Termite control doesn’t have to be toxic. There are effective, natural methods to get rid of them.

By Amanda Kimble-Evans
Aug. 24, 2009

If you have a termite problem in your home, don’t panic. There are effective measures, such as termite baiting, to control termites.

Safe Pest Control

Standard pest management methods for eliminating subterranean termites involve applying toxic chemicals to your home, your soil, or both. And “tenting” — basically wrapping and fumigating your entire home — is the most common way to dispatch drywood termites. The good news is many of the termite control methods available today are just as, if not more, effective than the toxic exterminations.

Professionally installed baiting systems are the least invasive and most sought after method for getting rid of subterranean termites. Although the active ingredients in the baits are toxic pesticides, they’re effective in contained, targeted, gram-sized doses as compared to dumping 100 to 150 gallons around your home. Baiting systems work by using the termite’s own process of feeding their hoards to deliver poison to the entire colony.

Small bait stations are inserted into the ground around the perimeter of the home. Non-baited wood is placed in each station and they are monitored quarterly for termite activity. If termites are found feeding in a bait station, wood baited with the chemical is inserted. The termites will take the baited wood back to the colony for wider consumption.

“Our baiting system not only stops the termites from feeding on a home, but offers total colony elimination,” says Dave Maurer, marketing manager for the Sentricon System. “And we only use the active chemical ingredient when termites are feeding. When the colony is destroyed, we take the active ingredient out.”

The Sentricon System is accepted as a LEED-approved termite-control system and is currently in use at the White House and the Statue of Liberty. “We place a high-priority on stewardship,” says Maurer. “Quarterly monitoring means we can keep track of treatment efficacy and help catch new colonies before they do damage.”

It can sometimes take several months for a baiting system to destroy a colony, which seems like a long wait. But, most termite damage takes place over the course of years, not months, Maurer says.

Do-it-yourself baiting systems are also available at home and hardware stores.

Extreme heat is the only nonchemical method for destroying drywood termites, and the most proven method for ensuring you’ve completely eliminated a colony. The process is probably the closest you can get to organic termite control.

For whole-house treatment, the structure is tented and hot air is pumped into it. For isolated treatment, the hot air travels through ducts directed into specific areas, such as a wall. Air temperatures must reach 160 degrees Fahrenheit, bringing the wood to 130 degrees (about as hot as a dry sauna), and remain at that level for about an hour.

The price for a full structure thermal treatment for the remediation of drywood termites is comparable to a standard chemical fumigation treatment. But, consider this: “It takes one day compared to three days and two nights. Best of all, its 100 percent nontoxic,” says Ron Ketner, owner of AZEX Pest Solutions, an Arizona pest control company. “If you crunch the numbers, a Thermapureheat treatment is much less of a burden on both the environment and your wallet.”

Other natural termite control options have lower success rates on their own, but could be used as part of an eco-friendly integrated pest management plan. Some of these options include:

Nitrogen “freeze” treatments
High voltage electricity treatments
Microwave treatments
Biological controls, such as nematodes or fungus
Orange oil applications

Termite Barriers

If you have the luxury of starting from scratch and are in the process of constructing a new house, there are many preventive measures you can employ to stop termite damage before it happens.

Sand, stone, or mesh specifically designed for termite control can be installed around and under a home, creating a barrier termites can’t cross. These physical barriers provide a protective buffer between the hungry insects and potential food sources in a house similar to their chemical-barrier counterpart — but without the toxicity.

Boric acid can be used for termite control. Borate treatments, although often also recommended for post-construction treatments, have a much higher efficacy rate when used as a preventative measure. You can purchase borate-treated wood, spray or brush a borate solution onto untreated wood, fill voids with borate foam, or dust voids with boric acid.

All the termites on Earth outweigh all the humans seven to one. That fact is frequently cited by pest control companies and incites instant heebie-jeebies. But there’s no need to pour buckets of pesticides on your home. A termite is just another bug. Find a pest control professional you trust and insist on natural control methods.

There are primarily two types of termites commonly found in homes in the United States, and each type requires a different method of treatment. Identification of which type is buggin’ you is crucial; here are some basics:

Subterranean termites live in all states in the United States, except Alaska. They cause more property damage nationwide than fire and wind combined. They live in the soil and feed on dead or decaying wood. Moisture is essential to their survival, and they are highly susceptible to dehydration and temperature extremes. Formosan termites, which have a reputation as being aggressive, intelligent and hard-to-kill, are a variety of subterranean termite.

Drywood termites are found in warm coastal regions of the United States and live deep inside the wood on which they feed. Their colonies are much smaller than those of the subterranean variety, but drywood termites are more difficult to detect — they are usually only seen if they swarm.
You Might Have a Termite Problem If …

Knowing what to look for is the first step in thwarting an invasion. Some signs of an active termite problem are:

Spring swarms of winged adults
Mud tubes — especially along foundations. Mud tubes are protective tunnels that the termites build from earth so they can move from their nest to a food source without exposure to light.
Dark, blistered, soft or hollow-sounding wood
Piles of sawdust under pinholes in wood, drywall or wallpaper
Small piles of thin wings

ThermaPureHeat says its heat methodology is a safe, effective, non-chemical pest eradication and environmental remediation process.

A recently published study suggests bed bugs could possibly play a role in transmitting disease. Researchers at a Canadian hospital found MRSA in a small sample of bed bugs there. Researchers tested three patients from a Vancouver, BC, neighborhood whose homes were infested with bed bugs. They collected five bed bugs and found they carried two types of drug-resistant bacteria — three contained methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) and two contained vancomycin-resistant Enterococcus faecium (VRE).

MRSA and VRE have evolved in the last three to five decades and are resistant to penicillin-based antibiotics. Spread by casual contact, they can cause health problems, including life-threatening infections if the microbe enters vital organs. According to one of the study’s authors, these research results suggest that bed bugs may play a role in the transmission of MRSA in inner-city populations where bed bug infestations are a problem.

“That’s all the more reason to eradicate bed bugs efficiently, safely and effectively,” say Dr. Michael Linford and David Hedman, principals of a Ventura, Calif.-based company that utilizes a green technology that can kill bed bugs and sanitize pathogens at the same time.

