Hotels, dorms and local groups work hard to keep little suckers at bay

By Steve Law

The Portland Tribune, Feb 2, 2012

Christopher Onstott / Portland Tribune

Grant Walter of Home Forward Pest Control inspects for bedbugs in the couch cushions of an apartment with an LED light during a routine inspection.

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“Goodnight. Sleep tight. Don’t let the bedbugs bite.” The old bedtime saying has taken on new meaning for thousands of Portlanders in recent years, ever since the local bedbug population mushroomed.

Infestations at homeless shelters, hotels, apartments, hospitals and college dorms have served as a wake-up call, prompting a variety of countermeasures.

But bedbugs remain a stigma here, in contrast to places like New York where they’ve long been ensconced. That keeps people and businesses from reporting or acknowledging the problem – making it difficult to track the growth of Portland’s bedbug population and determine if and where we’re making headway.

“Nobody can give you a really clear picture, because we don’t have that data,” says Margaret Mahoney, co-chairwoman of a bedbug work group formed by Multnomah County to forge community-wide solutions.

Homeless shelters and other low-income housing providers stepped up first in Portland, when bedbug sightings grew more common during the past few years. Home Forward (formerly the Housing Authority of Portland) built a “warming room” to kill bedbugs in homeless peoples’ luggage and possession before they could move into the new Bud Clark Commons apartments in Old Town. Central City Concern even developed its own bedbug-resistant bed and made it available to others.

But experts say anti-bedbug efforts in other sectors have lagged or been less effective, including those of the hotel industry and purveyors of secondhand furniture. Portlanders working on the front lines say it would be better if all affected parties, including TriMet, movie theaters and the hotel industry, participated in community-wide efforts.

“For a long time, the hotels said, ‘We don’t have a problem,’ ”says Mark Schmidt, Portland branch manager for Sprague Pest Solutions Inc.

“I don’t understand why we’re having such roadblocks with some partners in the community,” says Corey Ray, housing director for Portland State University.

Even the Multnomah County Health Department was initially reluctant to address the issue, says County Commissioner Deborah Kafoury, because bedbugs were not deemed a public health threat.

Kafoury helped organize a one-day Bedbug Summit last March, bringing together a variety of affected players. The county is taking the lead role, though it’s not always getting the information or cooperation it would like.

“We know the importance in tracking the problem and knowing what the growth rate is,” says Ben Duncan, bedbugs program specialist for Multnomah County Health Department’s environmental health section.However, Duncan says, “There’s very little regulation or mandatory reporting.”

Despite the lack of comprehensive data on the scope of Portland’s bedbug problem, there are some indications of a problem here:

• In 2011, bedbugs were detected in 180 low-income housing units operated by Home Forward, says Ken Combs, core maintenance manager for the nonprofit agency. That’s 15 percent of its high-rise apartments.

• Schmidt, whose pest-control company counts many hotel owners among its clients, estimates that 3 percent of Portland hotel rooms have bedbugs. “I haven’t seen the numbers change much,” Schmidt says.

• Portland State University gets two to three reports of bedbugs in its dorms each quarter, says John Eckman, executive director of PSU auxiliary services. Every Northwest university, except for Eastern Oregon University, has reported problems with bedbugs, Eckman says.

• Though the city of Portland plays a minor role in the bedbug issue, 86 tenants have complained to the city Bureau of Development Services about bedbug infestations in their residences during the past four years, says agency spokesman Ross Caron.

Real bloodsuckers

Bedbugs are tiny, reddish-brown insects that feed on the blood of people and animals while they’re sleeping. They initially inject victims with an anesthetic, so people don’t realize they’ve been bitten until later – sometimes days later – when bite marks appear.

Bedbugs congregate where their victims sleep, and they come out at night. They hide in mattress seams, box springs, behind wallpaper, in light switches and floorboards, even inside alarm clocks and portable bedside stereos. They spread by hitchhiking rides on bedding, clothing, luggage and furniture.

Though bedbugs don’t carry disease, they can cause considerable stress and sleeplessness, and are very difficult to eliminate.Kafoury says the local bedbug problem first came to her attention when many senior citizens and disabled people reported being traumatized by them.

“You have folks that really get debilitated by this issue,” Duncan says.

Some tenants have been billed hundreds of dollars when bedbugs were spotted in their dwellings, and others have been evicted, Duncan says. That makes some people afraid to report bedbugs, making them harder to contain.

County officials fear people are misusing pesticides in an effort to kill bedbugs, rather than hiring professionals. In addition, Kafoury says, “There are pest control companies out there that don’t know what they’re doing either.”

