Alaska's #1 Pest Control Company… PERIOD!

Well, here we are in a new year already. 2011 is over, but wow what a year. On a personal basis we saw the engagement of our last two unmarried children and the announcement of our second granddaughter to be here in the spring.

On a business scale, I want to thank all of our loyal and new clients for keeping us out front in the Pest Control market here in Alaska. So many of you have commented on the skill and personality of our technicians AND the caring educated responses of our office staff. It is especially heartwarming when we are commended for taking so much time, in person or on the phone, with inquirers, even when we know there may be no sale resulting from it.

The winner of our seasonal Yard Service drawing is announced on the promotions page. In addition, we are continuing our offer for referrals and reviews there as well. CHECK IT OUT!

So, for all of our clients from Barrow through Fairbanks, Bethel, Dillingham, Dutch Harbor, the MatSu Valley, Anchorage, The Kenai Peninsula, Kodiak, and all the way down the coast through Juneau, Sitka, Ptersburg, Wrangell, Ketchikan — THANK YOU – FROM THE BOTTOM OF OUR HEARTS!

I continue to answer 3 to 5 calls a day from all over Alaska. While the bulk do come from Anchorage, this problem is statewide. Another statewide problem is what I continue to hear about so called “experts” in Alaska who are plying their trades, “riding the crest of the wave” of this issue, if you will. I have spoken elsewhere on this site about failures of heat treatments such as “thermal remediation” and portable heat vaults. While I agree on the effectiveness of heat against Bed Bugs, not all the uses we are hearing about are the right choice. And, poorly trained and/or supervised applicators of heat treatments are adding to the distrust of this technique even in cases where it does have the advantage. This week for example, one of my callers told of being required (he and his roommate) to return and experience 5 minutes of personal exposure to 140+ heat to be personally cleared of BBs! Others are reporting the use of heat treatments but not seeing constant oversight of the treatment. Now, having spent thousands of dollars for such services, they are still experiencing bites.

The other issue we constantly see is the result of “inexpensive Bed Bug Treatments”. While we here at Pied Piper are sensitive to the high cost of professional service, we will not cut corners to compete with low-ball pest control applicators. I do not want to hear complaints about our company registered with other companies because we didn’t do the best job possible. This week also, a caller complained of a pest control service that came in at a very low price, sprayed nicely all around the walls, but did absolutely nothing to the bed (remember BED bug?) and so they mysteriously still have problems.

What I am trying to say is this: While I appreciate the confidence that the people of Alaska have shown in me and our company, please continue that trust when We describe to you what we feel is the best solution at the best appropriate price. Don’t buy pest management service based on method hype or low pricing. Spend your money wisely and get real value for every dollar.

A report issued Thursday Sept 22 from the CDC raised appropriate alarms about dangers of using “do it yourself” pesticides for Bed Bugs. While the statistical numbers of those harmed by doing so are small, it is something everyone should consider before attempting BB (or any pest) control themselves. It also recommended consulting a professional pest control company instead. While some of my competitors and associates may seize upon this to decry even professional use of pesticides, or say that ONLY THEY should apply a pesticide, I have taken a more reasonable and understanding approach here at Pied Piper. While I obviously feel that our 46 year history makes us the best experienced and most knowledgeable on the subject of BB, I also realize that not everyone can afford our service. Therefore I have personally selected a group of pesticides and other elimination/prevention products, and made them available for retail. In addition, I have never shied away from advising on safe and proper use of chemicals to my thousands of clients. If you have any questions, my phone and e-mail is always available to you. In addition, I will be rolling out a new website soon directly related to answering pest questions unique to Alaska. I will announce it on this website when it is available.

A recently sponsored test of the Canine Scent Bed Bug Industry has recently released preliminary data. A summary will be included in an upcoming trade journal, PCT. It will be quite revealing as to the accuracy of this tool, and its APPROPRIATE place in the list of Bed Bug tools. We were proud to have participated in the funding of this first truly scientific review of the matter. When the dat is made public, I will review it and poste some of the information on our BB page.

A recently sponsored test of the Canine Scent Bed Bug Industry has recently released preliminary data. A summary will be included in an upcoming trade journal, PCT. It will be quite revealing as to the accuracy of this tool, and its APPROPRIATE place in the list of Bed Bug tools. We were proud to have participated in the funding of this first truly scientific review of the matter. When the dat is made public, I will review it and poste some of the information on our BB page.

Cherry & I are here for a three day conference with several leading pest management businesses from across the US (Associated Pest Services, Inc.). We try to attend as many of such opportunities to continue to keep Pied Piper in the forefront of caring, conscientious pest control. Some of them will be cruising up to Alaska after this meeting to see the beauty of this place we call home. I want to thank the City of Seattle for ordering such a beautiful weather pattern for our stay.

I receive many calls from persons who have spent a large sum of money for someone who claims they can eradicate their Bed Bugs, but whose treatments fail. Here are the top three failures we are seeing in the Alaska market:

1.  Heat -  As I commented on our Bed Bug pages, this treatment may be a valuable tool in some cases, but does have drawbacks. The failures I am hearing are, in my opinion, attempting this remediation on concrete floors & walls. We have a large number of “daylight basements” which have not only concrete floors, but often concrete walls along the bottom half of the exterior. While a sensor places right at the exposed portion of the bottom corner MAY show a killing temperature, the concrete simply will NOT allow that temperature to conduct even an inch or two away, under the carpet or behind the baseboard. In addition, we are seeing this method attempted in areas of significant clutter that is also prohibiting the heat from reaching all of the BB hiding places. While, to their credit, these failures sometimes result in free “redos”, the cause of the failure remains.

2.  Inadequate Service – I am hearing of companies merely doing “baseboard spray” services for BB. One company even tells people to place all of their items on the bed, while they do this. A trained professional knows that most BB are on the bed, and that those that are not will be going to the bed (or couch) to feed. Any service MUST include these two locations as primary. While the sound of “just a couple hundred dollars” compared to “several hundred dollars” may be tempting, wasting your money is not to your advantage.

3.  Fogging/Foggers – This is being done by do-it-yourselfers AND (amazingly) by certified technicians. First of all, a fogger is not a gas. No matter what you remember from those cute RAID commercials, they do not “seek out and destroy” bugs. The can only move where air currents take them. Secondly, they often spread the problem as the insects (including BB) “run for their lives”.  Will they kill A BB? Yes, but only if it is exposed to the material. That is why a true professional applies a residual material to likely harborages, where the BB can contact it while they are hiding there.

Conclusion:  I continue to receive countless calls about Bed Bugs, and I am pleased to provide whatever assistance I can. Ask for Ken or Edwin, we are here to help.

Saturday May 21st I was pleased to meet with members of the Anchorage Health Department, Alaska DEC, UAF Co-operative Extension Service and other members of my profession. All participants are using their personal time to begin a focus group on the Bed Bug Issues our fellow Alaskans are facing. The chairman concentrated on five areas, including: Ascertaining the known extent of the problem. Developing a workable standard of protocols. Building Public Education. Seeking payment assistance for those in need. How the government and industry can work together on this issue. We all agreed to continue meeting on this issue, off of the clock,  and work together while we explore these and other facets of the Bed Bug issue.

And again:  “It is foolish to place too much reliance on the very numerous preparations on the market which claim to get rid of bed bugs.” From 1938

A quote from 1940: “The most important single factor in bedbug spraying is the degree of skill and competence of the operator applying the spray.” Some things NEVER change!