The licensing company, TPE Associates/ETherm, has developed a patented methodology to kill bed bugs and other insects and “pasteurize” infected structures. ThermaPureHeat methodology uses clean-burning propane and/or energy efficient electric heaters and fans to evenly distribute air, along with HEPA filtration. Laser particulate meters also can be used to measure the amounts of particulates that might be present in the targeted area.

HOW DOES IT WORK? Linford and Hedman say ThermaPureHeat is a “safe, effective, non-chemical pest eradication and environmental remediation process.” It uses clean, dry, odorless convected heat to create a lethal environment for targeted organisms, they say.

How does it work? “Delivering convected heated air for the eradication of insect pests is much more complex than simply turning on heaters and fans. We were first to introduce the heat technology to the structural pest control industry 22 years ago and this has given us experience in the field to perfect the technology. Our licensees are able to utilize our years of field experience in eradicating bed bugs,” Linford says. “Heat is directed into a containment structure through flexible Mylar ducting to slowly raise room air to sauna-like temperatures (140°F to 150°F) until carefully placed temperature probes have achieved lethal temperatures that eradicate the targeted insects.”

“In a few short years, our methodology has been applied to thousands of structures across North America that normally would have been treated with pesticides. Certified pest control companies, including many of the nation’s largest, have been adding this to their arsenal of pest eradication tools,” he says. “With it they are killing bed bugs and other common pests that are increasingly resistant to pesticides.”

Hedman says this technology is spreading rapidly as PMPs nationwide seek more eco-friendly ways of combating pests. “The ThermaPureHeat process allows us to deliver 100 percent eradication of bed bugs,” he emphasizes. “Our pasteurization process kills insects, mold, bacteria and viruses and can even remove odors with a green technology. Medical doctors have prescribed our process for the structures that their asthma patients live in.”

The efficacy of this methodology is discussed in a peer-reviewed study in the International Journal of Indoor Environment and Health. Free copies of the study are available at ThermaPure.com.

Pat Copps, Orkin technical services manager, Riverside, Calif., says the company’s Pacific Division has been using ThermaPureHeat for the past three years. “We started out slowly, having initially invested in a small amount of propane heaters, but customer concern about bed bugs has grown since then, as has demand for green technology. Our Anaheim office now has four large box trucks for the heaters, fans and air purifiers, and we have a fifth one in northern California.” Copps says Orkin treats both residential and commercial properties.

PMP COMMENTS. In West Palm Beach, Fla., Scott Gosney’s Advanced Pest Control became a ThermaPureHeat licensee in 2009 and has seen its bed bug eradication business double since then.

“At first we mostly treated single-family homes, but now we’re doing more commercial work on hotels and apartment buildings — large projects, small projects and everything in between. We use both direct fire propane heaters as well as electric heaters. What we use depends on the project. In a hotel, for example, discretion is understandably important. Hotels don’t want their guests to see our big equipment outside and guess what’s going on. So we cover up electric heaters and air filtration equipment, put them on bellhop carts and move them to infected rooms. It takes us about an hour to set up and the next day the room is completely bed bug free.”

Goldseal Termite and Pest Control Co., headquartered in Indianapolis, Ind., runs six to 10 heat crews each day throughout several states in the Midwest. They have utilized ThermaPureHeat over the past three years to kill bed bugs in private residences, multi-family units, hotels, retail establishments and moving trucks.

According to Elia Levin, Gold Seal’s president, “the heat treatment science is exact and it’s 99.9 percent effective.” The need to evenly distribute the heat is important as is the need to filter the air to eliminate particulates, he states. “Treating bed bugs with insecticides is effective but our pesticide protocol requires several treatments over a period of several weeks. With heat treatments, if you do it right it’s a once and done application. You can do it all in one day.”

Ron Ketner, AZEX Pest Solutions, Phoenix, Ariz., has used ThermaPureHeat on bed bugs and says it best illustrates the importance of IPM. “The most ecological and responsible form of pest management today resides in the concept of an IPM approach. Heat treatments fall into that IPM category, which of course, involves reducing the use and need for pesticides. Chemical pesticides should always be considered a last resort,” he says.

Kill Bed Bugs Plus Microbes That Cause Disease

Austin, TX, June 7, 2011 — A study¹ released today² found a scientific link demonstrating that bed bugs are capable of carrying and exposing disease to humans.  The study also found that heat or structural pasteurization is the most effective treatment to kill microbial pathogens carried by bed bugs.   Dr. Sean Abbott, president of Natural Link Mold Lab, one of the nation’s leading microbiologists, conducted the study over a two year period and reported the results today confirming that bed bugs are carriers of dangerous pathogens.  Many of the bacteria detected naturally occur in the intestines of humans and other animals suggesting that disease organisms like E.coli and other enteric bacteria can be transmitted by bedbugs.

Dr. Abbott stated, “After careful laboratory analysis and a two-year study of bed bugs, we found that bed bugs are carrying many dangerous pathogens such as the Superbug Staph. aureus, the organism that causes serious secondary infections.”

Recently, Canadian scientists detected drug-resistant staph bacteria in bedbugs. The findings caused quite a stir in the scientific community when the admittedly small study was released May 11, 2011 by Emerging Infectious Diseases, a publication of the U.S. Center for Disease Control and Prevention.

Today in Austin, Texas at the International Indoor Air Quality Conference, the nation’s foremost assembly of IAQ researchers and microbiologists, Dr. Abbott’s conclusions revealed that there is a solution to both the typical household pest eradication problem, such as bed bugs, and the threat of bed bugs spreading disease to humans. Structural pasteurization solves both problems simultaneously.  The study, conducted by Natural Link Mold Lab, also examined the efficacy of high temperature pasteurization of buildings for reducing levels of viable bacteria in indoor environments employing both laboratory and field data.

“Evidence is mounting that bedbugs carry disease causing bacteria like ‘superbug’ Staph. aureus”, said Dr. Abbott. “The good news is that bedbugs can’t build up resistance to heat the way MRSA strains have developed resistance to antibiotics. The careful application of heat can end the threat. Properly applied filtered heat kills both bedbug adults and their eggs which have been shown to be particularly resistant to pesticides. Killing bacteria is concurrent with eradication of the bedbugs. ” he said.

