. I can forget that I didn’t want to touch the remote control. If the hotel does its job, and gives me the illusion that it’s perfect, then my defenses go down. But if there’s a dirty hallway or a light bulb is out or an employee was rude to me, then my cootie-ometer is up.”

PET PEEVES: Rooms that don’t have enough electrical outlets; alarm clocks that go off at 4 a.m. because the maid didn’t turn off the previous guest’s setting; hotels that charge for Internet. “The Algonquin Hotel was famous for hosting a lot of writers. When Dorothy Parker was sitting there at the Algonquin Round Table, and she needed a pen, she got a pen for free. Today we write using the Internet. Why should I charge somebody for the Internet if I don’t charge them for a pen?”

THE PHONE CALL: “I once implemented a policy at a hotel that every single guest be called by the front desk within 10 minutes of being in the room to make sure they didn’t need anything. But then I started getting complaints from people. `I just got in my room, I was in the bathroom, I thought my wife was calling! If I need you, I’ll call you!’ So I stopped the phone calls to guests.”

Read more here:
'Hotel Impossible': TV show host lists pet peeves

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Insect Inferno Heading to California

For those itching to find out more about bed bugs, there’s a UC Davis talk that promises to provide the answers.

Tanya Drlik, integrated pest management coordinator for Contra Costa County, will speak on campus May 3 about bed bug infestations.

After a half century of life mostly without bed bugs, the tiny pests are back, said Drlik in a University of California, Davis press release.

Bed bugs infest luxury hotels, skid row apartments, hospitals, waiting rooms taxis and buses. Drilik said they have “no regard for wealth or class – everyone is vulnerable.”

The insects are difficult to control due to their tiny size and growing resistance to pesticide. Rampant outbreaks of the pests are prevalent in some parts of the country, including New York City.

Drilk will give her talk as part of a Northern California Entomology Society meeting, which includes other experts speaking on various topics. The public is invited to attend after paying the annual $10 membership dues.

The meeting begins at 9:15 a.m. May 3 in the Harry H. Laidlaw Jr. Honey Bee Research Facility on Bee Biology Road.

For lunch reservations contact ecmussen@ucdavis.edu or (530) 752-0472.

Copyright The Sacramento Bee. All rights reserved.

Call The Bee’s Bill Lindelof, (916) 321-1079.

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Bed bugs are back – and UC Davis has answers

Slithering and sliding, creeping and crawling, flying, jumping or stalking; it doesn’t matter, the folks at the Langley Air Force Base entomology shop have it covered.

Posters of the anatomy of strange bugs and other crawling creatures cover the walls of the small office tucked away behind Eaglewood Golf Course. An indoor beehive and living snakes and other critters inhabit the workplace.

This isn’t an average Air Force office.

James Will, the 633rd Civil Engineer Squadron Entomology Foreman has shown the innovative beehive to the local community so beekeepers can protect their swarms from the Dibrom pesticide sprayed around Langley AFB.

Want to see it? No problem, said Will. The team keeps a host of animals in the shop as shop pets, including Sammy the bearded dragon, a species of lizard, as the shop’s unofficial mascot.

However, a trip may not be for the faint of heart. A Ball Python, Rosey Tarantula, California king snake, broad-headed skink and five Madagascar Hissing Roaches are all contained in the shop.

Senior Airman Steven Peterson, a 633rd CES pest control specialist, said that along with biannual visits to the youth center, the shop’s critters are available for viewing and even handling in some cases.

Pest control and any related public health concerns also fall under their area of responsibility. From outbreaks of bed bugs to pesky ants, a call to CES can get the base’s pest problems solved.

Not surprisingly, the shop has received some strange calls.

We catch some pretty crazy stuff, said Peterson. He said the team has responded to calls about snakes in Airman dormitories to raccoons in the rafters of buildings.

The rest is here:
Of Mosquitoes and Men: Entomology Shop tames the wilds at Langley

Lawrenceville, NJ (PRWEB) March 28, 2012

Last week, Orkin (a subsidiary of Rollins Inc.) released its top 50 bed bug cities list for 2011 and entomologists and pest control professional are currently debating what factors effect fluctuations in bed bug populations in a given city. Is the population dependent on high tourism, such as New York (#9 on list) or Los Angeles (#5), warmer average summer temperatures in southern cities like Dallas (#7), or are trends from city to city driven more by warmer than average seasonal temperatures?

Although these types of lists provide insight into trends within a city, bed bug awareness and prevention continues to be the critical step in minimizing the spread of this pest.