The bedbug population in the United States fell dramatically by the mid-20thcentury, beaten back by pesticides. But the numbers started growing as the insects developed resistance to pesticides, and with increased international travel. Long a scourge in New York City, elsewhere on the East Coast and in the Midwest, the bedbug population started growing here about three to five years ago.

Though they’re more common among transients, who often live in unsanitary conditions, bedbugs have been found in million-dollar Pearl District condos and high-end downtown hotels. They also may be found in homes, apartments, hotels, buses, airplanes and movie theaters.

“It doesn’t matter if you’re a rich or poor person,” says Kasandra Walton, a pest control technician for Home Forward. “They don’t discriminate. They like everybody.”

Aggressive programs

One day last week, a crew from Home Forward sprayed Robert Jarkow’s apartment at the Hollywood East high-rise in Northeast Portland. It was a precautionary move, which Jarkow appreciated, because several of his neighbors have reported bedbugs. “They have not been very happy,” he says.

Home Forward has an aggressive strategy to keep bedbugs under control, and now handles it all in-house with three trained pest control technicians.

“The numbers that we started at, and where we’re at now, we’re totally on top of it,” Combs says.

Staff concluded that some bedbugs were brought into the apartments via furniture donated by the Community Warehouse, and on a futon purchased on Craigslist. “We put a halt to anything coming in before we checked it,” Combs says. They eliminated free clothing exchanges on site, and started providing free encasements for mattresses, which suffocate bedbugs.

When bedbugs are discovered, technicians treat the units three times, every two to three weeks. If bedbugs are still there on a fourth visit, the treatment cycle begins anew, Walton says. Follow-up inspections are held every two months.

Home Forward invested $33,000 to build what is believed to be the first heating room for bedbugs in Oregon, after hearing about similar facilities in Canada. “It’s basically a big sauna,” says Rachael Duke of Home Forward.

Incoming residents to Bud Clark Commons are asked to place their belongings in the room, which is heated to 194 degrees. That kills the bedbugs and their eggs in a couple hours, without the need for chemicals. As a result, there’ve been no bedbugs reported at the homeless apartments since they opened six months ago, Duke says.

Used furnishings a concern

Bedbug experts say mattresses left on the street for all-comers to take, or other free exchanges, are a particular hazard for spreading bedbugs. It’s believed that some people put bedbug-infested furniture on the street to avoid the expense of hauling it to a dump.

Organizations like Community Warehouse, a Northeast Portland furniture bank that provides donated goods to low-income people, have a particular challenge with bedbugs. They get several truckloads of donated furnishings a day, and make it available to about 50 low-income families a week, says Tom Elston, program manager.

Elston acknowledges that his organization gets one to two calls a month from people claiming bedbugs have been spotted in the donated bedding and other furnishings. “There’s been some buildings that won’t allow furniture in from Community Warehouse,” he adds.

But Elston, who is an active participant on the county bedbug work group, insists bedbugs are under control at Community Warehouse because of its extensive screening program. Every week a dog trained to sniff out bedbugs comes to the warehouse to “inspect” the entire facility, including newly donated items.

“We’ve passed 62 inspections in a row,” Elston says. “We don’t have a problem at all –zero.”

However, Elston is convinced that many hotels are doing less than they should to counter bedbugs. When there are guests staying there, it’s unlikely a hotel will close a whole wing to deal with an infestation, he says.

Hotels are particularly vulnerable because they are way stations for travelers, including those coming from overseas, where bedbugs are more common.

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Hotels, dorms and local groups work hard to keep little suckers at bay

By Steve Law

The Portland Tribune, Feb 2, 2012

Christopher Onstott / Portland Tribune

Grant Walter of Home Forward Pest Control inspects for bedbugs in the couch cushions of an apartment with an LED light during a routine inspection.

ADVERTISEMENTS

“Goodnight. Sleep tight. Don’t let the bedbugs bite.” The old bedtime saying has taken on new meaning for thousands of Portlanders in recent years, ever since the local bedbug population mushroomed.

Infestations at homeless shelters, hotels, apartments, hospitals and college dorms have served as a wake-up call, prompting a variety of countermeasures.

But bedbugs remain a stigma here, in contrast to places like New York where they’ve long been ensconced. That keeps people and businesses from reporting or acknowledging the problem – making it difficult to track the growth of Portland’s bedbug population and determine if and where we’re making headway.

“Nobody can give you a really clear picture, because we don’t have that data,” says Margaret Mahoney, co-chairwoman of a bedbug work group formed by Multnomah County to forge community-wide solutions.