“I am euphoric about this green technology which is replacing the need to applying chemicals to our indoor environment,” said David E. Hedman, co-inventor of the patented ThermaPureHeat® structural pasteurization process.”

¹    Bedbug Microbial Vector Study, Summary and Implications and Bedbug Microbial Study

Laboratory Data Report, Sean P. Abbott, Ph.D., Natural Link Mold Lab, May 20, 2011.

²    Study¹ announced today by Dr. Sean P. Abbott at the International Society of Indoor Air

Quality and Climate Conference, Austin, Texas, to be published in Indoor Air, International

Journal of Indoor Environment and Health.

About Structural Pasteurization

Structural pasteurization employs engineer-controlled convective dry heat to sanitize buildings in situ, and is typically used in conjunction with structural drying and traditional microbial remediation processes.  It allows for sanitization of entire structures and can provide significant hygiene benefits by reducing overall levels of microorganisms in indoor environments.  It is also lethal to insects.  ThermaPureHeat® is the patented methodology of structural pasteurization developed by ThermaPure, Inc. and proven effective in the study to eradicate bedbugs, their eggs and microorganisms that cause disease.  This process can be used without pesticides.

About Sean P. Abbott

Dr. Sean P. Abbott is a mycologist specializing in indoor contamination issues. He received his Ph.D. from University of Alberta and has published on fungal biology and systematics, airborne biological hazards, microbial contamination of indoor environments and opportunistic human pathogenic fungi. Current research interests include fungal biology as it relates to indoor environments, health effects of exposure to airborne molds, antimicrobial efficacy testing, insect/anthropod vectors of microbes and indoor environmental quality monitoring. He is president of Natural Link Mold Lab, Sparks, NV.

PHOENIX — The mere mention of bed bugs might make most people uncomfortable.

But it’s a growing problem in Arizona and getting rid of them is turning into big business for exterminators.

Some pest-control firms have diversified and grown their businesses by adding bedbug eradication as a specialty niche.

National revenue in bedbug extermination and management increased to $258 million in 2009 from $98 million in 2006, according to the National Pest Management Association.

Of the two other major insect pests described in the association’s report — fleas and fire ants — the bedbug-extermination industry was the only one to grow every year.

Fred Willey owns Invader Pest Management of Glendale. He says bedbugs account for about 5 percent of his business now and he expects that number to double this year.

“I plan on developing more of the niche market,” Willey told The Arizona Republic. “There’s going to be a select few companies that specialize in it. Bedbugs are probably the toughest pest to control that we’ve dealt with.”

Wiley said most people are not aware of how easily they are spread and how fast they repopulate.

According to a survey conducted by the pest-management association in cooperation with the University of Kentucky, 95 percent of U.S. respondents indicated that their company or organization had encountered a bedbug infestation in the past year.

In a previous association survey of pest-control firms, 6 percent of respondents said they had performed more than 100 services for bedbugs. In a survey conducted two years later, 20 percent of those surveyed said they had performed more than 100 bedbug jobs in the past year, with 7 percent saying they had done 500.

Ron Ketner, owner of AZEX Pest Solutions, said about 90 percent of his business now is bedbug extermination. When he created his business in 2007, Ketner focused on termites.

“We were maybe getting a bedbug call a month,” Ketner said.

Once the housing market crashed, he said, there were far fewer customers looking for termite inspections.

Ketner said that was about the time bedbugs started to dramatically increase in number; now, he receives about 12 inquiries a day.

Ketner, a proponent of thermal treatments, uses heaters to warm the room to temperatures of up to 155 degrees. The treatment takes about a day, and afterward, he brings in an independent third party with bedbug-sniffing dogs to double-check that all the pests have been exterminated.

Dawn Gouge, an associate professor and associate specialist of entomology at the University of Arizona, said bedbugs are “an increasing problem” in the state.

Gouge has been an entomologist and integrated pest-management specialist since 1995. She has written numerous articles on insects, including bedbugs.

She said bedbugs are far more prevalent in areas with large populations, and Arizona has seen a dramatic increase in bedbug numbers because of the state’s explosive population growth.

“You name it. At this point, we’ve found bedbugs in those environments … everywhere where people are. … They’re expert hitchhikers,” Gouge said of the pests.

She said bedbugs are primarily unpleasant and don’t pose a major health threat because they do not transmit diseases to humans. Although many people don’t have severe reactions to the pest, Gouge said, some people can have dangerous physical reactions to bedbug bites.

Gouge said the real damage of bedbugs may not even be physical.

“People will spend every single penny they don’t have on bedbug remediation,” she said. “Psychologically, they are an enormous stressor.”

___

Information from: The Arizona Republic, http://www.azcentral.com

By Michael Geyer, PE, CIH, CSP also principal of Kerntec Industries, Inc.

Heating structures, or areas within structures, is fast becoming the most effective method for bed bug eradication. Active structural heating relies on aggressive air mixing in order to be effective. However, aggressive air mixing generates significant, potentially harmful, aerosols of particulate matter. Methods exist to control the aerosols and they should be judiciously implemented when using heated air to treat for bed bugs, or any other insect or microorganism. Failing to control the aerosol generated during aggressive air mixing may be negligent.

Why Actively Heat Structures
Structures can be actively heated to kill bed bugs, termites, cockroaches and other insects, as well as to dry-out wet materials, accelerate off-gassing VOCs, and kill and/or reduce the concentration (load) of biological organisms within the structure. Active heating of structures constitutes a “green” approach to insect and organism eradication – it is not a chemical pesticide! In fact, structural heating has been prescribed for the treatment of residences for asthma patients.

Killing Insects and/reducing other biological organisms
Bed bugs specifically, and other biologicals, (e.g., fungi, bacteria, other insects, etc.), enjoy the creature comforts of our buildings and enjoy similar temperatures that us humans enjoy, (i.e., room temperature – 70F (21C)). Particularly, bed bugs gravitate to the warmth of the human body, carbon dioxide that humans exhale, tiny cracks and crevices, and darkness. Like most biological organisms, they suffer when heated to temperatures that are extreme. Most biological organisms do not survive temperatures above 135F (57C) and when structures are actively heated to temperatures of 145F (63C), or more, most biological organisms cease to survive – they die. Therefore, actively heating structures to elevated, lethal, temperatures is an effective method of bed bug control – it kills them.

