Source: VIRGINIA POLYTECHNIC INSTITUTE submitted to NRP
QUANTIFYING THE ECONOMIC IMPACTS THAT BED BUGS (AND OTHER URBAN PESTS) HAVE ON MULTI-UNIT HOUSING, AND INVESTIGATING METHODS TO MITIGATE THESE COSTS
Sponsoring Institution
National Institute of Food and Agriculture
Project Status
COMPLETE
Funding Source
HATCH
Reporting Frequency
Annual
Accession No.
1005530
Grant No.
(N/A)
Cumulative Award Amt.
(N/A)
Proposal No.
(N/A)
Multistate No.
(N/A)
Project Start Date
Apr 1, 2015
Project End Date
Mar 31, 2020
Grant Year
(N/A)
Program Code
[(N/A)]- (N/A)
Recipient Organization
VIRGINIA POLYTECHNIC INSTITUTE
(N/A)
BLACKSBURG,VA 24061
Performing Department
Entomology
Non Technical Summary
This study is intended to quantify the economic impacts that bed bugs (and other urban pests) are currently having onmulti-unit housing, and to investigate methods that might be more effective and thusmitigate these costs.
Animal Health Component
100%
Research Effort Categories
Basic
(N/A)
Applied
100%
Developmental
(N/A)
Classification

Knowledge Area (KA)Subject of Investigation (SOI)Field of Science (FOS)Percent
72131101130100%
Knowledge Area
721 - Insects and Other Pests Affecting Humans;

Subject Of Investigation
3110 - Insects;

Field Of Science
1130 - Entomology and acarology;
Goals / Objectives
To quantify the costs of bed bug and urban pest management in multi-unit housing in Virginia by collecting survey datafrom apartment managers. We are requesting information as to how much they have spent for urban pest management, particularly bed bugs in the past several years.We want to alsoassess the efficacy and subsequent costs of a bed bug containment program within multi-unit housing. We have already applied a barrier treatment of diatomaceous earth within the perimeter of each apartment unit (120), in an infested facilties housing elderly disabled residents. This barrier is intended to prevent bed bug spread from unit to unit through the wall voids. We are collecting subsequentbed bug treatment data (and cost data) to determine if the number of treatments per year can be reduced when apartments adjacent to an infested unit no longer have to be treated for bed bugs, due to the diatomaceous earth barrier.Based onlaboratory observations, we have resaon to believe that bed bugs produce allergens that can be inhalation irritants to humans (very similar to German cockroach allergens). Therefore, we intend to identify and quantify the presence of bed bug allergens in multi-unit housing.Richmond public housing is home to some of the largest German cockroach infestations I have witnessed in my entire career. I have re-written the pest mangement contract for these facilities (2014) so that these populations can be mitigated. We intendto assess the cost and efficacy of the implementation of thisnew Integrated Pest Management contract for German cockroaches in Richmond public housing facilities over a period of three years.Finally, we intend to disseminate research findings (particularly bed bug product and IPM strategy evaluations) to stakeholders within the state via outreach and education programs delivered by the Virginia Tech Bed Bug and the Urban Pest Information Center.
Project Methods
1. To quantify the costs of bed bugs and urban pest management in multi-unit housing in Virginia.In 2013, Dr. Miller developed an anonymous survey (IRB approved) for rental agencies in Virginia to characterize which apartment complexes are the most at risk for bed bug infestations, and to quantify the economic impacts that bed bugs are having on the long-term profitability of rental properties. The primary goal of the survey is to identify those characteristics that make a property particularly at risk for bed bug infestations (e. g. serve low-income, elderly residents) so that comprehensive bed bug management training can be provided to those properties. The second goal is to make law makers and other federal and state agencies aware of the financial burden that apartment management companies bear when attempting to eradicate bed bugs. The survey was administered on-line by the Virginia Tech Survey Research Group and sent to members of the Virginia Apartment Management Association, the New River Apartment Council, the Nusbaum Group, and members of the VirginiaHUD group.2. To assess the efficacy and subsequent costs of a bed bug containment program within multi-unit housing. In 2013, our laboratory implemented a bed bug containment programs at Lineweaver apartments in Harrisonburg, VA. The containment program consisted of an application of diatomaceous earth around the entire perimeter of each unit, under the baseboards, inside electrical outlets, and anywhere else that bed bugs might use to gain access to adjacent units. The purpose of the containment program was to intercept any bed bugs travelling between units to eliminate the need and expense of treating apartment units adjacent to infested units. The initial cost and implementation details of the containment program are described in the Journal of Integrated Pest Management (Stedfast in press). We will now record the number and locations of bed bug introductions and infestations. We will record the cost and efficacy of all treatments at the facility for 36 months. The prevention protocol will be considered a success if implementation of the containment protocol results in a 25 - 50% reduction in confirmed infestations and/or treatment costs over the previous year.3. To identify and quantify the presence of bed bug allergens in dust samples in multi-unit housing. Dust samples (presumably containing allergens) will be collected from low income multi-unit housing located in Richmond VA that do not have German cockroach infestations, but have large bed bug infestations. All samples will be collected from housing units (30 min) where bed bug heat remediation has been requested. Using a back-pack vacuum, dust samples will be collected from bed bug aggregation surfaces in bed rooms and other locations where bed bug evidence is found. Nine to 12 dust samples will be collected per unit both before and after heat treatment. Vacuumed dust samples will be sieved through a 425 micrometer pore grating to remove large particles, weighed, and separated into 50-mg aliquots of dust. Aliquots will be extracted in phosphate-buffered saline (PBS) overnight and centrifuged at 12,000 rpm for 10 min. Supernatants will be decanted and stored at 20 degrees C. Allergen concentrations in samples (possible Blattella germanica allergen 7 or similar amino acid sequence (allergen) produced by bed bugs as determined by Appllo, web-based gene annotation tool) in samples will be measured using a monoclonal capture and polyclonal detector ELISA (Indoor Biotechnologies, Charlottesville, VA). Allergen concentration will be reported as units of allergen (possibly Bla g 7) per gram of dust. The goal of the data analysis will be to compare the difference (presumably a decrease but not necessarily) in allergen load after bed bug treatment. Statistical analysis will include sampling individual apartment units (n= 100) before and after heat treatment to compare the differences in allergen load. Pre and post treatment allergen data will most likely be analyzed for each apartment unit using a paired t-test.4. To assess the cost and efficacy of the implementation of a new Integrated Pest Management contract in Richmond public housing facilities over a period of three years. Our laboratory will oversee and monitor the implementation of the new IPM pest management contract in RRHA. Our laboratory intends to collect both cost and efficacy data throughout the first three years of the contract. Using repeated measures analysis, we will analyze the cockroach trap catch numbers over time to determine if the IPM program results in a significant reduction in cockroach presence within the housing units. In addition, we will quantify the amount of time spent by the pest management technician getting access to the unit; monitoring; and applying bait and/or insect growth regulator devices. From these measurements we will determine the average labor cost per unit (pest management company cost). Finally, we will quantify the amount of product used in each unit and calculate those costs. The resulting publication of this test will describe the expected unit cost, and efficacy, of implementing and IPM pest control contract in a large (4000 unit) public housing facility. Treatment efficacy data (based on cockroach trap catch) will be analyzed as described by Miller and Meek (2004). Trap catch data over time will be quantified and analyzed using Proc GLM (SAS Institute 1999) for nested repeated measures.The bed bug problem in this particular community deserves special attention. In 2013, the RRHA paid over 1 million dollars for bed bug treatment using heat remediation, yet they got very little for their money. The RRHA housing managers did not have the expertise to realize that a 4 hour "heat treatment" (regardless of the number of bedrooms in the apartment) conducted in this fashion would be completely ineffective. Dr. Miller has now re-written the bed bug portion of the contract so that heat treatment can only be applied by a certified pest control applicator with bed bug experience. The applicator must also use a heat system with remote temperature sensing devices that are to be placed in the hardest to heat locations. The treatment record will beprovided to the management indicating when each sensing device reached the bed bugs' lethal temperature (122o F). To assure the efficacy of treatment, our laboratory beginning in 2015, will place sentinel bed bugs (90 individuals total; three replications each of adults, nymphs and eggs) in each apartment. The sentinel bed bugs will be observed post- heat treatment to determine mortality. Five units will be monitored every quarter for the first two years of the new pest management contract to determine treatment efficacy. Note: as of Nov.2, 2014, the new pest contractor for RRHA has not initiated any treatment efforts.5. To disseminate research findings (particularly bed bug product and IPM strategy evaluations) to stakeholders. Depending on the audience, the educational needs may differ.The Virginia Tech Bed Bug and Urban Pest Information Center was developed for the sole purpose of pest management education delivery.The Virginia Tech Bed bug and Urban Pest Information Center will meet with housing residents, and provide them with accurate bed bug information, so that they can alter their behavior to avoid spreading these pests.The Virginia Bed Bug and Urban Pest Information Center will also provide hands-on technical training to pest management professionals and other pesticide applicators. The Virginia Information Center will work with the pest control applicators to make surethey understand the concepts and application methods used in urban pest management.We intend to use the "valued added" survey method to quantify the impacts of our urban pest training programs.