This recent list about bed bugs should not cause panic or provide a sense of security for residents in these particular cities, said Jeffrey White, Technical Director and Research Entomologist at BedBug Central. Although a city may have moved on the list, many factors can influence the rankings on this list. For example, since only one company was evaluated, this company could have multiple chains or a greater influence and presence in one city over another.

Over the past year, the Department of Housing, Preservation and Development (HPD) in New York City reported a small decrease in bed bug complaints for the first time since the resurgence started. A decrease in bed bug calls may be due to an increase public awareness from the various media coverage this pest has received or due to the efforts of NYC to institute bed bug policies recommended by the Bed Bug Advisory Board.

In contrast, Dallas, a city with limited media bed bug coverage, reported significant increases in bed bug service calls in 2011 compared with 2010.

In addition to looking at trends within cities, many experts in the Northeast are wondering what affect the warmer than normal winter that has recently ended will have on summer bed bug populations.

We have definitely documented for the past few years that bed bugs show a seasonal trend where July through September are their peak time, said White. Although bed bugs are a problem year round, this significant peak in activity during the warmer months is most likely due to the warmer temperatures inside the home or other public places.

In response to the warmer than average winter in the Northeast, BedBug Central asked several companies in the Northeast to compare winter 2011 to winter 2012 bed bug service calls to see if there has been an increase in bed bug populations.

Most companies we spoke to are not reporting an increase this winter in bed bug calls in residential homes compared to last winter, said White. That being said this does not conclude that the warmer than average winter temperatures will not affect summer bed bugs. Unfortunately we wont gain additional insight until the summer is behind us.

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Recent Bed Bug List Provides Insight, but Unseasonably Warm Winter has Experts Worried About Populations for Summer

Feeling oddly itchy these days, L.A.? That’s to be expected. Pest control company Orkin recently released a list of bug-infested cities that’s making our skin crawl.

Los Angeles has landed the number 5 spot in the “Top 50 Bed Bug Cities.” We rank just behind the even buggier cities of Cincinnati, Chicago, Detroit and Denver. Making our stomachs turn more is the fact that L.A. jumped from spot 25 to 5 from 2010 to 2011.

What’s causing this nasty infestation? Orkin entomologist and Technical Services Director Ron Harrison, Ph.D. says in a release, “Several of the top 50 cities have large, busy airports, and there could be a correlation between increased travel and bed bug activity. The changes could also be because the bed bug population is increasing overall, or even because the public is becoming more aware of bed bugs and has become better adept at identifying them.”

Harrison also notes, to our dismay, that bed bugs multiply quickly, are “great hitchhikers” and “can be found in other places than the bedroom.” The little blood-suckers carry over 30 different human pathogens but are not known to transmit diseases.

If you notice itchy welts or red marks on your skin, you may be faced with the double b’s. They resemble apple seeds in size and color and are nocturnal, and Harrison advises residents to “check mattress seams, sheets and furniture, behind baseboards, electrical outlet plates and picture frames for small reddish-brown spots and lightly-colored molted bed bug skins.” Blech.

Three other Golden State cities made the list, including San Francisco at #12, San Diego at #26 and Sacramento at #41.

Orkin lists a few ways to avoid bringing bed bugs home with you, which you can (and apparently should) read here.

Previously in bed bugs: To the Mattresses! Women Suing Glendale Hotel After Bedbug Incident When Bedbugs Attack: The In-Flight Edition Video: Bed Bugs Invade US, Watch ‘Glee,’ Smoke in Bed

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L.A. Ranks #5 in "Top 50 Bed Bug Cities"

(credit: STAN HONDA/AFP/Getty Images)

LOS ANGELES (CBS) Los Angeles is among the topten cities inthe nation with the most bed bugs, according to a study released Wednesday by Orkin.

Orkin announced its top 50 bed bug cities for 2011, and the City of Angelsranked fifth. Cincinnati came in at number one, followed by Chicago, Detroit and Denver.

The study ranked cities in order of the number of bed bug treatments Orkin preformed from Jan. to Dec. 2011.

Los Angeles jumped from 25th place in the 2010 rankings to fifth in 2011. New York ranked ninth, down two spots from the previous year.

In 2011, Orkins parent company, Rollins, saw a 33.6 percent increase in bed bug business compared to 2010, the study said.

According to the Journal of the American Medical Association, bed bugs can carry more than 30 different human pathogens, but there is no evidence that bed bugs can transmit diseases. Their bites can, however, leave itchy welts on their victims. Red marks or swelling may also develop, the study said.

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Study: LA Ranks 5th Among Top Bed Bug Cities In America