Effectively Heating Structures
Effective structural heating requires a combination of elevated temperatures, temperature duration, and equal distribution uniformity of the elevated temperature coupled with controlled air movement using fans, pressure differences inside heated areas (relative to outside), and the capacity of the air-delivery and heater system. Effective structural heating is an active methodology; it is not passive.

Elevated Temperature and Duration – In order to increase temperatures within a structure, it is accomplished by delivering hot and relatively dry air into a treatment area. There are several methods of structural heating with hot, dry air. For example the heat source may provide electrically-generated heat using infrared heaters, or burning a fuel-gas via forced-air burners or boilers, and the heat can be delivered directly or indirectly, or both. The method of heat generation and the delivery method are somewhat irrelevant to this discussion regarding why actively heating structures without air filtration is dangerous. Consequently, the means and methods of heating structures will be limited in this narrative. However, suffice it to say that active structural heating involves elevated temperatures and requires holding the target temperature for a duration that is sufficient to achieve the intended goal, e.g., kill bed bugs.

Distribution uniformity – To achieve the goal of eradicating bed bugs or other insects, just as with drying, off-gassing chemical vapors, and/or reducing biological loads, the distribution of heat must be uniform and equal. If materials, buildings, rooms, furnishing, etc., are not heated uniformly and equally, and if lethal temperatures are not achieved, the result is a “no kill”. If too high of temperatures are delivered into a treatment area, then damage to heat sensitive items may occur. Also, moisture and chemical vapors can be liberated from hot materials only to be reabsorbed into cool materials. Insects have legs and wings (i.e., they are motile) and they may move from hot, uncomfortable areas into areas that are less stressful. Moreover, materials that are only slightly heated, to a temperature of 90F to 100F (32C to 38C), may exhibit ideal conditions for some microorganisms (e.g., fungi, bacteria, protozoa, etc.) to flourish; as if they were in an incubator and their concentrations may actually increase due to (raised) temperatures that are less than lethal. Thus, effective structural heating must achieve a uniform and equal temperature increase to a target, lethal temperature.

Aggressive air mixing/currents – In order to achieve uniform and equal distribution of elevated temperatures within a structure or area being actively heated, aggressive air mixing must be employed. Hot air is more buoyant than cool air, and if not aggressively mixed, a heated room will have a hot ceiling and a cool floor, with varying degrees of temperature in between. When aggressive air mixing is employed, which is necessary for heating uniformly and equally, particulate aerosols will be generated – lots of aerosols! Experts have measured, via hand-held, direct-read laser particle counters, significant increases in particulate concentrations in contained structures when aggressive air mixing is employed, with or without heating. Increases in particulate concentrations have been measured 5 to 10 orders of magnitude above that of ambient and/or passive conditions, i.e., conditions prior to activating the fan units to create the aggressive air-mixing environment.

Aggressive air mixing is necessary to uniformly and equally distribute hot air when actively heating an area, to raise temperatures of target locations and materials. It should be anticipated that the aggressive air mixing will also create significant aerosols and distribute those aerosols far and wide; even into areas not targeted for the heat treatment effort. If not controlled, it is likely that surfaces (be it floors, furniture, counters, etc.) within the treatment area, postaggressive air mixing, are covered with a layer of fine particulate matter. This matter, having been released and distributed during the active heating process, may be extremely harmful to building occupants if not mitigated. In the case of bed bugs, pillows, blankets, sheets and the like are covered with particulate matter. Occupants’ head and nose are placed in direct contact with this particulate matter.

Controlled exhaust air – When structures are actively heated, the air within the treatment area may quickly saturate with vapors that need to be removed, and particulates that need to be filtered. Moreover, aggressive air mixing will distribute these out-gassed vapors similar to aerosol distribution. Vapor concentration can be controlled via controlled exhaust. Effective filtration will reduce particulates inside the treatment to safe levels and also within the exhaust air. Consequently, filtration will mitigate particulates released into the environment; where they may harm sensitive receptors downwind.

Aerosols Form When Structures Are Actively Heated
A known effect of active heating is the generation of significant concentration of aerosols. There are several mechanisms involved that contribute to the generation of aerosols and the mixing of particulates when structures are purposefully heated with hot air. As mentioned above, aggressive air mixing is substantive in the liberation and distribution of particulates. Aggressive air mixing also breaks-up matrixes and bundles of particles ( i.e., large aggregate particles are broken into many smaller particles.) Also significant is the drying aspects of hot air. Many hydrophilic organic particles have hydroscopic water molecules adsorbed onto them, thus increasing their weight. Heating increases the vapor pressure exhibited on these water molecules, liberating some of them, and this phenomenon makes the hydrophilic particle lighter in weight and more easily made airborne. Water molecules are also polar and small particles may be held together due to the attraction with polar water molecules. These small particles may be released when water molecules are no longer present. Fungi, when pressured with aggressive air currents and/or drying air, are known to sporulate (release spores). Even small quantities of fungal biomass can be anticipated to release millions of mold spores when stressed by hot, dry air in an aggressive air mixing environment. Moreover, as the fungal biomass dries it can be anticipated to break apart and fracture in small particles, thus releasing many small mold products. Lastly, hot mixing air currents generate static electrical potentials along with the movement of particulates in the hot air. Static electrical potentials in the mixing air will affect particulates that are polar (i.e., have electrical potentials on their surface) and some will become airborne that may not necessarily do so. Bottom line…in a hot, aggressive, air mixing environment, significant concentrations of aerosols must be expected. Moreover, they must be mitigated. Otherwise a potentially harmful concentration of aerosols will be present in the air during treatment and residue (post-heat) on surfaces.

What Makes Airborne Particulates Dangerous
Large and small particulates – PM10’s, PM2.5’s, nano-particles It is well known that it is the small particulates that cause the most damage to lung tissues when inhaled deep into the gas exchange region of the lungs, and very small particles can cross cell membranes. Large particles are typically trapped by impaction on mucous surfaces of the nose and throat, impingement on bronchi, and entrapment within cilia. Small inert particles, those much less than a micron, are thought to move in and out of the lungs with minimal affect, but this is not true of chemically reactive or sensitizing particles. Many atmospheric studies have confirmed that aerosols of an aerodynamic diameter of 10-microns or less, or PM10’s, are dangerous. More recent studies have looked at the damaging affects of smaller particulates, those that are near 2.5 microns in size, or PM2.5’s. There is current concern for engineered products referred to as nano-particles that are far smaller than 1 micron; yet their health affects are not fully understood at this time.

