Bed Bug Academy may sound like the name of a school for larvae, but it’s quite the opposite – the Texas Pest Control Association (or TPCA) recognized in 2011 that the Southwest was experiencing the resurgence of bed bugs in a major way.
The full name of the conference is Bed bug Academy of the Southwest, and its goal was to inform the community of the nature, habits, and biology of the bed bug, as well as to help people understand how to manage bed bug infestations.
TPCA acknowledges that the bed bug resurgence has sparked an industry of pest control specialists and various products to help deal with the iss
ue. Consequently, the Academy featured many vendors and developers of bed bug equipment and products.
Speakers at the summit included such experts as pest control CEOs and entomology professors, and it was open to the public.
Perhaps surprisingly, this academy isn’t the only one of its kind. The Bed bug University’s North American Summit is a major event held in various cities – in 2012, it will be in Las Vegas, Nevada, at the Red Rock Resort, Casino, and Spa. These summits command a high price – early-bird registration for the North American Summit is $525.
If you missed the summits – or just don’t want to travel to Las Vegas to learn about bed bugs – you can keep yourself bed bug-free with a few simple tips.
Prevention is better. Like just about anything else, prevention is better than cure when it comes to bed bugs. Most people acquire bed bugs from traveling, so it’s crucial to be careful when you stay in a hotel, hostel, or other facility. Check for bed bugs upon arrival, and, maybe more importantly,, always carefully inspect your luggage and clothes before re-entering your residence.
Be on alert. Bed bug bites won’t usually wake you up, so it’s important to be aware. Bites are usually raised and itchy, so if you have unexplained red bumps, consider this a warning sign. Regularly inspect your bed for crawling bed bugs, shed skins (which resemble the bugs themselves), and eggs, which are small and clear-white. The sooner you detect a bed bug infestation, the easier it’ll be to eradicate the bugs.
Get help fast. Usually, trying to remove bed bugs on your own will lead to an incomplete removal. Contact a pest and bed bug control service as soon as you think you might have an issue with bed bugs – or if you’re not sure, most companies offer free consultations. The good news is that one of the goals of Bed bug Academy is to make bed bug treatment affordable for everyone.