Progress 04/01/15 to 03/31/20

Outputs
Target Audience:Pest management industry, fellow researchers, students, the interested public, and government officials. Changes/Problems: Nothing Reported What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided?The members of our laboratorywere trained in how the assessment-based pest management program for German cockroach control is applied in the field, with the intention that they will be able to teach this methodology to pest management professionals and apartment management staff. The APM program involves the overnight placement of three sticky traps, quantifying the trap catch the following day and using that trap catch to determine the amount of gel bait to apply in wax paper "tacos". The training emphasized that we do not want the residents cleaning or disturbing the cockroaches in any way prior to bait application. We want the cockroaches "happy and hungry". Our laboratory was trained by the Virginia Techfacilities personnel how bed bug heat treatmentsare conducted using the Temp-Air whole-home heating system.The VirginiaTech facilities personnel had purchased the heat system to use in bed bug infested dormitory rooms, but they also volunteered to train with our group in an elderly-disabled facility in Lynchburg, VA that was experiencing 15 active bed bug infestations. This training and subsequent research project was very informative for our laboratory members. We were able togather hands-on field experience in bed bug heat treatment implementation and results. Brittany Delong (MS student)published her first scientific paper on titledInsecticide resistance in eggs and firstinstars of the bed bug (Hemiptera: Cimicidae)inInsects6: 122-132. Reina Koganemaru (Ph.D. student) completed her Ph.D. dissertation titledInvestigation of reduced cuticular penetration type resistantin the common bed bug, Cimex lectularius L. Molly Stedfast (former MS student and current staff member) delivered multiple (3) scientific presentations at the annualmeetings of the Entomological Society of America (including the eastern Branch meeting) on bed bug heat treatment, the use of sentinel bed bugs for field research,and bed bug management in multi- unit housing facilities. How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest?I was invited to present our most recent bed bug and German cockroach assessment-based pest management methods for multi-unit housing to pest management professionals in In West Lafayette, Indiana; Baltimore, Maryland; Auburn, Alabama; The Dells, Wisconsin; Hood River, OR (pacific northwest conference); Phoenix, AZ; Denver, CO; Itasca, IL; Blackstone, VA; Blacksburg, VA, Richmond, VA, Petersburg, VA,Woodbridge VA, Chicago, IL, Des Moines, Iowa; andthe National Pest Management Association in San Diego, CA. In addition, I was also invited to present in our bed bug and German cockroach APM programs at three international venues for the pest management industry, including the Federation of Asian and Oriental Pest Management Associates (FAOPMA) in Daejeon, Korea, and the Structural Pest Management Associations of Toronto and Calgary, Canada. I have also received a number of invitations to provide training for social service organizations on the topics of bed bug and German cockroach management. This year, these training programs have been presented to/at the Roanoke Rescue Mission;University of Lynchburg Public Health Conference;Virginia Extension agents at the Pesticide Safety and Education Conference; Embrace Healthy Solutions (home health care providers); the citizens of Virginia at Hokie BugFest; the registered nurses of the New River Valley Community Service Board; the Virginia Environmental Health Association; and the Virginia Department of Health at the New River Health District. I was invited to present "APM program for German Cockroach Control in Multi-Unit Housing" at the Vince Parman memorial seminar series at the North Carolina State University Department of Entomology; and I was invited to present a seminar on "Bed Bug Management: The Next 10 Years" at the Auburn University Department of Entomology seminar series in Alabama. The results of our studies have been delivered primarily through invited oral presentations at different conferences and meetings. Please see above for my latest publication and for a list of my training programs and conference presentations. What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals? Nothing Reported

Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals? Due to a complete turnover in staff and students since the 2015 Hatchproposal was originally written, the focus of our Hatch research over the last five years has been on determining the efficacy of anassessment-based pest managementprogram (APM) for German cockroach control in three US HUD housing facilities (Richmond, VA; Hopewell, VA, and Rocky Mount, NC). This study was funded by industry sponsors and Cornell University and resulted in the publicationlisted in the products section (accepted Sept. 2019). At this time (March2020), we are in the process of determining the cost of implementing an assessment-based pest management program for German cockroach control in multi-unit housing. Using the data from this Hatch project as preliminary evidence,I applied for and was awardedfunding from U.S. HUD Healthy Homes Production Grant for three years (2020-2023). The focus of this HUD study is to determine the cost of using APM for German cockroach control in US HUD housing facilities and to determine the efficacy of different heat systems for whole-home bed bug control. In September 2018 our laboratory completed the 390-dayAssessment-based Pest Managementstudy. The APM baiting program was conducted in three U.S. HUD housing authorities (Richmond, VA; Hopewell, VA and Rocky Mount, NC). In all three housing authorities, cockroach populations in test units were reduced by >90%. Cockroach infestations were eliminated from 49 of the 65 (75%) test units during this study. In Rocky Mount, all infestation levels were eliminated by day 180 and the cockroaches never returned. In Hopewell, infestations were eliminated from all heavy and medium infested units by Day 240 (with no rebounding populations). In Richmond, high and medium infestations were reduced to 90 and 97% respectively. In both Hopewell and Richmond, low-level infestations were the most difficult to eliminate, but we now know that with additional time, all populations can be eliminated in US HUD Housing using APM. This was the first study to document that we have the ability to eliminate German cockroach infestations and improve the lives of low-income, underrepresented, and minority communities. In addition to the completion of our APM study, we also completed an evaluation of the Delta-Five electronic bed bug monitor and a preliminary evaluation of the new Aprehend fungal spore product for bed bug control. Program delivery accomplishments: Dr. Miller was invited to present 12 training programs on the APM methodology at pest management and other meetings withinthe United States (including the plenary address at the International IPM Symposium in Baltimore, MD). Dr. Miller also was invited to deliver another fivetraining presentations focused on bed bug control measures to the pest management industry, including the plenary address at the Global Bed Bug Summit in Denver Co. Five bed bug training programs were also delivered to social service organizations, homecare hospice employees, the VTCollege of Veterinary Medicine, and the Central VA Nursery and Landscape Association.Two presentations were delivered to the Alabama Pesticide Application University. Academic presentations were deliveredat the National Conference on Urban Entomology (APM), the International IPM Symposium, and the Entomological Society of America. Our laboratory implemented an assessment-based pest management (APM) program in three U.S. HUD housing facilities (67 apartment units and 15 controls). Specifically, we evaluated an APM program where residents were not asked to clean or prepare for treatment, and where overnight cockroach trap counts were used to determine the volume of gel bait that would be applied. The APM program will be conducted for 15 months in the three housing facilities to determine the Germancockroach population reduction.Model U.S. HUD pest management contracts will bedeveloped from this study. Program delivery: Our laboratory delivered 13 invited training presentations at pest management conferences across the United States covering bed bugs and German cockroach control methods. Dr. Miller was the invited Key Note speaker for a conference in Anaheim, CA, and another at UC Riverside CA. Dr. Miller also delivered two presentations at the Congresso Internacional de Controladores de Plagas Urbanas in Monterrey Mexico. In addition to pest control conferences, Dr. Miller also delivered bed bug training to INOVA emergency room staff in Fairfax, VA(2 presentations), U.S. HUD housing facilities managers (3 presentations), residents of an elder care facility, and a regional apartment association (2 presentations). A seven-hour bed bug training program was presented for Smyth County Schools on bed bug control, and a 3-hour training was provided for Highland Community Services. Dr. Miller was also invited to present six, 2-hour training programs for the Melia Hotel in Nassau, Bahamas on bed bug identification and control (12 h). A total of threepresentations were delivered at the request of StopPest.org, to housing managers in Washington state, andthe Midwest Pesticide Action Center in Chicago, Il. Additional presentations included training for Master Gardeners on cockroaches and bed bugs in Virginia housing (3 h); "APM in Housing" as part of the VT Department of Entomology seminar series; and a presentation on ourbed bug heat treatment study was presented at the International Conference on Urban Pests (ICUP) in Birmingham, England. Our laboratory quantified and compared the time and labor cost required to conduct whole home treatments for bed bug control in apartmentswith different levels of clutter. This study was able to improve the lives of elderly disabled residents who had been living with bed bug infestations for many months. Several residents had their apartments treated (unsuccessfully) multiple times, but instead of the management questioning the efficacy of the treatment, the residents were simply blamed for bed bug reintroduction. This study not only eliminated the bed bug problem but also relieved the management of having to pay for bed bug treatment in each of these apartment units. As a result of this study our laboratory submitted amanuscript to the Proceedings, 9th International Conference on Urban Pests, that was to take place the following year inBirmingham, England. Program delivery: Our laboratorydelivered 7in-service programs forVirginiaCooperative Extension agents and Master Gardeners.As a result of these presentations, Dr. Millerwas also invited to be the keynote speaker (on bed bugs) at the VirginiaConference of Forest Professionalsannual meeting. Alsoin 2017, our laboratory was invited to present training to a diversity of audiences who had bed bug concerns including mental and physical health professionals (7 presentations); social service organizations (2 presentations); the Northern Virginia Association of Realtors (1 presentation); housing facilities including- Virginia Tech facilities, the Council of independentColleges in Virginia,US HUD housing; vacation hotels (Myrtle Beach and the Bahamas), apartment associations,rescue missions and elderly housing (9presentations). Our laboratory members were also invited to speak at multiple pest management conferences (10 invited presentations). Our bed bug and German cockroach research information was also presented at multiple scientific conferences (4 presentations). Our laboratory delivered 7 webinars, and 4 in-service programs forVirginiaCooperative Extension agents on the topics of bed bug biology, behavior, and control methods.In addition, we delivered bed bug presentations at13 invited workshops, 4 invited short courses, 11 invited training seminars, and 18 invited pest managementconference presentations.

Publications

  • Type: Journal Articles Status: Published Year Published: 2019 Citation: Miller, D.M. and E. P. Smith. 2019. Quantifying the efficacy of an Assessment-based pest management (APM) program for German cockroach (Blattodea: Blattellidae) control in low-income public housing units. Journal of Economic Entomology. https://doi.org/10.1093/jee/toz302.