Of some relevance in this study of lung-damaging particulates is the difference between particles that are organic versus inorganic. Organic particles, in general, have a much lower density and less mass than most inorganic particles, and larger organic particles are more buoyant than most inorganic particles of similar size. In structures that are aggressively treated with hot air, both organic and inorganic particulates must be anticipated. In situations where biological particulates are of concern (e.g., water-damaged buildings with mold spores, mold fragments, dust mites, bacteria, etc.) the hazard of bio-aerosols cannot be underestimated because of their potential to be bio-reactive, toxigenic, and/or infectious. Moreover, inert airborne particles have been shown to contain microorganisms…essentially hitching a ride on the inert particle. Moreover, particulates cannot be thought of as unique, pure, or isolated. More often, airborne particles are clusters, bundles, and matrixes of a combination of several sub-particles, organic and inorganic, active and inert. A sampling of airborne particles generated during aggressive air mixing will detect major and minor fractions of fibrous and non-fibrous elements; inerts such as quartz, feldspars, and silicates; chemical sensitizers such as zinc and related corrosion products; organic sensitizers such as mold spores, pollen, and insect feces; and a host of other stuff.

Recent studies show inhaled particulates are dangerous
Studies have shown that the inhalation of small particulates, especially those less than 10- microns in size, may increase respiratory disease, cause lung damage, and induce asthma, allergic reactions, cancer, and premature death. Most affected by the inhalation of small particulates are children with young and developing lung tissue, people with respiratory dysfunction and/or sensitivity, and people with compromised immune systems. It is speculated that some bio-aerosols may trigger hypersensitivity in compromised individuals. Moreover, there are claims by some indicating that an acute exposure to bio-aerosols may also trigger hypersensitivity. This said, and given that hot, dry, aggressive air mixing environments have all the attributes to generate and distribute significant concentrations of aerosols, aerosol control is essential. Given that structural heating often occurs in buildings that are water-damaged, exhibit uncontrolled growth of fungi and bacteria, or excessive and uncontrolled growth of insects (e.g., bed bugs, fleas, termites, etc.), the control of harmful bio-aerosols generated when actively heating a structure for bed bugs or other insects or for biological remediation is a necessity. Not controlling aerosols generated within an aggressive air mixing treatment area is negligent; especially when given the fact that there are effective controls that can mitigate aerosols.

Engineering Controls – Air Filtering to Remove Aerosols
Exhaust alone is not effective or prudent to mitigate aerosols generated in an aggressive air mixing environment. Solely exhausting air from an area subject to aggressive air mixing will assist in diluting the concentration of aerosols within the treatment area, however, a significant portion of the aerosol will remain and settle-out, and the rest is emitted with the exhaust air. If not controlled, even the particulate-laden exhaust air may be dangerous to receptors downwind from the point of exhaust. The most effective and practical method of capturing and removing the aerosol is through the prodigious use of high efficiency particulate air (HEPA) filtered fan units. HEPA-filtered fan units have a proven ability to mitigate particulate aerosols, and where enhanced filtration is warranted, ultra-HEPA filter media is available. Moreover, when HEPA filtered fan units are incorporated into remediation projects where biological control is warranted and where biologicals may become airborne (e.g., mold spores), capturing the bio-mass on a filter media is similar to other methods of physical, gross removal, i.e., the filter is a physical removal method.
HEPA air filtration is effective and warranted to control particulate aerosols, but several elements must be designed into the use of HEPA-filtered fan units to achieve efficacy.

Sized for air exchange rate – HEPA-filtered fan units must be adequately sized, in number and in capacity (i.e., flow rate), to cycle sufficient air through the treatment area being subjected to aggressive air mixing. In some circumstances, 4 to 6 air exchanges per hour may be adequate to control the aerosol generated. In other circumstances 10 to 20 air exchanges, or more, per hour may be necessary to achieve control.

Controlled input and output – In situations where it is necessary to exhaust air laden with moisture and/or chemical vapors, some HEPA-filtered fan units’ exhaust can be ducted-out of the treatment area to remove the vapors. In doing so, the exhaust air is clean and filtered of particulates. Other HEPA-filtered fan units can sit inside the treatment area, un-ducted, and cycle air through the filter element – solely to capture particulates and physically remove them. Where exhaust is warranted, it must be controlled and the flow rate of moisture-chemical laden air removed from the treatment area must be measured relative to the flow rate of air (hot or ambient) into the treatment area. Too much or too quickly removed, and the treatment area will not rise in temperature if heating is a goal; this is especially critical when the treatment area is indirectly heated via heat exchangers. Too high an input flow of hot air into a treatment area and the movement of aerosols may be difficult to control; thus air filtration is essential to mitigate the movement of particulates into spaces that are not part of the treatment area when high input flow rates are used. When HEPA-filtered fan units are judiciously used, the movement of “clean” hot air within the treatment area and into other “non-treatment” spaces does not carry the risk of particulate contamination.

Located to mitigate dead-zones – HEPA-filtered fan units must be located in sufficient quantity and capacity to achieve an air exchange rate, and so located to filter air in locations that would otherwise allow particulates to settle-out. Corners, small alcoves, nooks, and enclosed spaces are typical locations where air mixing currents may be limited or reduced, and these are locations where an un-ducted HEPA-filtered fan unit can assist and enhance air mixing currents, as well as capturing particulates (for physical removal) that might otherwise settle-out (in these areas).

Cleaning the Air – Before, During and After Heating
In most circumstances, areas that will be treated with hot air also warrant cleaning, i.e., they are dirty, soiled, and/or contaminated. During the time that equipment is being mobilized and set-up to generate and deliver hot air into a treatment area, HEPA-filtered fan units should be one of the first pieces of equipment placed, put into operation, and activated. They can immediately begin to capture aerosols generated by activities taking place to prep and deliver heat to a treatment area. When hot air is being delivered into a treatment area and being actively distributed therein, HEPA-filtered fan units should be operating continuously and without interruption. Once the target temperature and duration is reached and the cool-down phase begins, HEPA-filtered fan units should still be continuously operating. Moreover, they should continue to operate during the demobilization effort and be one of the last pieces of equipment turned-off and packed out; thus mitigating particulate aerosols the entire event, from beginning to end.

