Carson City, Nevada – August 27th, 2009 – Bedbug.com, a leading manufacturer of anti-bed bug encasement products, attended a two part key national symposium on bed bugs this week. As part of their contribution to the event, Bedbug.com sponsored an appearance by leading bed bug expert and entomologist Gail Getty, from the University of California at Berkeley. The symposiums were held on both coasts, in Newark, New Jersey and Seattle, Washington.
Getty was instrumental in providing industry participants with information on an array of bed bug related topics, such as prevention, reaction, record keeping, education and staff training, to name but a few.
The event was organized by the National Pest Management Association (NMPA) along with co-sponsors The American Hotel & Lodging Association (AH&LA), The Association of Structural Pest Control Regulatory Officials (ASPCRO) and the National Apartment Association (NAA). The target of the event was to provide relevant information to affected industries in order for them to formulate effective strategies in dealing with the dramatic increase in bed bug infestations within the US and globally.
Rich Saffern, Bedbug.com’s marketing manager said that Getty was a voice of reason in a jungle of panic. “The hotel operators are slowly coming to the realization that bed bugs are real, and an outbreak in their facilities can mean severe economic damage – both in actual expenses for professional pest control treatment as well as loss of property such as expensive bedding and linens.”
Saffern went on to say that there are also more insidious reasons for the hotel and institutional industries to deal with the bed bug problem before it bites them. Says Saffern, “Aside from the actual physical damage that bed bugs can cause, there is the much more costly public relations damage – once word spreads about a bed bug outbreak, the hotel or care facility can expect a significant backlash in business drop-off for the foreseeable future.”
Getty also points out that cooperation between the hotels and other types of hospitality based facilities and their guests is critical in the event of an outbreak. Avoiding the “blame game” is also an important factor, because in the case of bed bug bites, symptoms can take as long as a week or more to manifest. When a guest leaves a hotel without bed bug bites, and suddenly calls a few days later complaining of symptoms, it’s easy to see how a hotel will not take the guest seriously, or discount the claim. Bad move, says Getty. With the number of law suits over bed bug bites skyrocketing, the proper and courteous handling of customer complaints is a big factor in how the process develops. Getty says that with just a bit of sympathy and understanding, a lot of problems can be avoided down the road.
Other affected industries such as day care facilities, retirement homes, hospitals, boarding schools and universities all participated in the symposiums as well, and benefited from Getty’s expertise. Perhaps the biggest message Getty delivered is to organize and prepare a protocol for dealing with bed bugs in advance. Getty emphasized the importance of being proactive, not reactive. Meeting with a bed bug specialist and a professional pest control firm in order to prepare for possible outbreaks as well as taking strong measures in advance will go a long way in reducing potentially catastrophic losses. Of course, including effective anti-bed bug encasement products such as ones manufactured by Bedbug.com are part of the total solution needed to both prevent and treat bed bug problems.
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