Progress 10/01/18 to 09/30/19

Outputs
Target Audience:This year, I was invited to present our most recent bed bug and German cockroach assessment-based pest management methods to pest management professionals in In West Lafayette, Indiana; Baltimore, Maryland; Auburn, Alabama; The Dells, Wisconsin; Hood River, OR (pacific northwest conference); Phoenix, AZ; Denver, CO; Blackstone, VA; Itasca, IL; Blacksburg, VA, Richmond, VA, Petersburg, VA,Woodbridge VA, Chicago, IL, Des Moines, Iowa; andthe National Pest Management Association in San Diego, CA. In addition, I was also invited to present in our APM program for multi-unit housing at three international venues, including, the Federation of Asian and Oriental Pest Management Associates (FAOPMA) in Daejeon, Korea, and the Structural Pest Management Associations ofToronto and Calgary, Canada. I have also received a number of invitations to provide training for social service organizations on the topics of bed bug and German cockroach management. This year, these training programs have been presented to/at the Roanoke Rescue Mission,University of Lynchburg Public Health Conference;Virginia Extension agents at the Pesticide Safety and Education Conference; Embrace Healthy Solutions (home health care providers); the citizens of Virginia at Hokie BugFest, registered nurses for the New River Valley Community Service Board; the Virginia Environmental Health Association; and the Virginia Department of Health at the New River Health District. In addition, I was invited to present "APM program for German Cockroach Control in Multi-Unit Housing" at the Vince Parman Memorial Seminar series at the North Carolina State University Department of Entomology. I was also invited to present "Bed Bug Management: The Next 10 Years" at the Auburn University Department of Entomology seminar series. Changes/Problems: Nothing Reported What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided?I was invited to present our most recent bed bug and German cockroach assessment-based pest management methods for multi-unit housing to pest management professionals in In West Lafayette, Indiana; Baltimore, Maryland; Auburn, Alabama; The Dells, Wisconsin; Hood River, OR (pacific northwest conference); Phoenix, AZ; Denver, CO; Itasca, IL; Blackstone, VA; Blacksburg, VA, Richmond, VA, Petersburg, VA,Woodbridge VA, Chicago, IL, Des Moines, Iowa; andthe National Pest Management Association in San Diego, CA. In addition, I was also invited to present in our bed bug and German cockroach APM programs at three international venues for the pest management industry, including the Federation of Asian and Oriental Pest Management Associates (FAOPMA) in Daejeon, Korea and the Structural Pest Management Associations of Toronto and Calgary, Canada. I have also received a number of invitations to provide training for social service organizations on the topics of bed bug and German cockroach management. This year, these training programs have been presented to/at the Roanoke Rescue Mission;University of Lynchburg Public Health Conference;Virginia Extension agents at the Pesticide Safety and Education Conference; Embrace Healthy Solutions (home health care providers); the citizens of Virginia at Hokie BugFest; the registered nurses of the New River Valley Community Service Board; the Virginia Environmental Health Association; and the Virginia Department of Health at the New River Health District. I was invited to present "APM program for German Cockroach Control in Multi-Unit Housing" at the Vince Parman memorial seminar series at the North Carolina State University Department of Entomology; and I was invited to present a seminar on "Bed Bug Management: The Next 10 Years" at the Auburn University Department of Entomology seminar series in Alabama. How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest?The results of our studies have been delivered primarily through invited oral presentations at different conferences and meetings. Please see above for my latest publication and for a list of my training programs and conference presentations. What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals?My laboratory will be visiting three public housing facilities every month to collect cost data and allergen samples. In addition, my graduate student will be evaluating the cost and efficiency of whole home heat systems for bed bugs control. Finally, I will be writing an assessment-based pest management fact sheet for pest management professionals to use, and implement as part of their approach to selling their service and treating multi-unit housing facilities.

Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals? Our goals have changed somewhat from when this proposal was originally written, butwe have made substantial progress. Still,we are in the process of determining the cost of implementing an assessment-based pest management program for German cockroach control in multi-unit housing. Our preliminary data has been instrumental in securing grants that complement this project. During this reporting period, we travelled to three test housing facilities, in Baltimore, MD, Richmond, VA and Hopewell, VA. Our first round of trapping to select our test units has been completed. Also, this year our German cockroach APM efficacy study was published in the Journal of Economic Entomology. Miller, D.M. and E. P. Smith. 2019. Quantifying the efficacy of an Assessment-based pest management (APM) program for German cockroach (Blattodea: Blattellidae) control in low-income public housing units. Journal of Economic Entomology. https://doi.org/10.1093/jee/toz302.

Publications

  • Type: Journal Articles Status: Published Year Published: 2019 Citation: Miller, D.M. and E. P. Smith. 2019. Quantifying the efficacy of an Assessment-based pest management (APM) program for German cockroach (Blattodea: Blattellidae) control in low-income public housing units. Journal of Economic Entomology. https://doi.org/10.1093/jee/toz302.


Progress 10/01/17 to 09/30/18

Outputs
Target Audience:1. Public Health including, US HUD housing managers and facilities personnel in Richmond, VA; Hopewell, VA; and Rocky Mount NC. 2. General Public residents of German cockroach infested apartment units in Mosby Court (Richmond,VA), Hopewell, VA and Rocky Mount, NC. 3. Members of the Virginia Pest Management Association (Pest Management Professionals); 4. Members of the National Pest Management Association; 5. Members of International Pest Managment Associations. 6. Fellow Scientists in Virginia Tech's Department of Entomology. Changes/Problems:In 2017, a graduate student withdrew, and another was fired. In addtion, two full-time staff members were lost from the program due to funding and relocation. At this time, I am the only FTE working on these proposed field projects. This loss of manpower limits my ability to complete all of the work proposed in the original Hatch project. What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided?Since the onset of the current German cockroach baiting study, I have had the opportunity to present the Assessment-Based Pest Management (APM) methodology for German cockroach control to pest management professionals all over the nation. This year, I was invited to present 12 training programs on APM at several conferences including- the plenary address for the International IPM Symposium in Baltimore, MD; the Virginia State Technical Meeting in Richmond, VA; the National Pest Management Association Academy in Palm Beach, FL; the 4th Annual Tennessee Bed Bug and Cockroach Management Conference in Knoxville, TN; the Auburn Alabama Extension Pesticide Applicator University in Opelika, AL; and the Kansas Pest Control Association in Independence, MO. I was also invited to present training programs for pest management companies and other organizations (for CEUs) including Braman's Pest Contol in Agawam, MA; Rose Pest Solutions in Troy MI; Frontline Pest Control in Manassas, VA; Smart Pest Solutions in Phoenix, AZ; Clark Pest Control in Bakersfield, CA; and the Central Virginia Nursery and Landscape Association meeting in Richmond, VA. I also presented this APM cockroach study at two entomological conferences- the Entomological Society of America (ESA) in Vancouver, Canada; and the National Conference on Urban Entomology (NCUE) in Cary, NC. In 2018, I also delivered 16 invited bed bug training programs to a variety of audiences concerned about bed bugs in housing. Conferences: I was invited to deliver the plenary presentation at the Global Bed Bug Summit in Denver, CO, as well as a "Tech Track" break-out session on effective bed bug management. I was also invited to present at PestWorld, the National Pest Management Association's Annual Conference in Orlando, FL; the 84th Annual Purdue Pest Management Conference in West Lafayette, IN; the Las Vegas Pest Expo in Las Vegas, NV; the 4th Annual Tennessee Bed Bug and Cockroach Management Conference in Knoxville, TN; the Auburn, Alabama Extension Pesticide Applicator University in Opelika, AL; and the Kansas City Pest Control Association Annual meeting in Independence, MO. In addition, I was invited to provide bed bug training programs for pest management companies: Braman Termite and Pest Elimination Company in Agawam, MA; Smart Pest Solutions in Phoenix AZ; and Clark Pest Control Company, Nov. 17th, 2018. Bakersfield, CA. I was also invited to present training programs to health care organizations that had recently encountered bed bugs in their workplaces: Roanoke County Social Services in Roanoke, VA; At Home Care Hospice in Richmond, VA; English Meadows Senior Living Community in Christiansburg, VA; and the Virginia Tech College of Veterinary Medicine in Blacksburg, VA. Finally, I was asked to do a podcast for Colony Confidential, a pest management service agency based in NYC, NY. Overall, our bed bug and German cockroach research objectives have resulted in our being able to educate and train thousands of individuals to better manage their German cockroach and bed bug infestations in 2018. This has been a very successful year for bringing research information to the pest management industry and organizations who need this information the most (organizations that service low-income; underrepresented; elderly and disabled citizens). How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest?Thus far, the German cockroach assessment-based pest management (APM) project results have been delivered at US HUD managers meetings in two of the three test housing facilities. In addition, the APM baiting techniques and results have been presented at multiple local, national, and international pest management conferences (see above). We intend to publish these results in a refereed journal (2019), and they have been published in Pest Control Technology magazine as of 2018. What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals?The APM German cockroach project was completed in September 2018. In 2019, the data will be analyzed and a manuscript produced. The funding that we have received in 2017 requires that I write model pest management contract protocols for US HUD. These model contracts are intended for US HUD to use as suggested contract language for their housing facilities throughout the nation. April and May of 2019 will be spent finalizing those model contracts. With regard to bed bugs in 2019, I hope to continue our data analysis of electronic bed bug monitors, and the efficacy of Aprehend, and different bed bug heating systems to determine the relative potential for these products (tools) to be included model protocols for bed bug remediation.

Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals? As of September 2018, I have completed the 15 month long Assessment-Based Pest Management (APM) study for German cockroach control in public housing units. As noted in last year's report, Public Housing Authorities (PHAs) can be particularly plagued by German cockroach infestations. Living with thousands of cockroaches can significantly lower the quality of life for low-income residents who typically are members of minority groups, or other underrepresented populations (elderly/disabled). In order to address some of these well-known German cockroach infestations, we decided to test a new methodology of German cockroach baiting.Our goal was to determine if baiting alone, applied using this assessment-based methodology, could significantly reduce these large German cockroach populations in apartments that had been heretofore, treated regularly with spray formulation insecticide by a contract pest management company. Our assessment-based pest management study for German cockroach control was initiated in three US HUD family housing authorities in June 2017: Mosby Court, a division of the Richmond Rehabilitation and Public Housing Authority in Richmond, VA; Hopewell Housing Authority, in Hopewell, VA; and the Rocky Mount Housing Authority in Rocky Mount, NC. We monitored units in each housing authority over-night (with sticky traps) to identify 25-30 units that had either high (>250), medium (100-249) or low (10- 99) levels of German cockroach infestation.Testunits were monitored again in June prior to treatment to determine baseline cockroach trap catch. Based on the initial trap catch numbers, the test units were treated with different amounts of gel bait (e. g. units with 1 - 50 trapped cockroaches were treated with 7.5 g of bait; units with 50-100 cockroaches were treated with 15 g of bait; units with >100 cockroaches were treated with 30 g (1 tube) of gel bait. In subsequent treatments, units with >500 trapped German cockroaches were treated with 60 g of bait (2 tubes). Those units that had 0 trap catch received no bait. One very unique feature of this baiting program was that residents were not asked to clean or move anything (clean out cabinets) in their apartment units to prepare for treatment. This was to ensure that the cockroach aggregations were not disturbed or disrupted prior to offering them the bait. Another unique feature of this baiting program is that the bait was not applied directly onto surfaces in the housing units. Instead, it is applied on wax paper squares (3"-3") that have been folded on the diagonal so that the bait is placed down the center crease in the paper. In this way, household surfaces, and food preparation areas are not contaminated with cockroach bait placements. All test apartment units in each facility were visited every month over the past year. Monitors were placed in each unit overnight and all units were baited every month according to the trap catch numbers. This study was carried out for 15 months to determine if any decreases observed in cockroach populations over the winter months could be maintained in the summer months when populations are known to typically increase 3-4 fold. Overall, the results of this study demonstrated that German cockroach populations that were assessed and treated monthly, could be completely eliminated without the resident having to do any cleaning or treatment preparation of any kind. Interestingly, we were also able to document that German cockroaches consume far more bait than has ever been applied in any contracted treatment program. In the Rocky Mount housing authority, all German cockroaches were eliminated in 29 of the 31 test apartment units. In the two units that still had cockroaches (in Sept. 2018) only two cockroaches were trapped in one test unit and 4 in another (6 total). Compare this number to the 2192 cockroaches that had been caught in the 31 test units the previous July (2017) when the units were being serviced by the contracted pest management company. Overall, the APM method resulted in an average 99.99 % reduction in German cockroaches in Rocky Mount, NC test units (31). In the Hopewell housing facility 5632 German cockroaches were captured within 22 units on Day 0 of our APM study (average 256 cockroaches per unit). At the end of the study, 5 units still had 1.5 German cockroaches (average). Overall, the APM program resulted in a 99.99 trap catch reduction in the Hopewell Housing Community. The Mosby Court housing community in Richmond Rehabilitation and Public Housing Authority (RRHA) has proven to be the most challenging when it comes to cockroach elimination. On Day 0 of the APM study the 30 test units had 5225 trapped German cockroaches or an average of 174 per unit. At the end of the 15 month APM test, the cockroaches had been eliminated from 14 of the test units, and the number in all test units was reduced to 550. This indicates an overall 90% reduction in German cockroach numbers in the Mosby Court community. Average bait volumes (g) applied per unit over 15 months: Rocky Mount Housing Authority: Heavy 102.5g; Medium 91.1g; Light 34.6g Hopewell Housing Authority: Heavy 82.5g; Medium 147.5g; Light 39.0g Richmond Rehabilitation and Housing Authority: Heavy 200g; Medium 107.9g; Light 86.3g (Note: bait formulations were changed every 3 months to prevent resistance. Different bait formulations were used in different housing authorities at different times) It is well known that both bait application time and the amount of product applied contributes to the cost of the treatment. Therefore, we recorded the amount of time it takes to enter the unit and place the different quantities of bait so we could assess labor costs. We also recorded the bait quantity applied to determine the product cost. These costs and the cockroach trap catch data are currently being formatted for statistical analysis. The cost and efficacy data in this study will be used in 2019 year to develop model pest management contracts for public housing authorities. See US HUD funding agreement 2016-2018. Also in 2018, we have continued our evaluation of novel bed bug products for the purpose of developing model pest management contract for public housing authorities. As of Sept. 2018, my laboratory completed our cost evaluation of an electronic bed bug monitoring program. The cost and field implementation data for this monitoring program will be analyzed for my 2019 Hatch research report. Also this year, we began field efficacy studies to evaluate the potential residual activity of a novel fungal product for bed bug control called Aprehend (active ingredient: Beauvaria bassiana). This product has been applied in 3 heavily infested locations: a double-wide trailer in Vinton, VA, and two Rocky Mount housing units in Rocky Mount, NC. Thus far, in the Vinton, VA location, the Aprehend product has demonstrated 99% efficacy three weeks after application (within the treated rooms). The Rocky Mount locations have yet to receive their first monitor count. The Aprehend study will continue through June 2019 with an evaluation of the product efficacy being made each month. Because this product has only recently come onto the bed bug market, it was not originally included in our public housing cost and efficacy study. However, because of its potential for use in multi-unit housing, we are evaluating Aprehend for its potential recommendation in the model pest management contracts.