Measuring effectiveness
Where heat treatment is performed, an easy and effective method of measuring the effectiveness (post-treatment) of particulate removal is with a tape lift – similar to the tape lift method used to determine to presence-species of mold on a surface. Particles adhered to the tape lift can be evaluated and identified using a polarized light microscope. In some circumstances it may be useful to compare surfaces within the treatment area to surfaces outside of the treatment area. This said, the tape lift and particle identification should not replace the application and use of direct-read, real-time particle counters – hand-held devices that can provide real-time data on the effectiveness of dust mitigation measures during aggressive air mixing efforts.

Summary
In summary, heating structures or areas within structures is fast becoming the most effective bed bug eradication method and as a remediation technique. Effective structural heating relies on equal and uniform distribution of the hot air and this is best accomplished with aggressive air mixing. However, aggressive air mixing generates significant aerosols. Methods exist to control the aerosols and they should be judiciously implemented to do so – HEPA-filtered fan units are the best available control technology to mitigate aerosols generated during active heat treatment. Failing to control the aerosol generated during an effort that employs aggressive air mixing may be negligent, because studies have indicated that it is very likely to be harmful or injurious to persons exposed to the post-treatment aerosol.

REFERENCES

1. U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Air Quality System, Hazardous Air Pollutants.
http://www.epa.gov/oar/data/help/haqshaps.html

2. U.S. Department of Labor, Occupational Safety & Health Administration, OSHA
Technical Manual – Section III: Chapter 2, Indoor Air Quality Investigation.
http://www.osha.gov/dts/osta/otm/otm_iii/otm_iii_2.html

3. California Environmental Protection Agency, Air Resources Board, ARB Fact Sheet: Air
Pollution Sources, Effects and Control.
http://www.arb.ca.gov/research/health/fs/fs2/fs2.html

4. American Lung Association: Selected Key Studies on Particulate Matter and Health:
1997 – 2001. http://www.kintera.org/atf/cf/%7B7A8D42C2-FCCA-4604-8ADE-7F5D5E762256%7D/PMSTUDIES.PDF

5. Baron, Paul A, PhD. National Institute of Safety and Health/DART – Measurement of
Fibers. http://www.cdc.gov/niosh/nmam/pdfs/chapter-l.pdf

6. Peter J. Adams, Carnegie Mellon University – Medical News Today – Harmful Particulates Blanket East Coast. March 2, 2007

7. Health Impacts of Smog in Toronto – Toronto Environmental Alliance 2008
http://www.torontoenvironment.org/campaigns/climate/smogfacts

8. National Institute of Health and John Hopkins University – Particulate Reduction Education in City Homes (PREACH). May
2008 http://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT00466024

9. National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS) – Fine Particulate Matter Associated with Increase in Hospital Admissions for Cardiovascular Diseases. September 2006 (http://www.niehs.nih.gov/research/supported/sep/200
/pmcardio.cfm)

10. National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS) – Risks of Coarse Particulate Air Pollution. September 2008
http://www.niehs.nih.gov/research/supported/sep/2008/particulate.cfm

11. Nanoparticle Handling Fact Sheet. Environmental Health and Radiation Safety.
University of Pennsylvania. May 2003 http://www.ehrs.upenn.edu/resources/docs/labsafety/nanoparticles.pdf

12. Bed Bugs – Biology and Management. Harvard School of Public Health. 2005 http://www.hsph.harvard.edu/bedbugs/

AZEX Pest Solutions is Arizona’s only heat service provider that utilizes the Thermapureheat® system!

Thermapureheat® is a healthier alternative to our competitors systems. ThermaPure® kills bed bugs while creating a higher level of cleanliness and improved indoor air quality through the proper and patented use of HEPA filtration. Many competing heat technologies used to correct bed bug problems potentially create new ones. ThermaPure® is chemical-free and non-toxic, thus providing a safe alternative to chemicals.

It’s just not just heat, its Thermapureheat®

INSECTICIDE applications are most common. These may include vacuuming, steaming, and cryogenics (freezing) . This treatment method requires multiple applications over a period of weeks and will require significant preparations. Depending on the severity of the infestation, you may be required to throw away furniture or mattresses.

DRY HEAT such as the patented ThermaPureHeat® process, is pesticide-free, and requires much less preparation and no need to throw away furniture and mattresses. This treatment is so complete, it kills ALL bed bugs AND their EGGS in ONE (1) application!

THIS COMMUNITY-WIDE PUBLIC AWARENESS INITIATIVE IS SUPPORTED BY: AZEX Pest Solutions

AZEX Pest Solutions uses the patented ThermaPureHeat® process for the application of heat to individual rooms, or the entire structure. ThermaPureHeat® is the genuine and most effective heat treatment on the market today. We have over five years of experience applying heat to structures such as hotels. We’re trained and licensed to use the application for hotels, inns, motels, and residential structures throughout the State of Arizona. Another byproduct of applying heat for pest control are; oxidizing odors like tobacco and eliminating allergens. No other heat treatment on the market can claim that!

Applying pesticides to combat infestations for BEDBUGS is risky business. Not only are rooms out of circulation from three to fourteen days. You have to throw out the mattresses and box springs. You also have to be careful of chemically sensitive people bringing frivolous lawsuits against you. Many are winning their cases.

Heat Treatments have the following advantages:
• Quick treatment times – 6-8 hours, from set up to tear down
• Efficacy is not affected by weather conditions (winds, cold, rain etc..)
• Off gasses odors from harsh chemicals and organic musty odors
• Eliminates allergens that can trigger asthma attacks
• Removes moisture in zones or structures, which is conducive to infestation and enhances the bedbug lifecycle
• Improves indoor air quality

About the process:
• It is a “non-chemical” process without multiple applications in the same room; it is safer and requires substantially
less precautions. This means, you can resume productivity in a more timely matter.
• Our patented process uses heated outside air to create positive pressure in the rooms; the result is consistent
targeted air temperature in all areas of the rooms including cracks, crevices and voids, where the pests and their
eggs are hiding.
• Our process involves heating each room to 140-160 degrees Fahrenheit. This level of heat kills the entire
life cycle of bedbugs (from eggs to adults) and holding lethal temperatures for 4 hours kills and eliminates,
common mold spores, allergens that trigger asthma, and oxidizes odors.
• Customers do not see vans or equipment saying BED BUG Killers or PEST CONTROL; we arrive in discreet enclosed
AZEX Pest Solution’s trucks or vans.

