deBugged

Insect pests such as bedbugs and cockroaches are not only unpleasant but are difficult to eliminate as they can hide in the deepest recesses. Chemical treatments have historically been the main method for controlling infestations. However recent bedbug research in the US, lead by Dr Mike Potter, has shown genetic mutations in bedbugs which is making them increasingly resistant to insecticides.

Rentokil now offers a new chemical free pest control process called Entotherm which can be used across various industries as described by Savvas Othon. This chemical free treatment is quick, efficient and reaches all areas of an infestation. It can eliminate insects, mould and pathogens (and others including wood-boring insects) through the application of dry heat.

The Entotherm heat treatment eliminates all lifecycle stages of an insect including eggs, larvae and adults. The heat kills insects by denaturing the proteins within their bodies and disrupting the waxy outside layers of the insects, causing them to dehydrate. As Entotherm requires only a single application, it causes minimal disruption to a business. The chemical free process also allows treated areas to be re-used immediately with no residual side effects.

The process works by heating an infested area to a predetermined temperature using strategically placed heat exchangers. Heat probes and thermal imaging technology are then used to confirm all targeted insect pests have been effectively eradicated.

Yes, you heard me right. Would the world be a better place without cockroaches at least the common pest species…? Or would some people be crying their eyes out if there weren’t any?

I started thinking about this question when a friend, who breeds very expensive predatory fishes, complained to me that there are almost no more “wild cockroaches” (by that he means the ones in our homes) that are not polluted by insecticides. This implies that we are doing a good job. He feeds his fish with cockroaches, and has now has become a cockroache breeder. It’s a strange world.

Personally, I am convinced pest controllers all over the world would be sad, because a main business opportunity would have been gone. But ok, there would be no more cockroach-related allergies and diseases, so the “Pest controllers’ blues” is a price worth to be paid for the sake of overall well-being.

And what would happen to Katsaridaphobia, the fear of cockroaches (or other pest fears)? What about all the beautiful species of cockroaches, like the domino roach (Therea petiveriana) or the glow-in-the-dark roaches of the genus Lucihormetica? Would we still see the emerald cockroach wasp (Ampulex compressa) nature’s “Rentokil” for the American cockroach?

I am sure only a few people know that there are many enthusiasts that keep cockroaches as pets. I have to admit that even I have bred a few species and found it quite enjoyable (Never any of the common pest species though!)

Maybe we could live without cockroaches. Maybe the world would be a cleaner place. No, let me refine this statement: our homes and cities would definitely be a cleaner place and our health would be a bit safer in the absence of cockroaches. Still, some people would be sad.

My suggestion (supposing I had a say in it): Get rid of the common household pests, such as American cockroach, German cockroach, oriental cockroach and whatever their names are, but spare the nicer looking ones… What do you think?

Indians are usually tolerant to those “insignificant” bugs that might be crawling around their residential property. Even if the creepy crawlers do elicit some fear, our reaction is rarely more than a mild scream or a mere “shoo”. You usually find that lizards command a higher degree of respect as pests (going by the decibels of shrieks or fear they evoke), rather than cockroaches or flies or ants.

I don’t think many even consider the common household pests as real pests because they just don’t worry us as much. The main concern is not necessarily about destruction of property (which termites do rather well) or spreading disease, but mostly the sight of these wriggling pests.

So, we have been going to schools and residential areas, even office complexes, and talking about the harmful effects of pests. Incidentally, pests too have an interesting story to tell.

• Did you know rats have a weak bladder and urinate freely throughout the house while searching for food?
• Or that pregnant female cockroaches usually stop feeding and go into hiding, making it even more difficult to kill using DIY products?
• And we generally get the audience shrieking (in disgust!) when they find out how flies overcome their problems of eating solid food. First the fly vomits on the food, then stamps on it to make it a liquid, and then sucks it back up. Then after their delightful actions – it’s our turn to eat the same food.

Our aim with this education programme has been to raise awareness on the harmful effects of pests. The real dangers are not always perceived, but can surely be ignored because of a lack of knowledge. The message we leave behind during these awareness programs is:

It actually does make sense to be intolerant to pests.

Everybody travels to beautiful locations these days. Everybody has beautiful photographs of his/her trip. Everybody has beautiful stories to tell. Yes, I agree on that. However, I have noticed that stories of having seen a certain place of touristic value will not really draw your listeners from the woodwork. BUT as soon as you start telling stories about nasties, such as waking and being crawled over by bedbugs, well, then you really get the audiences undivided attention.