Publications

  • Type: Book Chapters Status: Published Year Published: 2018 Citation: Miller, D.M. 2018. Bed Bugs in North AmericaIn Advances in the Biology and Management of Modern Bed Bugs. Editors: Doggett, S., Miller, D.M. and Lee, C-Y. Wiley-Blackwell. London, England
  • Type: Book Chapters Status: Published Year Published: 2018 Citation: Miller, D.M. 2018. Bed ugs in Multi-Unit Housing Facilities. In Advances in the Biology and Management of Modern Bed Bugs. Editors: Doggett, S., Miller, D.M. and Lee, C-Y. Wiley-Blackwell. London, England
  • Type: Book Chapters Status: Published Year Published: 2018 Citation: Bello, P. and Miller, D.M. 2018. Bed bugs-Being and Expert Witness. In Advances in the Biology and Management of Modern Bed Bugs. Editors: Doggett, S., Miller, D.M. and Lee, C-Y. Wiley-Blackwell. London, England
  • Type: Book Chapters Status: Published Year Published: 2018 Citation: Doggett, S.L., Miller, D.M. and Wilson, M.L. 2018. Bed Bug Impacts: Fiscal Impacts. In Advances in the Biology and Management of Modern Bed Bugs. Editors: Doggett, S., Miller, D.M. and Lee, C-Y. Wiley-Blackwell. London, England
  • Type: Book Chapters Status: Published Year Published: 2018 Citation: Lipman, J. and Miller, D.M. 2018. Legal Issues: Bed Bugs and the Law in the USA. In Advances in the Biology and Management of Modern Bed Bugs. Editors: Doggett, S., Miller, D.M. and Lee, C-Y. Wiley-Blackwell. London, England
  • Type: Book Chapters Status: Published Year Published: 2018 Citation: Doggett, S., Miller, D.M. and Lee, C-Y. 2018. Bed Bugs, the Future. In Advances in the Biology and Management of Modern Bed Bugs. Editors: Doggett, S., Miller, D.M. and Lee, C-Y. Wiley-Blackwell. London, England
  • Type: Book Chapters Status: Published Year Published: 2018 Citation: Lee, C-Y, Miller, D.M. and Doggett, S. 2018. Bed Bug Management: Chemical Control. In Advances in the Biology and Management of Modern Bed Bugs. Editors: Doggett, S., Miller, D.M. and Lee, C-Y. Wiley-Blackwell. London, England
  • Type: Book Chapters Status: Published Year Published: 2018 Citation: Gangloff-Kaufmann, J.A., Taisey-Allen, A. and Miller, D.M. 2018. Bed Bugs Education. In Advances in the Biology and Management of Modern Bed Bugs. Editors: Doggett, S., Miller, D.M. and Lee, C-Y. Wiley-Blackwell. London, England
  • Type: Books Status: Published Year Published: 2018 Citation: Advances in the Biology and Management of Modern Bed Bugs. Editors: Doggett, S., Miller, D.M. and Lee, C-Y. Wiley-Blackwell. London, England
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Other Year Published: 2018 Citation: Miller, D.M. 2018. How bed bug population size influences control measures. Invited presentation for the Purdue University 82nd Annual Pest Management Conference. Jan. 9th, 2018. West Layfayette, IN. 1 h.
  • Type: Other Status: Other Year Published: 2018 Citation: Miller, D. M. 2018. Work Smarter Not Harder: Assessment-Based Pest Management (APM)! Invited training presentation for Braman Termite and Pest Elimination Company. Jan. 17th, 2018. Agawam, MA. 1.5 h.
  • Type: Other Status: Other Year Published: 2018 Citation: Miller, D. M. 2018. Bed Bug Biology and Population Size: What role do these factors play when choosing control methods. Invited training presentation for Braman Termite and Pest Elimination Company. Jan. 17th, 2018. Agawam, MA. 1.5 h.
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Other Year Published: 2018 Citation: Miller, D. M. 2018. Bed Bug Biology and Population Size: What Role Do These Play When Choosing Control Methods. Invited training presentation for Las Vegas Pest Expo. Jan. 30th, 2018. Las Vegas, NV. 1 h.
  • Type: Other Status: Other Year Published: 2018 Citation: Miller, D. M. 2018. Assessment-Based Pest Management (APM)! For German cockroach control in public housing. 1 h. Invited training presentation for the Central Virginia Nursery and Landscape Association. Feb. 16th, 2018. Richmond, VA. 1 h.
  • Type: Other Status: Other Year Published: 2018 Citation: Miller, D. M. 2018. Assessment-Based Pest Management (APM)! Invited training presentation for Frontline Pest Control Company. Feb. 23rd. 2018. Manassas, VA. 1.5 h.
  • Type: Other Status: Other Year Published: 2018 Citation: Miller, D.M. 2018. Living with Bed bugs: Do you have a long-term plan? Invited workshop for Roanoke County Social Services organization. March 1st, 2018. Roanoke, VA. 3 h.
  • Type: Other Status: Other Year Published: 2018 Citation: Miller, D. M. 2018. Assessment-Based Pest Management for German Cockroach Control in Multi-Unit Housing. Invited training presentation for Rose Pest Solutions in Troy, MI, March 8th, 2018. 1 h.
  • Type: Other Status: Other Year Published: 2018 Citation: Miller, D.M. 2018. Cockroaches. Full-day Master Technician training program for the Virginia Pest Management Association. March 14th, 2018. Richmond, VA. 7 h
  • Type: Other Status: Other Year Published: 2018 Citation: Miller, D.M. 2018. Bed Bugs. Full-day Master Technician training program for the Virginia Pest Management Association. March 15th, 2018. Richmond, VA. 7 h
  • Type: Other Status: Other Year Published: 2018 Citation: Miller, D. M. 2018. Assessment-Based Pest Management (APM) for German cockroach control in public housing. Invited training presentation for the managers and sales personnel for Smart Pest solutions. March 29th, 2018. Phoenix, AZ. 1 h.
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Other Year Published: 2018 Citation: Miller, D. M. Is this the future of bed bug detection: Electronic monitors? Invited presentation for the 4th Annual Tennessee Bed Bug and Cockroach Management Conference. Aug. 1st. 2018. University of TN, Knoxville, TN. 0.75 h.
  • Type: Other Status: Other Year Published: 2018 Citation: Miller, D.M. Bed bug biology, behavior and control methods for pest management technicians. Invited training presentation for Smart Pest Solutions. March 30th, 2018. Phoenix AZ. 2 h
  • Type: Other Status: Other Year Published: 2018 Citation: Miller, D.M. 2018. Assessment-Based Pest Management (APM) for German cockroach control in public housing. Invited presentation for the National Pest Management Association (NPMA) Academy. July 18th, 2018. Palm Beach, FL. 2 h.
  • Type: Other Status: Other Year Published: 2018 Citation: Miller, D.M. Bed bug biology, behavior and control methods. Invited training presentation for At Home Care Hospice employees. July 23rd, 2018. Richmond, VA. 3 h.
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Other Year Published: 2018 Citation: Miller, D. M. Want successful pest management? Get the contract right. Invited presentation for the 4th Annual Tennessee Bed Bug and Cockroach Management Conference. Aug. 1st. 2018. University of TN, Knoxville, TN. 0.75 h.
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Other Year Published: 2018 Citation: Miller, D. M. 2018. We can eradicate German Cockroaches in public housing: What we have learned this past year. Training presentation for pest management professionals at the Virginia Pest Management Association (VPMA) State Technical Meeting. Sept. 25th, 2018. Richmond, VA 1 h.
  • Type: Other Status: Other Year Published: 2018 Citation: Miller, D.M. 2018. Living with bed bugs the next 10 years. Invited training presentations (2) for office personnel at the Virginia Tech College of Veterinary Medicine. Oct. 10th, 2018. Blacksburg, VA. 2 h
  • Type: Other Status: Other Year Published: 2018 Citation: Miller, D.M. 2018. Controlling German Cockroaches. Invited training presentation for the Auburn Alabama Extension Pesticide Applicator University. Oct. 29th, 2018. Opelika, AL. 1 h.
  • Type: Other Status: Other Year Published: 2018 Citation: Miller, D.M. 2018. Bed Bug Control. Invited training presentation for the Auburn, Alabama Extension Pesticide Applicator University. Oct. 29th, 2018. Opelika, AL. 1 h.
  • Type: Other Status: Other Year Published: 2018 Citation: Miller, D.M. 2018. Bed bug biology and control methods. Invited raining presentation for Clark Pest Control Company, Nov. 17th, 2018. Bakersfield, CA. 2 h.
  • Type: Other Status: Other Year Published: 2018 Citation: Miller, D.M. 2018. Assessment-based pest management for German cockroach control in US HUD housing facilities. Invited training presentation for Clark Pest Control Company, Nov. 17th, 2018. Bakersfield, CA. 2 h.
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Other Year Published: 2018 Citation: Miller, D.M. Assessment-Based Pest Management (APM): What about the costs? Assessment-based pest management symposium at the International IPM Symposium. Baltimore, Maryland, March 20th, 2018. 15 min.
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Other Year Published: 2018 Citation: Miller, D.M. 2018. Roaches. Invited presentation for the Kansas Pest Control Association. Independence, MO Dec. 4th. 2018. 1 h.
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Other Year Published: 2018 Citation: Miller, D.M. 2018. Bed bugs. Invited presentation for the Kansas pest control Association. Independence, MO Dec. 4th. 2018. 1 h.
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Other Year Published: 2018 Citation: Miller, D.M. Assessment-Based Pest Management  What is APM? Symposium: Assessment-Based Pest Management Symposium at the National Conference on Urban Entomology (NCUE). Cary, NC. May 22nd, 2018. 15 min.
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Other Year Published: 2018 Citation: Miller, D.M. 2018. Bed bug research update. Invited presentations for PestWorld: National Pest Management Association Annual Conference. Oct. 25th, 2018. Orlando, FL. 1.25 h.
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Other Year Published: 2018 Citation: Miller, D. M. 2018. Using assessment-based pest management (APM) for German cockroach control in US HUD housing authorities. MUVE Section (submitted oral presentation) at the Entomological Society of America Annual Conference. Nov. 13th, 2018. Vancouver, Canada. 10 min.
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Other Year Published: 2018 Citation: Miller, D.M. How the Misapplication of "IPM (Integrated Pest Management)" in the Urban Environment has Impacted German Cockroach Infestations- A Case for Assessment-Based Pest Management (APM). Invited plenary presentation for the International IPM Symposium. March 19th, 2018. Baltimore Maryland. 1 h.
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Other Year Published: 2018 Citation: Miller, D.M. 2018. The latest breakthroughs and discoveries in bed bug science. Invited plenary presentation for the Global Bed Bug Summit. Denver, CO. Nov. 28th, 2018. 1 h
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Other Year Published: 2018 Citation: Miller, D.M. 2018. Bed Bug Control: A start-to-finish guide to effective management. Invited presentation for the Tech Track of the Global Bed Bug Summit. Nov. 28th, 2018. Denver Co. 1 h.