After the process:
• Four weeks after the initial treatment, we send in highly trained, third party, bedbug detection K9’s to verify our
work as 100% effective
• Unlike the competitors that purchase trained detection dogs, we subcontract a third party detection company
(Cimex K9) avoiding the “Fox Guarding the Hen-house” scenario. Cimex
K9 trains their dogs from scratch and
employs experienced trainers and handlers
• The detection canines have been taught to ignore dead bedbugs which are essential for post treatment
inspections
- Competitors may claim that their dogs ignore dead bedbugs, but depending on where they bought the dog
from, you can’t be sure unless you know exactly how the trainer trained the dog. Saying a dog was never
trained to detect dead bedbugs and proofing your dogs from detecting dead bedbugs during daily training
exercises are two totally different things.

Call 877-445-BUGS or write to schedule a FREE consultation today!

ThermaPure^® Inc. Receives New U.S. Patent

for the Use of Heat Technology to Kill Bed Bugs

ThermaPureHeat® continues to demonstrate why many say it’s the most effective technology available for killing bed bugs and their eggs

VENTURA, CA, SEPTEMBER 14, 2010 – As the bed bug epidemic continues to strengthen its grip on North America, ThermaPure^®, (www.thermapure.com) the industry pioneer that developed the heat treatment process currently being used to effectively kill the blood-sucking pests and their eggs, has been awarded another patent from the U.S. Patent & Trademark Office (US 7,690,148 B2 – Hedman, issued April 6, 2010).

“This is a really exciting new patent because it combines two highly effective technologies into what we believe is the most powerful, deadly punch that can be delivered to bed bugs,” said David Hedman, CEO of ThermaPure, and the patent’s inventor. “ThermaPureHeat kills bed bugs and their eggs throughout a structure in a single treatment, and the use of silica-based products provide a synergistic and residual effect that will kill bed bugs that may be reintroduced to the premises. “

The ThermaPureHeat® process uses a combination of carefully applied and monitored heat, air circulation and air filtration to penetrate the structure – including wall cavities, structural members, and cracks and crevices – with a level of heat that is lethal to bed bugs and their eggs, normally with just a single application.  Many scientists studying the bed bug epidemic point to heat as the most effective solution currently available.

The patent also includes the application of silica gels as part of a ThermaPureHeat treatment as a preventive measure against bed bugs being reintroduced to the structure. The gels serve as absorbents or irritants to damage the waxy outer coating of the bugs, which are then highly susceptible to dehydration and death.

“ThermaPureHeat is a wonderful concept that has been perfected for killing bed bugs and their eggs,” added Dr. Michael Linford, president of TPE Associates, and one of the pest control industry pioneers in the use of heat technology for the eradication of insects.  “But consumers need to be aware that not all heat treatments are ThermaPureHeat treatments. Many heat treatments are conducted by pest control companies who have simply attempted to copy ThermaPure, but do not have well trained employees. They do not understand how to properly, effectively, and safely deploy heat throughout a structure. “

Many of these other companies also do not use special filtration to capture the microbiological and chemical contaminants that are sent airborne during the heating process, putting both their workers and the consumer potentially in harm’s way.

In addition to eliminating bed bugs, the green process (typically no pesticides or other harmful chemicals are needed) also sanitizes the structure by killing bacteria, many viruses, many types of mold and many insects. ThermaPureHeat also oxidizes odors, and denatures many allergens.  Patented ThermaPureHeat also reduces many volatile organic compounds, including formaldehyde, which is often found in prefabricated structures, such as portable school classrooms, as well as in some building materials.

About Bed Bugs

There are at least 70 different kids of bed bugs across the world. The blood-sucking parasites are wingless, dark reddish-brown, oval and flat insects. Full-size adults are typically about the size of an apple seed — less than one quarter-inch long — and often mature in about four weeks after hatching, if a host is available. An adult bed bug can live more than a year on a single blood meal. Bed bugs have mouth parts that are both piercing and sucking, and their saliva acts as a numbing and anti-coagulant agent. People who are sensitive to bed bug bites are actually reacting to the pest’s saliva.

Bed bugs can endure freezing temperatures and use a variety of hosts besides humans, including poultry, rodents, dogs, cats, birds and bats. Although humans rarely feel the approximately 15 minute-long bite some people show sensitive reactions to it. An indication of bed bugs is small blood spots on bed sheets, or in the folds of mattresses.

Bed bugs hide in cracks and crevices during the day, and often come out at night to feed (although they will take a blood meal during daylight hours). They are found around mattresses, behind picture frames, in nightstands, stuffed furniture, behind loose wallpaper, under the edges of carpet and padding, inside wall voids, and other enclosed spaces.

Bed bugs will crawl a substantial distance to obtain a blood meal. This is particularly a problem in the hotel industry, where customers can pay several hundreds dollars a night for their room, and awaken with bed bug bites and bloodied sheets.

Like every living thing, bed bugs have a “thermal death point,” that is the temperature at which they cannot survive. For bed bugs and their eggs, research has shown lethal temperatures begin at a sauna-like 115 degree Fahrenheit (for a one-hour duration).  However, to ensure that bed bugs and their eggs are destroyed, the ThermaPureHeat process carefully and safely raises the temperature of a structure to between 120 degrees and 160 degrees Fahrenheit for a prescribed period of time to ensure the heat penetrates into the walls, cracks and crevices.

About ThermaPure^®

ThermaPure (www.thermapure.com) is a Ventura, California-based company. It’s green, environmentally-friendly ThermaPureHeat^® process performs structural pasteurization to kill insects, including bed bugs and termites, mold, bacteria, viruses and allergens.

The ThermaPureHeat process is currently licensed to more than 50 quality pest control and environmental companies in North America, including Orkin, Terminex,  and Copesan companies, including Sprague Pest Control and Western Exterminator Company.