Homeless shelters and other low-income housing providers stepped up first in Portland, when bedbug sightings grew more common during the past few years. Home Forward (formerly the Housing Authority of Portland) built a “warming room” to kill bedbugs in homeless peoples’ luggage and possession before they could move into the new Bud Clark Commons apartments in Old Town. Central City Concern even developed its own bedbug-resistant bed and made it available to others.

But experts say anti-bedbug efforts in other sectors have lagged or been less effective, including those of the hotel industry and purveyors of secondhand furniture. Portlanders working on the front lines say it would be better if all affected parties, including TriMet, movie theaters and the hotel industry, participated in community-wide efforts.

“For a long time, the hotels said, ‘We don’t have a problem,’ ”says Mark Schmidt, Portland branch manager for Sprague Pest Solutions Inc.

“I don’t understand why we’re having such roadblocks with some partners in the community,” says Corey Ray, housing director for Portland State University.

Even the Multnomah County Health Department was initially reluctant to address the issue, says County Commissioner Deborah Kafoury, because bedbugs were not deemed a public health threat.

Kafoury helped organize a one-day Bedbug Summit last March, bringing together a variety of affected players. The county is taking the lead role, though it’s not always getting the information or cooperation it would like.

“We know the importance in tracking the problem and knowing what the growth rate is,” says Ben Duncan, bedbugs program specialist for Multnomah County Health Department’s environmental health section.However, Duncan says, “There’s very little regulation or mandatory reporting.”

Despite the lack of comprehensive data on the scope of Portland’s bedbug problem, there are some indications of a problem here:

• In 2011, bedbugs were detected in 180 low-income housing units operated by Home Forward, says Ken Combs, core maintenance manager for the nonprofit agency. That’s 15 percent of its high-rise apartments.

• Schmidt, whose pest-control company counts many hotel owners among its clients, estimates that 3 percent of Portland hotel rooms have bedbugs. “I haven’t seen the numbers change much,” Schmidt says.

• Portland State University gets two to three reports of bedbugs in its dorms each quarter, says John Eckman, executive director of PSU auxiliary services. Every Northwest university, except for Eastern Oregon University, has reported problems with bedbugs, Eckman says.

• Though the city of Portland plays a minor role in the bedbug issue, 86 tenants have complained to the city Bureau of Development Services about bedbug infestations in their residences during the past four years, says agency spokesman Ross Caron.

Real bloodsuckers

Bedbugs are tiny, reddish-brown insects that feed on the blood of people and animals while they’re sleeping. They initially inject victims with an anesthetic, so people don’t realize they’ve been bitten until later – sometimes days later – when bite marks appear.

Bedbugs congregate where their victims sleep, and they come out at night. They hide in mattress seams, box springs, behind wallpaper, in light switches and floorboards, even inside alarm clocks and portable bedside stereos. They spread by hitchhiking rides on bedding, clothing, luggage and furniture.

Though bedbugs don’t carry disease, they can cause considerable stress and sleeplessness, and are very difficult to eliminate.Kafoury says the local bedbug problem first came to her attention when many senior citizens and disabled people reported being traumatized by them.

“You have folks that really get debilitated by this issue,” Duncan says.

Some tenants have been billed hundreds of dollars when bedbugs were spotted in their dwellings, and others have been evicted, Duncan says. That makes some people afraid to report bedbugs, making them harder to contain.

County officials fear people are misusing pesticides in an effort to kill bedbugs, rather than hiring professionals. In addition, Kafoury says, “There are pest control companies out there that don’t know what they’re doing either.”

The bedbug population in the United States fell dramatically by the mid-20thcentury, beaten back by pesticides. But the numbers started growing as the insects developed resistance to pesticides, and with increased international travel. Long a scourge in New York City, elsewhere on the East Coast and in the Midwest, the bedbug population started growing here about three to five years ago.

Though they’re more common among transients, who often live in unsanitary conditions, bedbugs have been found in million-dollar Pearl District condos and high-end downtown hotels. They also may be found in homes, apartments, hotels, buses, airplanes and movie theaters.

“It doesn’t matter if you’re a rich or poor person,” says Kasandra Walton, a pest control technician for Home Forward. “They don’t discriminate. They like everybody.”

Aggressive programs

One day last week, a crew from Home Forward sprayed Robert Jarkow’s apartment at the Hollywood East high-rise in Northeast Portland. It was a precautionary move, which Jarkow appreciated, because several of his neighbors have reported bedbugs. “They have not been very happy,” he says.

Home Forward has an aggressive strategy to keep bedbugs under control, and now handles it all in-house with three trained pest control technicians.

“The numbers that we started at, and where we’re at now, we’re totally on top of it,” Combs says.

