September is Bed Bug Awareness Month so Jason Freels (Batzner Bed Bug Services Manager) recently sat down with local community housing and real estate specialist, Ursula Flores, to discuss her experiences with bed bugs in the social services industry. Specifically, on how Flores has been able to develop a plan to control bed bug incidences and reduce the need for frequent visits from the Batzner Bed Bug Team.
In 2013, the entire state of Wisconsin (and especially Southeast Wisconsin) has been experiencing a surge in bed bug reports. Jason Freels and Ursula Flores are both very familiar with bed bugs in their daily work.
“I deal with bed bugs on a daily basis, whether it’s a question, an inquiry or personally heading out to a unit to do a formal inspection,” said Flores.
Working as the liaison between case managers and the client, Flores is responsible for planning bed bug treatments, when necessary. She finds herself inside of bedrooms – lifting up sheets for inspection and instructing clients what to look for during her property inspections.
Flores works with a diverse array of clients, so she finds herself dealing with a wide variety of challenges when it comes to bed bugs.
“The cost to get rid of bed bugs is a common problem, but the psychological, emotional and physical damage that bed bugs can do is immense,” Flores said. “Although they’re some of the smallest creatures under the sun, they can cause a lot of damage – not just financially, but also with regards to someone’s mental and physical health.”
To keep her and those she works with on top of the problems posed by bed bugs, Flores turns to Batzner Bed Bug Services.
“Over the past three years, I’ve found the Batzner Bed Bug Seminars just as important as my college courses,” Flores said. “The seminars provide a wealth of information – great sources, informational dialogue and they’re a great way to network with other individuals who bring different strategies and input on dealing with bed bugs.”
Freels and Flores both agreed that by taking a proactive approach in tackling bed bug problems through education and a well-organized plan, Flores cut back her visits from the Batzner Bed Bug Team.
“Three or four years ago – when we first started working with Ursula – they were not familiar with bed bugs and the importance of educating clients and staff,” Freels said. “One of the reasons she has seen a decline in bed bug exposure is because of the proactive inspection and education approach she implemented.”
Flores agreed that working with Batzner has made a noticeable difference. “When we first started with Batzner, I think we saw the Bed Bug Canine Team every week,” Flores said. “Now I think I see the canine team once a month.”
“I always preach preventative maintenance with bed bugs,” Freels added. “If you go through your entire building today and you find bed bugs, you can likely reduce your amount of incidences over a year with proactive inspections.”
If you would like to learn more about bed bugs, we invite you to join Jason Freels for a Twitter chat on September 26th from 1-2 pm CDT. Follow Batzner on Twitter at @BatznerPestMgmt and join the conversation by using the hashtag #bedbugchat.