Tricks Of The Trade: Beating Bed Bugs

By James C. Elledge, IFMA Fellow, CFM, FMA, RPA, RIAQM
Published in the July 2010 issue of Today’s Facility Manager

Q Where can I attend classes to become an expert in the field of bed bugs? We have had several instances where bed bugs have bitten students, but the bugs could not be officially detected by a certified expert. Since I have no formal training, I wanted to find out how I could become more knowledgeable regarding this issue.

Gary L. Davis
Associate Director, University Housing
Texas A&M
Kingsville, TX


A One of the newer resources that is getting a lot of praise is The Bed Bug Handbook by Larry Pinto, Richard Cooper, and Sandy Kraft. According to the description provided by Amazon.com, “The Bed Bug Handbook is a complete and up to date guide to bed bugs and their control. It includes sections on the history and impacts of bed bugs, their biology and habits, how they spread, and medical and social considerations of bed bug infestations.

“The largest portion of the book consists of practical, step by step guidance for preventing infestations and dealing with outbreaks. There is an extensive section on bed bug inspections. The Bed Bug Handbook includes checklists for preventing and controlling bed bugs in facilities such as apartments, hotels, medical facilities, and furniture rental warehouses. Written primarily for professionals, pest control specialists, and the managers of hotels, apartments, and other commercial operations susceptible to bed bug infestations, The Bed Bug Handbook is a valuable resource for anyone interested in bed bugs and their control.” [For more on this topic, see the following post on FacilityBlog.]

Elledge,facility/office services manager for Dallas, TX-based Summit AllianceCompanies, is the recipient of the Distinguished Author Award from theInternational Facility Management Association (IFMA), is an IFMA Fellow, and isa member of TFM’sEditorial Advisory Board. All questions have been submitted via the “Ask TheExpert” portion of the magazine’s Web site. To pose a question, visit this link.