Staff concluded that some bedbugs were brought into the apartments via furniture donated by the Community Warehouse, and on a futon purchased on Craigslist. “We put a halt to anything coming in before we checked it,” Combs says. They eliminated free clothing exchanges on site, and started providing free encasements for mattresses, which suffocate bedbugs.

When bedbugs are discovered, technicians treat the units three times, every two to three weeks. If bedbugs are still there on a fourth visit, the treatment cycle begins anew, Walton says. Follow-up inspections are held every two months.

Home Forward invested $33,000 to build what is believed to be the first heating room for bedbugs in Oregon, after hearing about similar facilities in Canada. “It’s basically a big sauna,” says Rachael Duke of Home Forward.

Incoming residents to Bud Clark Commons are asked to place their belongings in the room, which is heated to 194 degrees. That kills the bedbugs and their eggs in a couple hours, without the need for chemicals. As a result, there’ve been no bedbugs reported at the homeless apartments since they opened six months ago, Duke says.

Used furnishings a concern

Bedbug experts say mattresses left on the street for all-comers to take, or other free exchanges, are a particular hazard for spreading bedbugs. It’s believed that some people put bedbug-infested furniture on the street to avoid the expense of hauling it to a dump.

Organizations like Community Warehouse, a Northeast Portland furniture bank that provides donated goods to low-income people, have a particular challenge with bedbugs. They get several truckloads of donated furnishings a day, and make it available to about 50 low-income families a week, says Tom Elston, program manager.

Elston acknowledges that his organization gets one to two calls a month from people claiming bedbugs have been spotted in the donated bedding and other furnishings. “There’s been some buildings that won’t allow furniture in from Community Warehouse,” he adds.

But Elston, who is an active participant on the county bedbug work group, insists bedbugs are under control at Community Warehouse because of its extensive screening program. Every week a dog trained to sniff out bedbugs comes to the warehouse to “inspect” the entire facility, including newly donated items.

“We’ve passed 62 inspections in a row,” Elston says. “We don’t have a problem at all –zero.”

However, Elston is convinced that many hotels are doing less than they should to counter bedbugs. When there are guests staying there, it’s unlikely a hotel will close a whole wing to deal with an infestation, he says.

Hotels are particularly vulnerable because they are way stations for travelers, including those coming from overseas, where bedbugs are more common.

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Putting the bite on bedbugs is a post from: Manchester & Trafford Pest Control

Article source: http://portlandtribune.com/news/story.php?story_id=132813755975557900

With rainy season around the corner, the Sierra Club is concerned about the possibility of local urban fertilizing bans being overturned. The group met at Vinoy Park on Friday morning to protest two proposed state laws that would limit the impact of local fertilizer ordinances.

Almost 50 ordinances up and down the gulf coast would be affected by the passing of Senate Bill 604 and House Bill 421.

Coordinator of the Sierra Club’s Water Quality Campaign, Cris Costello, says that the only beneficiaries would be the pest control and fertilizer companies. The negatively affected population would be “everyone else”, according to Costello.

To regulate water pollution, pest control and fertilizer companies are not allowed to distribute services when it rains. If the current bills are passed (SB 604 and HB 421), companies would be given the OK to fertilize during what is now known as the “summer rainy season ban.”

“The rainy season ban is the backbone of meaningful fertilizer management,” Costello said at Friday morning’s gathering. “The fact is that local ordinances become close to meaningless without the rainy season band.”

The bills have already been passed through several committees and will make their way to Tallahassee on Monday for final review.

Commercial applicators that work for the pest control and fertilizer companies undergo a 70-minute training that allows them to self-regulate when it comes to the pollution of local waterways.

“They claim that all they need is their own best management practices,” said Costello. “But the evidence provided today proves otherwise.”

Handwritten signs and enlarged, time stamped photos were scattered around Costello as she spoke on Friday morning. The time stamped photos read “1/27/2012.” A series of photos reveals multiple vehicles distributing lawn care during a rain storm last Friday.

Massey Services was one of the company vehicles on display in the time stamped photographs. 

Update: Massey Services released a statement Friday in regards to the photos. 

“Today the Sierra Club released a statement along with photographs that purportedly show professional lawn care companies violating the Pinellas county fertilizer ordinance.  The claims by the Sierra Club that application of fertilizers during a light rain event such as was depicted in the photographs reported to have been taken on January 27th, 2012 are not prohibited by the Pinellas county ordinance or the Florida Friendly Best Management Practices.