Since travel guide books always give you an extensive list of places to see and things to do (which let’s face it thousands of other people will also see and do), I thought it would be a novel idea to give you my top 5 list of pests to see or experience (not a trip for the faint hearted though if you see them all at once) to make your holiday an unforgettable event.

Trust me, your audience at home will appreciate the extra effort in making the photo-reviewing evenings more interesting by adding some horror to paradise. And yes, I am sharing my first hand experiences with you, and yes they involved a lot of pain and itching.

Maybe a cliché, but listening to travelers it always seems there is an endless collection of horror stories with only one lead role: Cockroaches. I am sure your holiday would be much more peaceful without them (and your risk of food poisoning and other diseases as well). On the other hand there would be less opportunity to scare people at home without them. At best you can create the image of you being a fearless adventurer, because out of the whole group YOU were the only person who took the shoe and killed the offender.

You will be able to discover the local varieties of mosquitoes almost anywhere. But be aware, as with all wild animals there is a need to be alert: Some of these critters might be able to transmit some nasty diseases, such as Malaria, Dengue or Chikungunya. So my advice would be to skip searching for this pest. Anyway, you won’t have much searching to do, as they will for sure find you. In this case though, my advice would be that having almost died of a mosquito-borne disease is too much effort for making your holiday stories more interesting.

Everywhere else known as peaceful pollinators and producers of honey, the local variety of bees (Rock bees), build large nests, preferably on high trees, or on buildings, where they create a lot of trouble for people living on the other side of the windows. They should not be considered as general pests, but definitely do their part in troubling people on the higher levels of buildings.

The urban legends of the giant sewer rat will become truth once you lay your eyes on the secretive, yet common, Bandicoot rat. Best chances to see them are within human settlements and especially at night. Be aware though, they are fierce attackers if cornered (see my first post). Another similar “nice” surprise is the local roof-rats, who can scare you out of your wits with their noises inside a jungle hut at night.

For those of you who think bed bugs are some myth from ancient times, well here is the “good” news, they are still alive and kicking. Try for some very low budget hotel, or travel a lot with overnight busses, and you might be able to spot some of these elusive animals. However, most pest experts will assure you that you have a higher likeability of getting bitten than actually seeing them, which makes actual sightings an exciting photo opportunity to show friends at home. However, due to unknown reasons this pest has managed to increase its geographical reach over the last few years, which might depreciate their value as a holiday experience. And if you are not careful enough, who knows maybe they will travel in your luggage.

Ah, and then there are always fleas, ticks, pigeons and numerous other pests, but the ones I mentioned above should be enough to start with. If you want to go pro, check the pest guides and I am sure you will find more interesting pests.

I have to admit though, that working for Rentokil and the knowledge that all these pests can be controlled, really reduced my fears of involuntarily introducing these pests to my home after some extensive travelling.

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Take a look at these other deBugged lists:
Top 10 unbelievable truths
Top 10 pest urban myths
9 lessons I learnt putting together a blog
Top 5 movies Rentokil would have ruined because its infestation not entertainment

There’s something about a peaceful lakeside vacation that makes you a bit more reflective about the mundane.  Every day me and my colleagues think about pests in some form or another as part of our jobs – pests in homes, bedbugs in hotels, stinging insects at a picnic, the list goes on and on.  But as I watched my friends and family nurse mosquito bites we had received while fishing at dusk, I really started to think about how pervasive pests are.

Pests are not limited by season.  Sure, here in the Northeast, pests are more visible during the spring and summer.  Ants scurry in endless search of food; termites are busy caring for their colony queen, and millipedes are doing whatever millipedes do. In the early fall, we try to avoid stinging insects and survive October’s boxelder bugs that seem to appear out of nowhere.  Even in the dead of winter, we’re mouse-proofing our homes while others battle the cockroach.

Pests are not limited by location or social class.  They’re in the cleanest of homes and the dirtiest.  They’re in budget motels and the swankiest of restaurants. Pests are not limited by economic health.  In the words of our now-retired CEO, “The bugs don’t k know whether we’re in a recession or not.”  When the economy is good, pests are there.  When the economy is bad, pests are still there.

And pests, as I was reminded this week, are not limited by going on vacation.  Pests are the ultimate worker, always efficient and never on vacation.