Majority of PMPs Have Observed Bed Bug Resistance

CLEVELAND — Pest control companies have come a long way in developing effective bed bug control protocols since these pests re-emerged in big numbers in the early 2000s. One of the major changes to treatment protocols has been rotating products to combat bed bug resistance to pesticides. According to PCT’s most recent poll 55 percent of PMPs have observed bed bugs resistant to bed bugs.

“I’ve noticed some resistance with pyrethrins mainly at an account we had that was HUD housing — multi-unit apartments,” said Brad Sparks, owner of Elite Pest and Termite Control, Pataskala, Ohio.

Fort-five percent of those who responded to the poll said they have not observed bed bugs resistant to bed bugs. Jay Everitt, technical director, Rottler Pest Solutions, said bed bug pesticide resistance has not been an issue in accounts the company treats because of its protocols. “Our solution has always been to rotate our product classes with every service and we have heat as a last resort if needed,” he said.

Mark VanderWerp, manager of education and training, Rose Pest Solutions, Troy, Mich., said he and his company’s service professionals encounter pesticide-resistant bed bugs on a daily basis. From a training perspective, VanderWerp said it’s challenging to get technicians to vary their approach to a pest problem once they get comfortable with a process. “In the early days of bed bugs we did a lot of treating with liquid residuals through B&Gs,” he said. “We still have some folks that primarily approach bed bug work that way, but it’s gotten tougher to kill bed bugs with dried residues in the last decade to the point that I train our new employees that if you aren’t getting bed bugs wet with your liquid residuals you won’t be killing many/any of them.”

VanderWerp added that the pest control industry is fortunate to have a number of chemical and non-chemicals tools at its disposal and that he “always beat on the drum of using vacuums for physical removal.”

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