1. Bed bugs are only found in run down and dirty structures.

FALSE.  Bed bugs are non discriminating.  They have been found in 5-star hotels, cruise ships, single-family homes and public housing alike.  They will hitchhike equally on designer luggage or discarded mattresses.

2. Bed bugs are only a problem right now in more densely populated areas

like New York and New Jersey.

FALSE. Bed bugs have reached epidemic proportion throughout North America.  While the New York area is one of the country’s bed bug hot spots, the pests have been reported in all 50 states as well as in Canada.  Urban locations have higher reported occurrences, but are commonly found in more rural locations, as well.

3. Bed bugs feed on human blood in the middle of the night like vampires.

TRUE. Bed bugs are most active in the early morning hours when humans are normally in their deepest sleep.  A blood meal usually lasts around 10-15 minutes.

4. Bed bugs are only found on mattresses and bedding.

FALSE.  Bed bugs hide in cracks and crevices of a structure, inside wall cavities, on walls and ceilings, under carpeting, in other upholstered furniture, even in electric outlets and within electronics. Mattresses are closest to their meals, so they are often found there.

5. Pesticides are the most effective way to kill bed bugs.

FALSE.  While pesticide applications play a role in overall integrated pest management, there are definite down sides, including having to often apply pesticides multiple times on the same structure and also discarding and replacing mattresses.  In fact, bed bugs are already showing resistance to powerful professionally applied pesticides according to recent university research (Dr. Michael Potter, University of Kentucky).

6. Heat is proving to be the method of choice for killing bed bugs and their eggs.

TRUE. Laboratory testing has shown that bed bugs begin to die when temperatures reach as little at 113 degrees F.  Field research has shown 100% effectiveness in killing bed bugs and their eggs when exposed to high temperatures.  The predominant (and original) heat and filtration technology, ThermaPure (www.thermapure.com), has been applied to tens of thousands of structures throughout North America.

7. Encasing your mattress with a plastic cover will solve the bed bug problem.

FALSE. Mattress covers can help with bed bugs already found on the mattress, and only partial control thereafter.  Encasements will not stop bed bugs from crawling onto your sheets and blankets from behind headboards.  Since bed bugs hide in many parts of the structure, as well as on other pieces of furniture, encasement’s should only be viewed as one possible component in the fight against bed bugs.

8. Bed bugs can be a source of health-related problems.

TRUE While there is no current evidence to show that bed bugs can transmit disease, we do know that bed bug bite victims often report itchy, inflamed skin and on rare occasions victims have reported asthma attacks and other allergic reactions.  According to a study in the Canadian Medical Association Journal, bed bug bites should be considered a possible cause of iron-deficiency anemia in people who have signs of severe bedbug infestation.

9. Bed bugs are the most difficult pest to control.

TRUE. According to a recent survey from the National Pest Management Association 76% of pest control operators surveyed say bed bugs are the toughest — even more than cockroaches, termites and ants.

10. Heat treatments do more than just kill bed bugs.

TRUE. When properly applied by trained technicians, ThermaPureHeat^® pasteurizes a structure, killing bacteria, viruses, some types of mold and allergens, and even odors.

_________________________

Source: ThermaPure, Inc.^® Ventura, CA.  www.thermapure.com

SAN DIEGO, CA – Pesticide use and exposure in the home and garden increase the risk of developing Parkinson’s disease, according to a study of almost 500 people newly diagnosed with the disease. Researchers announced their findings at a presentation at the American Academy of Neurology’s 52nd annual meeting in San Diego, CA, April 29 – May 6, 2000.

“This study is the largest yet of newly diagnosed individuals with Parkinson’s disease and it is the first study to show a significant association between home pesticide use and the risk of developing Parkinson’s disease,” said study lead author Lorene Nelson, PhD, a neuroepidemiologist at Stanford University School of Medicine. The preliminary results from this study mirror what is already known about the increased risk of Parkinson’s disease associated with occupational exposure to pesticides.

The researchers questioned 496 people who had been diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease about past use of pesticides. Each patient was asked if they had used or been exposed to insecticides in the home or garden, herbicides or weed killers in the garden, or fungicides to control mold or mildew in the home or garden. Researchers asked detailed questions about past pesticide use including first exposures and frequency of pesticide contact.

The Parkinson’s patients’ lifetime histories were then compared to 541 people without the disease. Researchers found that people who had been exposed to pesticides were approximately two times more likely to develop Parkinson’s disease than people not exposed to pesticides.

In-home exposure to insecticides carried the highest risk of developing the disease. Parkinson’s patients were more than twice as likely to have been exposed to insecticides in the home than those without the disease. Past exposure to herbicides was also associated with the disease, whereas exposure to insecticides in the garden and fungicides were not found to be risk factors.

Damage to nerve cells in a part of the brain called the substantia nigra leads to the movement difficulties characteristic of Parkinson’s disease. Therefore, people exposed to chemicals that have a particular affinity for this region of the brain may be at particular risk for developing the disease.

“Certain chemicals that an individual is exposed to in the environment may cause selective death of brain cells or neurons,” stated Nelson. “If we could understand why these neurons are being killed in certain circumstances, we can then try and prevent it.”

But Nelson cautioned that more studies are needed before any conclusive statements can be made about the causes of Parkinson’s disease, including any genetic influence on a person’s probability of developing the disease.

Nelson also stressed that the results of the study must be interpreted with caution. “No specific guidelines regarding avoidance of pesticides can be given at this time but, in general, this is an area of public health importance that needs to be pursued,” said Nelson.

Parkinson’s disease is a slowly progressive, neurodegenerative disease that affects more than 500,000 people in the United States. Parkinson’s causes the loss of dopamine, a chemical in the brain, which results in muscle stiffness and rigidity, slowness in movement and tremor of the arms and legs.

The National Institutes of Health provided funding for the study.

The American Academy of Neurology, an association of more than 16,500 neurologists and neuroscience professionals, is dedicated to improving patient care through education and research. For more information about the American Academy of Neurology, visit its Web site at http://www.aan.com. For online neurological health and wellness information, visit NeuroVista at http://www.aan.com/neurovista.

Original Story found at: http://www.aan.com/