Massey Services, Inc., a leader in landscape care, maintains that the service being provided, as shown in the photograph, is not a fertilizer treatment.  The Massey technician is in fact performing a landscape inspection and treatment to the ornamental shrubs.   The claims of the Sierra Club that Massey personnel were making an application of fertilizer are patently false. The truth is that the Professional Greens Industry as a whole are stewards of our environment.  We improve water quality by maximizing the effectiveness of our urban green spaces to filter storm water runoff.

Massey Services diligently follows all state legislation, county and city ordinances and regulations as they pertain to the proper applications of fertilizers. Massey Services takes a responsible approach to landscape management using Florida Friendly Best Management Practices for Protection of Water Resources by the Green Industries as prescribed by the Florida Department of Environmental Protection.”

Costello says that fertilizer companies will turn a large profit by charging consumers for wasted products and services.

“This is far more than simply a matter of an esthetic,” said Florida native George Root. “This is a matter of jobs, this is a matter of our future and this is a matter of preserving that which is valuable to us as a state.”

The Sierra Club is urging citizens to call local legislators and use their voice, before they meet on Monday in Tallahassee.

Sierra Club Fights Florida Fertilizer Laws is a post from: Manchester & Trafford Pest Control

Article source: http://oldnortheast.patch.com/articles/sierra-club-reveals-telling-photos-of-fertilizer-companies-disregard-for-ban

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Super Service Award – Bulwark Exterminating

Our techs are the face of Bulwark. Receiving the Super Service Award is an honor and it validates the hard work of our entire staff across the valley.

Phoenix, AZ (PRWEB) February 03, 2012

Bulwark Exterminating has been awarded the 2011 Angie’s List Super Service Award for the company’s excellent customer service rating in Arizona.

Super Service Award recipients have maintained an “A” grade average in Angie’s rating formula. Only an estimated five percent of companies listed on Angie’s List receive the prestigious award on an annual basis. This will be the 3rd time that Bulwark has received the award here in the Phoenix area.

“Our technicians and office staff deserve this award 100%,” said Mesa Branch Manager Joe Davey. “They work tirelessly to ensure the needs of our customers are met day in and day out.”

Bulwark Exterminating services over ten thousands customers valley wide from offices in Gilbert, Mesa, Phoenix and Peoria. The family owned exterminating company has made a name in Arizona as the pest control provider in the valley that absolutely guarantees to eliminate scorpions with a money back guarantee. In 2010, 97% of Bulwark’s current customers said they would recommend their pest control services to a friend of family member.

“We appreciate that our customers take the time to recognize the hard work of the technicians that service their homes,” said Davey. “Our techs are the face of Bulwark. Receiving the Super Service Award is an honor and it validates the hard work of our entire staff across the valley.”

While the award went to the Mesa pest control branch of Bulwark Exterminating the owners feel that the award is shared by all of the valley locations as customers on Angie’s list don’t often realize which branch services them.

Phoenix Metro Locations include:

Bulwark Exterminating, 40 N Central Ave #1400, Phoenix, AZ 85004 (602) 652-2251

Bulwark Exterminating, 10401 North 91st Avenue, Peoria, AZ 85345 (623) 572-3016

Bulwark Exterminating, 1228 East Broadway Road Mesa, AZ 85204 (480) 969-7474

Bulwark Exterminating, 18256 E Williams Field Rd # 2 Gilbert, AZ 85295 (480) 539-4933

About Bulwark Exterminating

Bulwark Exterminating LLC is based in Mesa, AZ and is an industry leader in providing high quality residential pest control service. Bulwark is fully operational in seven states, including eleven major cities. While Bulwark provides pest extermination for common insects such as ants, roaches, crickets and spiders, the company’s differentiating specialty is scorpion control. To do this, Bulwark uses the finest and most effective products in the world to solve common pest problems. Bulwark is privately and family owned, has approximately 250 employees and services over 50,000 customers nationwide, providing pest control in Raleigh, NC, Charlotte, Atlanta, Tulsa, Houston, San Antonio, Austin, St. George, UT, Phoenix and Las Vegas. For more information, visit http://www.BulwarkPestControl.com.

###

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Bulwark Exterminating Earns 2011 Angie’s List Super Service Award is a post from: Manchester & Trafford Pest Control

Article source: http://www.prweb.com/releases/mesa-pest-control/eliminate-scorpions/prweb9164344.htm

St. Louis, Missouri (PRWEB) February 03, 2012

The RxProtect management team has solid experience in building the bed bug treatment business and is launching a national network of business minded professionals as RxProtect franchisees. The RxProtect system utilizes proprietary bed bug heat treatment technologies developed by affiliate company, RxHeat, LLC to heat treat bed bugs in single family homes, apartment buildings, movie theaters and anywhere else they are found. RxHeat, LLC has been teaching and training the pest control industry for the past three years how to heat treat bed bugs and the RxProtect Franchise team is now ready to train interested franchisees.