Progress 10/01/16 to 09/30/17

Outputs
Target Audience:I.US HUD housing managers and facilities personnel in Richmond, VA; Hopewell, VA; and Rocky Mount NC. 2. Residents of German cockroach infested apartment units in Mosby Court (Richmond,VA), Hopewell, VA and Rocky Mount, NC. 3. Members of the Virginia Pest Management Association (Pest Management Professionals); 4. Members of the National Pest Management Association; 5. Members of International Pest Managment Associations. 6. Virginia Tech Department of Entomology. Changes/Problems:Over the last year,a graduate student withdrewand two full-time staff members were lost from the program. At this time, I am the only FTE working on these proposed field projects. This loss of manpower limits my ability to complete all of the work proposed in the original Hatch project. What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided?In preparation for the initiation of our baiting program at Rocky Mount, NC, I was invited to provide a 3-hour pest management training program for 33 housing managers and facilities staff members. The training focused on German cockroach and bed bug remediation. Twenty-three of the training participants were underrepresented minorities, many of which are, or have been, residents of Rocky Mount Housing themselves. An additional meeting was held on Aug. 11th, 2017 with 11 housing managers to further discuss the goals and expected outcomes of this unique German cockroach baiting study. On August 21st, 2017, I was invited to provide a 2-hour presentation/research discussion to the housing administrators and facilities staff of Richmond Rehabilitation and Housing Authority. The purpose of this meeting was to discuss the materials and methods used in this baiting study, as well as the expected outcomes. One particular topic of discussion was the use of the results of this study. These results are intended to serve as the scientific basis for model pest management contract language, that is to be used by US HUD housing authorities across the United States. This meeting was attended by 12 housing managers and facilities personnel, as well as representatives from US HUD in Richmond, and Washington, DC. On December 13th, 2017, I will be working with Brian Charity, the lead facilities manager of Hopewell Public housing to revise Hopewell's current pest management contract. Brian is not satisfied with the German cockroach or bed bugs remediation efforts he has observed being used by the current pest management company. Therefore, he has asked for assistance in revising his contract language to reflect the German cockroach baiting and bed bug heat treatment methodologies that we have been using/recommending for his buildings. Since the onset of the current German cockroach baiting study, I have had the opportunity to present the Assessment-based Pest Management methodology and German cockroach control outcomes to several different audiences. As would be expected, this study was presented at two housing conferences organized by the Cornell NE IPM Center (the organization's priority of funding, in part forthis study). These conferences were held in Washington State and Chicago, IL and were presented to housing mangers, facilities and maintenance staff, as well as pest management professionals. Overall in 2017, the methodology and preliminary results of this German cockroach study, and/or our bed bug remediation evaluations have resulted in 42 presentations, delivered at 30 different venues. Three presentations were delivered at the national venues, including the Entomological Society of America; the National Pest Management Association; and a webinar for Pest Control Technology Magazine. This research information was also presented at 11 (invited) regional pest management meetings (e.g. California, Washington, New York, Iowa, Tennessee, Illinois etc.). Most importantly, this information was presented to a number of organizations within the state of Virginia, including the Virginia Pest Management Association (State Technical Meeting); Virginia Tech Department of Entomology (Seminar Series); training programs for the INOVA Emergency Care facility (Fairfax, VA); Farrington Apartment Residents (Roanoke housing facility for the elderly and disabled); Smyth County School District nurses and social services workers; Lynchburg Social Services; Abingdon Social Services: Master Gardeners in Suffolk, VA; Farm Worker housing inspectors in Charlottesville; and at the Gemeinschaft Home (half-way house for former convicted felons in Harrisonburg, VA). In 2017, I have also invited to provide bed bug and German cockroach training (based on this study and other elements of my current Hatch project) in 3 different countries. Ipresented the bed bug heat treatment study (Hatch Report 2016) in the Bed Bug Symposium at the International Conference on Urban Pests in Birmingham, England (ICUP; July 2017). I presented the German cockroach baiting study and APM methodology at two international pest management conferences; one in Monterrey, Mexico (Controladores de las Plagas; 250 attendees); and the other at the Federation of Asian and Oriental Pest Management Association Conference (FAOPMA) in Chiang, Mai Thailand (1500 attendees). Finally, I delivered 6 bed bug monitoring, identification and prevention programs for management and housing keeping staff at the Melia Hotel in Nassau, Bahamas. Bed bugs introductions are becoming a consistent occurrence in vacation hotels. My laboratory is just beginning to work on an electronic bed bug monitoring and prevention program. This program will be implemented and evaluated as part of my 2018 Hatch research objectives. Overall, our bed bug and German cockroach research objectives have resulted in our being able to educate and train several thousand individuals from all over the world to better protect their work facilities in 2017. This has been a very successful year for bringing research information to those citizens and organizations who need this information the most (low-income; underrepresented; elderly and disabled; AND those organizations that service these demographics). How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest?Thus far, the German cockroach assessment-based pest managment (APM) project results have been delivered at US HUD managers meetings in two of the three test housing facilities. In addtition, the APM baiting techniques and results have been presented at multiple local, national, and international pest managment conferences (see above). We intend to publish these results in a refereed journal (2018-2019), and in Pest Control Technology magazine (2018). What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals?The ABM German cockroach project will continue through September 2018. At which time the data will be analyzed and a manuscript produced. The funding that we have received in 2017 requries that I write model pest managment contract protocols for US HUD. These model contracts are intended for US HUD to use as suggested contract language for their housing facilities throughout the nation. October and November of 2018 will be spent finalizing those model contracts. With regard to bed bugs, in 2018, I hope to continue our evaluations of different (less expensive) bed bug heating systems to determine the relative potential for these systems to provide satisfactory results. These data will be used to write model protocols for bed bug remediation.

Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals? This year (2017) we received funding from US HUD (through the NE IPM Center) to write model pest management contracts for HUD housing facilities that have a foundation in Assessment-based Pest Management (APM). Public Housing Authorities (PHAs) can be particularly plagued by German cockroach infestations, and living with thousands of cockroaches can significantly lower the quality of life for low-income residents who typically are members of minority groups, or other under-represented populations (elderly/disabled). In order to address some of these well-known German cockroach infestations, we decided to test a new methodology of German cockroach baiting that we developed previously when conducting sponsored research studies. Our goal was to determine if baiting alone, applied using this assessment-based methodology, could significantly reduce these large German cockroach populations in apartments that had been heretofore, treated regularly (quarterly) with spray formulation insecticide by a contract pest management company. Our assessment-based pest management study for German cockroach control was initiated in three US HUD family housing authorities in June 2017: Mosby Court, a division of the Richmond Rehabilitation and Public Housing Authority in Richmond, VA; Hopewell Housing Authority, in Hopewell, VA; and the Rocky Mount Housing Authority in Rocky Mount, NC. Based on our previous experience, we monitored 60 units in each housing authority over-night (with sticky traps) to identify 25-30 units that had either high (>250), medium (100-249) or low (10- 99) levels of German cockroach infestation (controls units were also identified).After all test units were selected in May 2017, the units were monitored again in June prior to treatment to determine baseline cockroach trap catch. It is well documented that German cockroach populations experience a three to four-fold increase during the summer months, thus, the wait between unit selection, and the initiation of treatment required an additional assessment. Based on the initial trap catch numbers, the test units were treated with different amounts of gel bait (e.g units with 1 - 50 trapped cockroaches were treated with 7.5 g of bait; units with 50-100 cockroaches were treated with 15 g of bait; units with >100 cockroaches were treated with 30 g (1 tube) of gel bait. In subsequent treatments, units with >500 trapped German cockroaches were treated with 60 g of bait (2 tubes). Those units that had 0 trap catch received no bait. One very unique feature of this baiting program was that residents were not asked to clean or move anything (clean out cabinets) in their apartment units to prepare for treatment. This was to ensure that the cockroach aggregations were not disturbed or disrupted prior to offering them the bait. We wanted the German cockroaches to be calm and hungry. Currently, there is no pest management company that uses over-night monitoring to determine the amount of bait to apply. Therefore, the pest management technician has to estimate the amount of bait to apply based on what they see in the apartment unit when they visit during the daytime hours. After polling numerous pest management audiences, Dr. Miller also determined that pest management companies do not apply nearly as much bait as is being applied in this study. Another unique feature of this baiting program is that the bait was not applied directly onto surfaces in the housing units. Instead, it is applied on wax paper squares (3"-3") that have been folded on the diagonal so that the bait is placed down the center crease in the paper. In this way, household surfaces (the conventional application method since 1998), and food preparation areas are not contaminated with cockroach bait placements. In addition, the gel bait is also protected by the wax paper from old pesticide residues and other contaminants that have been applied in these apartments over the years. It is important to note that the placement of this quantity of bait takes time. Both the application time, and amount of product applied contributes to the cost of the treatment. Therefore, we are recording the time it takes to enter the unit, and place the different quantities of bait so we can assess labor costs. We are also recording the bait quantity applied, to determine the product cost. All of the apartment units in a single housing authority have been treated with the same bait formulation. However, the bait used in each housing authority is different. Each of the test bait formulations contain different active ingredients and thus have differing modes of action. Maxforce Magnum is being used in Richmond, VA(Bayer; fipronil 0.05%). Vendetta Nitro (MGK; clothianidin (0.5%) plus pyriproxyfen (0.5%)) is being applied in Hopewell, housing. A novel test formulation of indoxacarb (Advion Evolution) is being evaluated in Rocky Mount, NC apartment units (a $20K sponsored contribution from Syngenta is helping to support this portion of the study). At this time, apartment units have been monitored and treated with one bait formulation on days 1, 14, 30, 60 and 90. At the end of 90 days, the bait formulations will be rotated to a different housing authority, as part of a novel resistance management program. As of Oct. 2017, the 80 tests units within the three housing developments had been assessed and treated seven times. The impact of the baiting program on these German cockroach populations has been very impressive. At this time, only the data for the first 60 days of the test have been analyzed for trap catch reductions. As of September 2017, the German cockroach population in Richmond housing units has been reduced to less than 1/3rd of their original population size. Note that it is during thistime period that we would expect those populations to have doubled or tripled. All units that were originally designated at the "highly" infested were reduced to 30% of their initial trap catch. While Richmond is by far our most infested housing authorityof our three test sites, we were also encouraged to record a 60% reduction in cockroach numbers in the "medium" infested units. In the "low" level infestations, we observed that the cockroach numbers did not double or triple. However, trap catch was not significantly less in these units that it had been in June. It is important to consider that the MaxForce Magnum (fipronil) bait formulation used in Richmond had been previously used by their contract pest management company, in addition to spray formulation insecticide. Advion Evolution (the test formulation of indoxacarb) was the test bait formulation used in the Rocky Mount housing authority.The results of the APM program in Rocky Mount were more consistent than those in Richmond, with an overall reduction of trap catch (in low, medium or high infestation units) to only 14% of the initial infestation levels, or an overall 86% reduction in trap catch. Similar to Rocky Mount, the APM program in Hopewell Housing (using Vendetta Nitro) reduced all German cockroach trap counts to 2% of what they had been at the start of the test (98% reduction by day 60). Overall the APM program, using gel bait as the sole treatment method (plus the sticky trap monitors) has been very successful in reducing these German cockroach populations that were not being reduced by the contract pest management companies. This field study will continue with the monthly assessment and baiting over the next 8 months. We hope to determine if this APM program can prevent the German cockroach population bloom that typically takes place over the summer. We also want to assess the residents' impressions of the baiting program. Thus far, the apartment residents have expressed that they feel their populations have been greatly reduced. It is our intentionto survey the residents within the next 6 months to document their reactions to the cockroach reductions in their living environment (2018).

