How one treatment is helping to win the war

INDIANAPOLIS — May 29, 2009 — According to media reports, bed bugs are a problem that is here to stay. Each day, dozens of news articles and blog entries detail the experiences of travelers bringing bed bugs home in their luggage, families throwing out furniture or renters being displaced because of infestations of these irritating pests.

Bed bugs are a difficult pest to control. Recent research from the University of Kentucky has shown that many bed bug populations are resistant to residual insecticides commonly applied for indoor pest control. This has some in the pest management industry declaring war on bed bugs with applications of VIKANE^® gas fumigant.

One and done

For nearly half a century, fumigation with VIKANE has been used to effectively control structural pests, including drywood termites and other wood-destroying insects. Pest management professionals (PMPs) are now using VIKANE to eliminate bed bugs in a building or its contents.

"The advantage of fumigation over other treatments is that just one application will eliminate all bed bug life stages, including eggs," says Ellen Thoms, technical expert with Dow AgroSciences, the manufacturer of VIKANE. "Controlling eggs is important because they can be the most difficult life stage to locate and eliminate."

Each bed bug infestation is unique and requires a customized treatment plan. The VIKANE label provides options to eliminate bed bugs, including the important egg stage. They include: fumigating an entire structure, such as a home (whole-structure); certain parts of a structure, like individual rooms (compartmentalized); or just certain items, such as furniture, which can be placed in a container - such as a moving truck - and fumigated separately from a structure (containerized).

"All of these fumigation methods allow homeowners to keep their belongings, which could be damaged or remain infested with bed bugs if treated using other methods," Thoms adds.

Other treatment methods

Other treatment methods for bed bug infestations include application of residual insecticides - such as liquids, dusts and aerosols - which often require multiple treatments because locating all the areas where bed bugs reside is very difficult; laundering or dry cleaning of all bedding, curtains and clothing that might be infested; and heat treatment of infested items or the building itself, which can damage electronic equipment or delicate furnishings and may not completely eliminate the infestation.

Fumigation with VIKANE is the best option to eradicate bed bugs because:

• Other treatments may damage infested materials, such as high-value furnishings or electronics.
• Other treatments may not be permitted for application to all materials that could be infested with bed bugs, including mattresses, linens and clothing. When applied according to label requirements, VIKANE only requires a single treatment to eradicate bed bugs infesting a building; and
• VIKANE^® gas fumigant completely dissipates from the structure being fumigated and leaves no surface residue, odor or film behind, eliminating the need to wash linens, clothing or other items after fumigation.

Complete success

Fumigation Services Inc. has been eliminating pests in the Orlando, Fla., area since 1969, and conducted its first bed bug fumigation on a log cabin in 2006. Nearly three years and dozens of fumigations later, general manager Carlo Houghtaling reports the company has a track record of 100 percent control of bed bug infestations.

Houghtaling sees each bed bug fumigation the company conducts as another opportunity to educate consumers about how to prevent reinfestation, as well as remove the stigma attached to bed bug infestations.

"The odds of a bed bug infestation are the same whether a family is wealthy or not as well off, or for a five-star hotel versus a two-star," Houghtaling says. "It's not a position anyone wants to be in, and it's important that once the bed bugs are eradicated people know how to avoid bringing them back in."

Leave it to the professionals

Regulators and University researchers agree that elimination of bed bug infestations requires the services of pest management professionals (PMP) who have access to treatment technologies, such as fumigation, and the training and skill to apply these technologies that consumers lack.

Adult bed bugs are difficult to detect - they can fit into crevices the thickness of a business card. Consumers usually first detect bed bugs by their bites, which can leave red welts that may itch for days or weeks. Another problem are bed bug eggs, which are only the size of a pin head. If not controlled, bed bug eggs can hatch after adults have been eliminated to re-start the infestation.

Consumers who suspect they may have a bed bug infestation should have a PMP conduct a thorough inspection. PMPs can help eliminate the problem and provide advice to keep the residence free of future bed bug infestations. For more information on controlling bed bugs through fumigation with VIKANE, visit www.BedBugsOnline.com.

Dow AgroSciences LLC, based in Indianapolis, Indiana, USA, is a top-tier agricultural company that combines the power of science and technology with the "Human Element" to constantly improve what is essential to human progress. Dow AgroSciences provides innovative technologies for crop protection, pest and vegetation management, seeds, traits, and agricultural biotechnology to serve the world's growing population. Global sales for Dow AgroSciences, a wholly owned subsidiary of The Dow Chemical Company, are $4.5 billion. Learn more at www.dowagro.com.

Contact:
Justin Stewart
Dow AgroSciences
(317) 337-4635

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Vikane is a federally Restricted Use Pesticide.
Always read and follow label directions.