The National Pest Management Association has ranked bed bugs as the fastest growing pest in the market and they don’t show any signs of slowing down in the future. The RxHeat® technologies have become the number one bed bug heat treatment solution for large infestations in the fight against these pests. Home owners and apartment owners are scrambling to find service providers with heat treatment technologies to contract with for this work.

“Past experience in a service business like pest control or Water Restoration or carpet cleaning is a plus but not a necessity for success,” says Marc Braun, President of RxP Franchise Services, LLC. “We look for a solid business background, leadership, and a readiness to succeed when we are evaluating candidates to run an RxProtect franchise.”

Interested entrepreneurs who want information on how to start an RxProtect Franchise business should contact Marc Braun directly at franchise(at)rxprotect(dot)com or 636-898-3347. To find a local RxProtect service provider, call toll free 855-797-7683

RxP Franchise Services, LLC is a National Pest Control Operator offering Comprehensive Bed Bug Protection™ services throughout the US and is headquartered in St. Louis, MO (http://www.rxprotect.com). All RxProtect™ franchised businesses are individually owned and operated. RxHeat, LLC provides prescriptive heating solutions to the restoration and pest control markets and is headquartered in St. Louis, MO (http://www.rxheat.com).

This franchise is not being offered to residents of the following states:

California, Florida, Hawaii, Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Maryland, Michigan, Minnesota, Nebraska, New York, North Dakota, Rhode Island, South Dakota, Texas, Utah, Virginia Washington and Wisconsin.

This offer is not directed to any person in the states listed above by or on behalf of the franchisor or anyone acting with the franchisor’s knowledge. No franchises can be sold in the states listed above until the offering has been registered and declared effective by the appropriate regulatory authority and the uniform franchise disclosure document has been delivered to the offeree before the sale within the applicable time frame. This franchise is offered only by delivery of a franchise disclosure document.

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For the original version on PRWeb visit: http://www.prweb.com/releases/prwebbedbug/franchise/prweb9160369.htm

RxProtect Team Announces Bed Bug Heat Treatment Franchise Program is a post from: Manchester & Trafford Pest Control

Article source: http://www.chron.com/business/press-releases/article/RxProtect-Team-Announces-Bed-Bug-Heat-Treatment-2993489.php

“There are over 28 work orders active right now that he hasn’t responded to,” Burl said. “There are work orders since December he hasn’t acted on.”

Burl said the list of problems includes ants and field mice and said he was also concerned about a problem last year at East St. John High School when there were snakes in the buildings.

“I have a principal telling me they’re putting in work orders and they’re not being done,” he said.

But Peter Montz, the district’s purchasing agent, said the problem is one of communication more than service.

“It is the administration’s position that it’s a lack of communication from the contractor,” he said. “He has since provided the administration with his cellphone number and email.”

Montz said the contractor has been reporting problems to the janitorial staff at the schools.

“He was under the impression when he told the custodians what he saw he was informing the district,” Montz said.

However, Montz said, that information never went any further so the problems were never resolved.

Montz said the district has put Tally Pest Control on a 30-day probation period to give the contractor time to resolve the issues. If they are not resolved, his contract could be terminated.

“He’s resolved to provide a higher level of service to the district,” Montz said.

Legal adviser Orenthal Jasmin said Tally Pest Control was not in default of its contract but that the 30-day period gave the board a way to terminate the contract if the problems persist.

“If during that 30 days you ask him to do something and he doesn’t, you could terminate him for default,” he said.

However, Assistant Superintendent Herbert Smith said he does not think it will come to that because the problem is being resolved.

“I think the communication gap is a lot of schools have been sending their work orders to maintenance,” he said.

He and Montz will now handle problems reported by the schools, he said, as well as those reported by Tally.

Jasmine said the contract gives Tally one day to respond to a complaint, but does not set a window for how soon he must act.

“Apparently, we need to work on our contract,” board member Russ Wise said.

In other business, the board voted to seek proposals for redistricting services and approved going out to bid on locker-room renovations at West St. John Elementary School. The board voted to scale back the work at West St. John by eliminating showers and lockers in the design after learning the work would cost nearly $80,000 more than budgeted. It rejected the recommendation of CSRS, its project managers, to make the original project part of a larger proposal that would be put out for bid.

