Day 16 - Part 2- Ordered Nightwatch Bed Bug Monitor

 A sinking man looks for a straw to hold onto.



The next generation bed bugs have emerged.


Things that went wrong sofar
- The CHinchilla dust that I sprayed all over does not seem to work.
- The mattress encasement that we purchased (CLEAN REST Make) probably does not work.


This morning we got up with couple extra war scars from these accursed bed bugs - and I decided to bring in the big guns aka reinforcements from the left flank. Just ordered the Night Watch Bed Bug monitor from doyourownpestcontrol.com - At $450, it was much cheaper than Stern Environmental Group.. Talked to Stern this morning and was told that the CDC 3000 is not available to order. I could order the Night Watch and if I did it over the phone - it would be processed a lot faster (compared to online) for $650. Found a cheaper site. Hope this works out.

WHY DID I BUY THIS, INSPITE OF CONTRARY ADVICE?

I reached out and had a talk with BioSensory today - the makers of Night
watch.In order for them to claim entrapment they need to go through a process of
submitting proof, documents to EPA - and thus, they claim only monitoring as of
today. Getting EPA buy-in is a complex, arduous process - as we know. I was told
that it can trap bed bugs and we have an option to leave them inside the unit -
and they are ultimately dessicated. I am also being emailed a New York Time
study - that provides more details. They have couple reports published here
http://biosensory.com/nightWatch-bedbug-monitor.cfm

Getting this unit still makes sense to me - there is nothing else like this in
the market. Getting a K-9 unit to walk through is at least $250 and this monitor
used as a bed bug detection will itself pay off - as long as it works. I believe
we have infestation that has spread elsewhere in the house and this unit should
help identify that too by moving it around from room to room (works best when a
person does not sleep in the room). Also, this monitor can be re-used over the
next few months - this problem has just emerged for the world and it will be a
few years before we get a grip over it. It makes sense to own this device for
reuse over the next few years - (again) as long as it works the way it is
intended to. There are other devices that are emerging in the market, but this
is all we have right now.

I am thinking using this monitor in combination with DE, along with other daily
paranoia measures, might be the way to ultimately get rid of these bugs. I would
love to get a PCO, but their lack of warranty / guarantee throws me off
completely and charging in the $1000+ range gets a bit much, when there are
pretty good chances we will need to bring them back. I know back in the '70s the
treatment was not very expensive as per my parents, and I wonder why the cost
for treatment has spiked so much.


\Email from JIM NOLE of BIOSENSORY   (SEE BELOW)
Although NightWatch units have been in service for only two months, they are receiving glowing praise from prominent users, which substantiate the published studies by Dr. J F Anderson of the Connecticut Agricultural Experiment Station..  For example:

• The New York Times Sunday Real Estate section of August 23rd featured John Furman of Boot-a-Pest, who praised the NightWatch for its ability to accurately detect bedbugs, unlike bedbug-sniffing dogs, and to let the homeowner know when eradication is complete.  According to the Times, "The device is working so well for clients that he plans to set up a separate leasing program this fall."  The link to the Times article is:
  http://www.nytimes.com/2009/08/23/realestate/23cside.html?_r=1&scp=7&sq=bed%20bugs&st=cse
  
• W. Jay Nixon, MS, BCE, Board Certified Entomologist, of American Pest Management in Washington, DC and his operations manager Wayne White have confirmed Dr. Anderson's findings in an assisted living facility, and are now using NightWatch in an NIH residential facility for children with cancer.  The NIH has agreed to permit a testimonial on the NightWatch performance. 
  
• The Consulting Entomologist and the author of the pest management program for the Boston Housing Authority (BHA) has tested NightWatch successfully.  This program was funded by a grant from the Kellogg Foundation and subsequently audited  by the Boston University Medical Center.  The BHA program is a national model for pest management.  Since bedbugs are a major issue for the 7,000 apartments managed by the BHA, their test results have been accepted for publication by Pest Control Technology magazine.