Pests in schools in St. John the Baptist Parish test patience is a post from: Manchester & Trafford Pest Control

Article source: http://www.nola.com/education/index.ssf/2012/02/pests_in_schools_in_st_john_th.html

Director Ed Spychalski canceled Staring’s Pest and Rodent Control’s monthly sanitary inspections for cockroaches, ants, bedbugs and insects around the summer of 2009 because he thought the $600 monthly cost could be better spent, owner Thomas Staring said Thursday in an interview.

Staring, 54, said he had never seen a bedbug in the 25 years he had worked in Stonequist, Vanderbilt Terrace and Jefferson Terrace, the city’s three public housing complexes. But Spychalski ended the job in the years after he became director in 2006, Staring said.

“He decided I was no longer needed, that the budget could be spent better,” Staring said when contacted by the Times Union.

Blood-sucking bedbugs arrived at the 176-unit Stonequist tower by July 2011. Complaints from residents that Spychalski did not actively work to rid the apartments of the pests led to revelations that his salary had more than doubled to $152,000 over five years, he hired his daughter, promoted his son, drives at least one authority-owned vehicle, and that authority staff and board members spent more than $57,000 on travel, lodging and job training in 2010 and 2011. Tenants have also alleged that Spychalski has bullied them with threats of eviction.

During a meeting with Mayor Scott Johnson at Stonequist Tuesday, at least three authority residents said that bug control inspections of their homes stopped a few years ago. Vanderbilt resident Stephanie Shean told Johnson that cockroaches and spiders had entered her apartment after Spychalski discontinued the service. Shean, 31, and Pastor Peter Berrios Jr., 55, of Jefferson Terrace, said their leases had included monthly inspections for insects.

“It just got dropped for some reason,” Shean said.

Staring said that housing authority administrators rehired him about seven weeks ago for a one-time inspection of Stonequist Apartments. A partial look in the building revealed bedbugs in 16-18 units and the building’s hallways, Staring said.

“I’m not at all surprised,” he said. “If (Spychalski) had a pest control service come in when they were first found, he could have nipped it.” Now, pesticides are needed to kill the bedbugs, and residents will have to be shuffled out of their rooms during treatments, he said.

The housing authority’s maintenance workers started spreading non-toxic powder last month to kill the bedbugs. During a City Council hearing Tuesday, Dennis Brunelle, chairman of the authority’s Board of Commissioners, told Accounts Commissioner John Franck that the authority had the money to treat the bedbug problem, but wanted to do it in the most economic way. He said the authority had spent $6,000-$8,000 on bedbug removal so far.

Brunelle was appointed by a previous mayor. His five-year term expires April 1. A public relations company the authority hired did not respond to Staring’s claims Thursday.

The authority had more than $2.8 million in surplus funds in 2011, Franck said. Its annual budget is $2.1 million. An Orkin Pest Control employee told the City Council Tuesday that he had found bedbugs in Stonequist last year and could have inspected all nine floors for free, but Spychalski failed to return three phone calls to them. A year of preventative treatment for the entire building would have cost $25,000, the Orkin worker said. Brunelle said Tuesday the authority was considering hiring Orkin.

Staring said Thursday that the housing authority should have never scrapped its bug control program, which he said had cost $7,200-a-year. “You can’t ignore it,” Staring said.

dyusko@timesunion.com • 518-454-5353 • @DAYusko

Pest control was a scratch is a post from: Manchester & Trafford Pest Control

Article source: http://www.timesunion.com/local/article/Pest-control-was-a-scratch-2973870.php

Mayor Johnson at Stonequist Tuesday

The director of the Saratoga Springs Housing Authority cut a longtime bug control program for hundreds of public housing units in the years before bedbugs invaded Stonequist Apartments, the extermination company’s owner said.

Director Ed Spychalski canceled Staring’s Pest and Rodent Control’s monthly sanitary inspections for cockroaches, ants, bedbugs and insects around the summer of 2009 because he thought the $600 monthly cost could be better spent, owner Thomas Staring said Thursday in an interview.

Staring, 54, said he had never seen a bedbug in the 25 years he had worked in Stonequist, Vanderbilt Terrace and Jefferson Terrace. But Spychalski ended the job in the years after he became director in 2006, Staring said.

“He decided I was no longer needed, that the budget could be spent better,” Staring said in an interview.

Blood-sucking bedbugs arrived at the 176-unit Stonequist tower by July 2011. Complaints from residents that Spychalski did not actively work to rid the apartments of the pests led to revelations that his salary had more than doubled to $152,000 over five years, he hired his daughter, promoted his son and drives at least one authority-owned vehicle. Tenants have alleged that Spychalski has bullied them with threats of eviction.

During a meeting with Mayor Scott Johnson at Stonequist Tuesday, at least three authority residents said that bug control inspections of their homes stopped a few years ago. Vanderbilt resident Stephanie Shean told Johnson that cockroaches and spiders had entered her apartment after Spychalski discontinued the service. Shean, 31, and Pastor Peter Berrios Jr., 55, of Jefferson Terrace, said their leases had included monthly inspections for insects.

“It just got dropped for some reason,” Shean said.

Staring said that housing authority administrators rehired him about seven weeks ago for a one-time inspection of Stonequist Apartments. A partial look in the building revealed bedbugs in 16-18 units and the building’s hallways, Staring said.

“I’m not at all surprised,” he said. “If (Spychalski) had a pest control service come in when they were first found, he could have nipped it.” Now, pesticides are needed to kill the bedbugs, and residents will have to be shuffled out of their rooms during treatments, he said.

The housing authority’s maintenance workers started spreading non-toxic powder last month to kill the bedbugs. During a City Council hearing Tuesday, Dennis Brunelle, chairman of the authority’s Board of Commissioners, told Accounts Commissioner John Franck that the authority had the money to treat the bedbugs problem, but wanted to do it in the most economic way. He said the authority had spent $6,000-$8,000 on bedbug removal so far.

Brunelle was appointed by a previous mayor. His five-year term expires April 1. A public relations company the authority hired did not respond to Staring’s claims Thursday.

The authority had more than $2.8 million in surplus funds in 2011, Franck said. Its annual budget is $2.1 million. An Orkin Pest Control employee told the City Council Tuesday that he had found bedbugs in Stonequist last year and could of have inspected all nine floors for free, but Spychalski failed to return three phone calls to him. A year of preventative treatment for the entire building would have cost $25,000, the Orkin worker said. Brunelle said Tuesday the authority was considering hiring Orkin.

Staring said Thursday that the housing authority should have never scrapped its bug control program, which he said had cost $7,200-a-year.

“You cannot not do something,” Staring said. “You can’t ignore it.”

Director axed bug control, company owner says is a post from: Manchester & Trafford Pest Control

Article source: http://blog.timesunion.com/saratogaseen/director-axed-bug-control-company-owner-says/11784/

Insects and microorganisms that exist in the environment contribute to the deterioration of various elements in society. Thus, experts from the National Archives of Cuba (ANC) in Havana have been conducted to analyze the indoor air quality and take action.

Research on these issues are hardly discussed in the Latin American region, despite the damage caused by these factors to the documentary and human health, told AIN Flor Ines Casola, specialist institution, one of the oldest the region.

He added that the particular trials are conducted over 10 years, and include the use of domestic natural-cheap, environmentally friendly and renewable, to control pests.

In that sense, he specified, the Cuban experience in its use has allowed import substitution and has been of interest to Latin American nations.

With these practices, began scientific collaboration with other research centers in countries of the region, especially Argentina, Casola said.

He also cited the case of other innovative procedures such as the use of molecular biology and various types of microscopy to the study of microbial biodeterioration special supports, among these, of motion pictures.

Cuban experts have offered advice in Colombia, Equatorial Guinea, Peru, Dominican Republic, Venezuela and Mexico, and participated in joint projects in countries like Brazil, Chile, Puerto Rico and Vietnam.

Founded on January 28, 1840, under the name of the General Archive of the Exchequer, was the fifth of these institutions created in Latin America, after those for Argentina (1821), Mexico (1823), Bolivia (1825) and Brazil (1838).

Pest Control in Havana is a post from: Manchester & Trafford Pest Control

Article source: http://www.cubaheadlines.com/2012/02/02/34510/pest_control_in_havana.html

0161 930 8814

Manchester Pest Control Launch New Website Wasps Nests £32.00 Bed Bugs – Manchester Pest Control, Manchester’s foremost pest control company have a launched a new website Manchester Pest Control for the busy summer wasps nest season and to help all our customers in credit crunch times we are fixing our price for destroying wasps nests at just £32.00 for the foreseeable future, at least until 2011. This is outstanding value when you consider the price charged by some other companies and Borough Councils.

For the summer of 2010 Manchester Pest Control will be attempting to provide a same day call out service where possible and providing a wasps nest service seven days per week with no extra charge made for evening and weekend work.

Bed bugs are a speciality of   Manchester Pest Control and we use the utmost discretion, we can normally deal with the infestation without the need to buy new beds. If you suspect you may have bed bugs then ring Manchester Pest Control

For any pest control problem please choose a link below.

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Manchester Pest Control Launch New Web Site Wasps Nests £32.00 Bed Bugs

Manchester Pest Control Launch New Website Wasps Nests £32.00 Bed Bugs is a post from: Manchester & Trafford Pest Control