Publications

  • Type: Journal Articles Status: Published Year Published: 2017 Citation: Campbell, B. and D.M. Miller. 2017.a method for evaluating insecticide efficacy against, Bed bug, Cimex lectularius, eggs and first instars. JoVE 55092. http://www.jove.com/video/55092.
  • Type: Journal Articles Status: Published Year Published: 2017 Citation: Campbell, B.E., D.M. Miller, Z.C. DeVries, and A.G. Appel. 2017. Water loss and metabolic activity in bed bug eggs (Cimex lectularius). Physiological Entomology. DOI: 10.1111/phen.12204.
  • Type: Other Status: Published Year Published: 2017 Citation: Catron, K.A., M.S. Wilson, and D.M. Miller. 2017. Efficacy of thermal remediation for bed bug (Hemiptera: Cimicidae) control in apartments of different clutter levels. W.H. Robinson (ed). Proceedings of the 2017 International Conference on Urban Pests. 8 pages. Birmingham, England.
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Other Year Published: 2017 Citation: Miller, D. M. 2017. But our company does not do heat treatment It does not matter! Learn what you need to know about heat treatments. Invited speaker for the 2017 East Tennessee Pest Control Association Smoky Mountain conference, January 17th, 2017. Knoxville, TN. 1 h.
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Other Year Published: 2017 Citation: Miller, D. M. 2017. Not all infestations are the same: Can vacuums and heat chambers maximize your bed bug control efforts? Invited speaker for the 2017 East Tennessee Pest Control Association Smoky Mountain conference, January 17th, 2017. Knoxville, TN. 1 h.
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Other Year Published: 2017 Citation: Miller, D. M. 2017. Not all infestations are the same: Can vacuums and heat chambers maximize your control efforts? Invited speaker for the NYC Bed Bug Workshop. January 31st , 2017. New York, City, NY. 1.5 h.
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Other Year Published: 2017 Citation: Miller, D. M. 2017. Bed bugs-Where we have been and where are we now?: A history of bed bug treatment methods since 2006. Invited speaker for the National Pest Management Association Southern Conference. Feb. 7th, 2017. Memphis, TN. 1 h.
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Other Year Published: 2017 Citation: Miller, D.M. 2017. Non-chemical methods to enhance your bed bug control efforts. Invited speaker for the National Pest Management Association Southern Conference. Feb. 7th, 2017. Memphis, TN. 1 h.
  • Type: Other Status: Other Year Published: 2017 Citation: Miller, D.M. Bed bug biology, Behavior and control methods. Invited for emergency room inspection, and to present a training program for nurses and medical administrators at INOVA Health Systems. Feb. 22nd 2017. Fairfax, VA. 4 h.
  • Type: Other Status: Other Year Published: 2017 Citation: Miller, D. M. 2017. Work smarter, not harder: Cockroach and bed bug monitoring and assessment. Invited Webinar for National Pest Management Association (NPMA) Technical committee seminar series. March 22nd, 2017. 1 h.
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Other Year Published: 2017 Citation: Miller, D.M. 2017. Challenges of implementing integrated pest management (IPM) in the urban environment. Invited Keynote- Walter Ebeling Memorial at the University of California at Riverside Annual Pest Management Conference. March 29th, 2017. 45 min.
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Other Year Published: 2017 Citation: Miller, D.M. 2017. Challenges of implementing Integrated Pest Management (IPM) in the urban environment. Invited presentation for the Arizona Pest Management Association Annual Conference. March 30th, 2017. Mesa, AZ. 1 h.
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Other Year Published: 2017 Citation: Miller, D.M. 2017. Bed bug control methods and challenges: A lesson in versatility. Invited presentation for the Arizona Pest Management Association Annual Conference. March 30th, 2017. Mesa, AZ. 1 h.
  • Type: Other Status: Other Year Published: 2017 Citation: Miller, D.M. 2017. Bed bug biology, behavior and control methods. Invited presentation for elderly- disabled residents of Farrington Apartments. May 4th, 2017. Roanoke, VA. 2 h. 9 people
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Other Year Published: 2017 Citation: Miller, D. M. 2017. Cockroach management in multifamily housing. Invited presentation for the StopPests.org workshop Stop pests in housing. June 20th, 2017. Washington State University, Puyallup, WA. 1 h.
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Other Year Published: 2017 Citation: Miller, D. M. 2017. Bed bug management. Invited presentation for the StopPests.org workshop Stop pests in housing. June 20th, 2017. Washington State University, Puyallup, WA. 2 h.
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Other Year Published: 2017 Citation: Miller, D.M. 2017. Not all infestations are the same: Using vacuums, heat chambers, monitors, and other non-chemical methods to maximize your bed bug control efforts. Invited afternoon keynote speaker for Pest Control Operators of California (PCOC) 2017 Expo. June 23rd, 2017. Anaheim CA. 1 hour.
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Other Year Published: 2017 Citation: Miller, D. M. The costs of German cockroach control in large multi-unit housing facilities. Invited presentation for Continued Education Units, Pest Control Operators of California (PCOC) 2017 Expo. June 23rd. Anaheim CA. 1 hour.
  • Type: Other Status: Other Year Published: 2017 Citation: Miller, D. M. 2017. Bed bugs in commercial accounts. Invited webinar for Pest Control Technology (PCT) Magazines Virtual Conference. June 28th, 2017. Chicago, IL. 1 h.
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Other Year Published: 2017 Citation: Miller, D. M. 2017. Bed bugs- background, inspection, prevention and treatment. Invited presentation for the StopPests.org and the Midwest Pesticide Action Center Workshop. June 29th, 2017. Chicago, IL. 2.5h.
  • Type: Other Status: Other Year Published: 2017 Citation: Miller, D. M. 2017. Integrated Pest Management Training for Virginia Public Schools. This 7- hour School IPM training curriculum was requested by Smyth County School nurses, administrators and social workers. July 20th 2017. Marion, VA. 7 hours.
  • Type: Other Status: Other Year Published: 2017 Citation: Miller, D. M. 2017. The German cockroach problem that we see in Virginia Housing (1 h); and Issues with bed bugs in Virginia (2 h). Invited to present research to Master Gardeners at the Suffolk Extension office. July 28th, 2017. Suffolk, VA. 3 h.
  • Type: Other Status: Other Year Published: 2017 Citation: Miller, D.M. 2017. Cost and efficacy of assessment-based pest management contract language for German cockroach and bed bug control in public housing authorities. Richmond Rehabilitation and Public Housing Authority (RRHA) requested a presentation to familiarize management and facilities staff with the US HUD funded study being conducted in their facilities. August 21st, 2017. Richmond, VA. 2 h.
  • Type: Other Status: Other Year Published: 2017 Citation: Miller, D. M. 2017. Living with bed bugs: do you have a long-term plan? Invited training program for Highland Community Services management staff. Sept. 19th, 2017. Abingdon, VA. 3h.
  • Type: Other Status: Other Year Published: 2018 Citation: Miller, D.M. 2017. German cockroach infestations in US HUD housing: the social science aspects of urban entomology. Virginia Tech, Department of Entomology Seminar Series. Sept. 21st, 2017. 1 h.
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Other Year Published: 2017 Citation: Miller, D.M. Improving your baiting efficacy when trying to control large populations of German cockroaches. Invited presentation for Technical Day of Virginia Pest Management Association State Technical meeting. Sept. 28th, 2018. Richmond, VA. 1 h.
  • Type: Other Status: Other Year Published: 2017 Citation: Miller, D.M. 2017. Bed bug biology, Behavior and control methods. Invited training for managers and facilities personnel of the Rocky Mount, NC public housing authority. May 10th, 2017. Rocky Mount, NC.
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Other Year Published: 2017 Citation: Miller, D.M. 2017. Biologia y comportamiento de chinche de cama: Por que son tan dificiles de controlar? Invited speaker at the XXXIII Congresso Internacional de Controladores de Plagas Urbanas. June 12th, 2017. Monterrey, Mexico. 2 h.
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Other Year Published: 2017 Citation: Miller, D.M. 2017. Maximice sus esfuerzos de cebado para controlar grandes infestaciones de cucaracha alemana. Invited speaker at the XXXIII Congresso Internacional de Controladores de Plagas Urbanas. June 15th, 2017. Monterrey, Mexico. 2 h.
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Other Year Published: 2017 Citation: Miller, D.M. 2017. Efficacy of thermal remediation for bed bug (Hemiptera: Cimicidae) control in apartments of different clutter levels. International Conference on Urban Pests (ICUP). July 10th, 2017. Birmingham, England. 20 min
  • Type: Other Status: Other Year Published: 2017 Citation: Miller, D.M. 2017. What hotel employees need to know about bed bugs! Invited by Struckum Pest Control Company to teach the staff members of the Melia Hotel (a Struckum customer) about bed bugs. Six (2 hour) training programs were presented on Sept. 4-6th, 2017. Nassau, Bahamas. 12 h.


Progress 10/01/15 to 09/30/16

Outputs
Target Audience:1.Virginia Tech Housing and Facilities Managers; 2. Elderly and disabled residents of TinBridge Manor, LynchBurg, VA(a low-income multi-unit housing facility); 3. Members of the Virginia Pest Management Association (Pest Management Professionals) ; 4. Members of the Entomological Society of America; 5. Members of the VirginiaTech Department of Entomology; 6. Social Services personnell; 7. Medical professionals; 8. Apartment Managers' Associations Changes/Problems:This yearI had to terminate myMS student. The heat evaluations were to be this student's thesis research. What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided?While working at TinBridgeManor we were able to provide some bed bug educationto eight members of theVirginia Tech Housing and Facilities managers who came out to see the heat treatmentas part of their professional development training. In addition, we provideda one hour bed bug training program to the residents and managers of TinBridge Manor (23 participants). Since the completion of this study, members of our laboratory have presented this information at several different venues.The study waspresented at the VirginiaPest Management Association Annual meeting in September.This study was also presented at the Annual meeting of the Entomological Society of America in Orlando, FL, and as aseminar in the Department of Entomology at Virginia Tech. On December 1st-2nd,the GlobalBed Bug Summit took placeinIndianapolis, IN. I presentedthis study to apartment managers, and pest management professionals. Iemphasized that not all heat treatments are the same (expect to pay for a large heating system and two technicians), and that managers needtheir "heat treater" to provide them with the temperature sensor output. With these data, they knowthat the apartment units did (or did not) get up tobed bug lethal temperature. I made the point that it is way too easy toblame the resident for bringing bed bugs in again, when in fact live bed bugs are often still present after an inadequate heat treatment. How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest?Thus far, the results have been delivered as conference presentations or seminars to the scientific and professional pest control communities. Weintend to publish these results in a refereed journal, and in Pest Management Technology magazine. What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals?We plan to continue our evaluations of different (less expensive) bed bug heating systems to determine the relative potential of these systems to provide satisfactory results. We have also recently received a funding notification from the US HUD that will allow us toevaluatepest control protocols. Our intention is towrite effective model pest management contract language for use in HUD facilities.

Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals? This year, we quantified and compared the time and labor required to conduct a whole-home heat treatment for bed bug control in apartment units withdifferent levels of clutter (high, medium, and low). Members of our laboratory engaged the help of heat treatment technicians from the Virginia Tech Department of Facilities and Housingto heat treat 15 low-income, elderly-disabled apartment units at TinBridge Manor in Lynchburg, VA.The cubic footage and the level of clutter in each apartment unitwas quantified.Captive sentinel bed bugs (3 replications of each of eggs, nymphs and adults) were hidden indeep, hard to heat locations within each apartment.The technicians set-up, treated, and monitored each apartmentunit using the Temp-Air electrical heat system. A total of 22 temperature sensors were used to electronically monitor the temperature throughout the apartment,including those areas where sentinels were hidden. Members of my laboratory collected temperature data throughout the treatment and retrieved the sentinels after treatment to determine mortality. Each heat treatment took ~7 hours to complete (set up to take down).To our surprise, thetemperature and mortality data indicatedthat clutter was not the major factor influencing the length of time it took to complete an effective whole home heat treatment.Instead it was the "cold spots" within the units that prolonged the treatment process (labor time and subsequent cost), and allowed some bed bugs (eggs) to survive.These cold spots included tiled areas inside a closet that housed the water heater, the floor wall junctions, and the high corners of interior closets. On average, the heat treatments were completed within ~4 hours, with all locations (except cold spots)reaching bed bug lethal temperature (122o F). Our results indicated that the heat treatments must be watched carefully so cold spots can be detected early. Careful monitoring allows for the manipulation ofheaters and fans so that theycan be focusedon hard to heat locations. We also learned that a single technician, or a smaller heat system, is not adequate for producing satisfactory heat treatment results (all bed bugs dead). Time and treatment efficacy data also allowed us to calculate the (labor) cost of performing an adequate heat treatment.

Publications

  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Other Year Published: 2016 Citation: Stedfast, M.L. 2016. Evaluating encasements: Are all created equal? Virginia Pest Management Association State Technical Meeting. Sept. 22nd, 2016. Richmond, VA. 25 min.
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Other Year Published: 2016 Citation: Miller, D. M. 2016. Vacuums and portable heat chambers for bed bug control. Virginia Pest Management Association State Technical Meeting. Sept. 22nd, 2016. Richmond, VA. 1 hour.
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Other Year Published: 2016 Citation: Amos, K. 2016. Whole home heat treatment for bed bug control. Virginia Pest Management Association State Technical Meeting. Sept. 22nd, 2016. Richmond, VA. 25 min.
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Other Year Published: 2016 Citation: Amos, K. 2016. Using time-lapse photography to evaluate novel fly bait attractivieness in the field. Submitted papers in Urban Entomology- International Congress of Entomology. Entomological Society of America Annual meeting. Sept. 28th, 2016. Orlando, FL. 15 min.
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Other Year Published: 2016 Citation: Miller, D.M. 2016. The future of bed bug education in the United States. Submitted Symposium: Urban Entomology in a Changing Environment: Bed Bug Education. International Congress of Entomology. Entomological Society of America Annual meeting. Sept. 30th, 2016. Orlando, FL. 15 min.
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Other Year Published: 2016 Citation: Amos, K. 2016. Evaluating the efficacy of a whole home heat system for controlling bed bug infestations in apartments with varying levels of clutter. Submitted Symposium: Urban Entomology in a Changing Environment: Bed Bug Control Methods. International Congress of Entomology. Entomological Society of America Annual meeting. Sept. 30th, 2016. Orlando, FL. 15 min.
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Other Year Published: 2016 Citation: Miller, D. M. 2016. Methods for service providers to avoid bringing bed bugs home. University of Tennessee Bed Bugs in Multi-Unit Housing Conference. July 27th, 2016. Knoxville, TN. 1 hour. Invited.
  • Type: Other Status: Other Year Published: 2016 Citation: Miller, D.M. 2016. What you need to know today about bed bug and cockroach management. Training program for American Pest Control Company in Peoria, IL. August 2nd, 2016. Peoria, IL. 3 hours. Invited.
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Other Year Published: 2016 Citation: Stedfast, M.L. 2016. Bed bug basics, control and prevention. Training for Virginia Cooperative Extension Southside Grounds and Maintenance Conference. Jan. 20th, 2016. Danville, VA. 1 hour.
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Other Year Published: 2016 Citation: Miller, D.M. 2016. Vacuums and small heat chambers: How they can enhance your bed bug control efforts. New Jersey Pest Management Association Annual Clambake. Aug. 18th, 2016. Rutgers, NJ. 1 hour. Invited.
  • Type: Other Status: Other Year Published: 2016 Citation: Miller, D.M. 2016. Bed bug control methods. Virginia Tech Pesticide Safety Education Workshop. Sept. 8th, 2016. Roanoke, VA. 20 min.
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Other Year Published: 2016 Citation: Miller, D.M. 2016. Bed bug IPM for the next 10 years. Purdue University 80th Pest Management Conference. Jan. 12th, 2016. West Lafayette, IN. 2 hours. Invited
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Other Year Published: 2016 Citation: Miller, D.M. 2016. German cockroach control: Baiting large infestations. Purdue University 80th Pest Management Conference. Jan. 12th, 2016. West Lafayette, IN. 2 hours. Invited
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Other Year Published: 2016 Citation: Miller, D.M. 2016. Living with bed bugs: The next 10 years. Virginia Conference of Forest Professionals. Jan. 25th, 2016. Blacksburg, VA. 1 hour. Invited Keynote.
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Other Year Published: 2016 Citation: Stedfast, M.L., K. Amos and D. M. Miller. 2016. Evaluating mattress encasements for bed bug management: Are all created equal? National Conference on Urban Entomology. May 25th, 2016. Albuquerque, NM. 15 min.
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Other Year Published: 2016 Citation: Stedfast, M.L. 2016. Bed bug education using webinar based short courses. Submitted Symposium: Urban Entomology in a Changing Environment: Bed Bug Education. International Congress of Entomology. Entomological Society of America Annual meeting. Sept. 30th, 2016. Orlando, FL. 15 min.
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Other Year Published: 2016 Citation: Miller, D.M. 2016. Small Heat Chambers - Big Results. The University of Nebraska 24th Annual Urban Pest Conference. Feb. 9th, 2016. Lincoln, NE. 30 min. Invited.
  • Type: Other Status: Other Year Published: 2016 Citation: Stedfast, M.L. 2016. Bed bug biology, behavior, control, and personal prevention. Training program UVA Health Systems Dialysis Treatment Facilities. Sept. 16th. 2016. Lynchburg, VA. (2) 1 hour.
  • Type: Other Status: Other Year Published: 2016 Citation: Stedfast, M.L. 2016. Bed bug biology, behavior, control, and personal prevention. Webinar in preparation for Shenandoah County Fair Display with Shenandoah County Extension Leadership Board and Virginia Cooperative Extension. Aug. 2nd. 2016. Blacksburg, VA. 1.5 hours.
  • Type: Other Status: Other Year Published: 2016 Citation: Stedfast, M.L. 2016. What you need to know: Bed bug biology, behavior, and control methods. Training program for the Council of Independent Colleges in Virginia. Facilities Managers Meeting. University of Richmond, Richmond, VA. July 27th, 2016. 1 hour.
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Other Year Published: 2016 Citation: Miller, D.M. 2016. Eureka! Vacuums that will rock your bed bug infestations. The University of Nebraska 24th Annual Urban Pest Conference. Feb. 9th, 2016. Lincoln, NE. 30 min. Invited.
  • Type: Other Status: Other Year Published: 2016 Citation: Miller, D. M. 2016. German cockroach control in public housing; Bed bug control methods-What is working? Pest Management Professional training programs (CEUs) for Frontline and Forshaw chemical distributors. Feb. 24th, 2016. Dulles, VA. 4 hours.
  • Type: Other Status: Other Year Published: 2016 Citation: Stedfast, M. L. and D. M. Miller. 2016. Bed bug preparedness and protocols. Training for UVA Health Systems Dialysis Treatment Facility. June 30th, 2016. Lynchburg, VA. 2.5 hours.
  • Type: Other Status: Other Year Published: 2016 Citation: Miller, D. M. and M.L. Stedfast. 2016. Bed bug biology, behavior, control methods, and prevention. Training for Virginia Division of Social Services, Division of Licensing Programs. June 16th, 2016. Lynchburg, VA. 4 hours.
  • Type: Other Status: Other Year Published: 2016 Citation: Stedfast, M. L. 2016. Living with bed bugs: Biology, behavior, and control. Training for Northern Virginia Association of Realtors. June 10th, 2016. Fairfax, VA. 1.5 hours.
  • Type: Other Status: Other Year Published: 2016 Citation: Miller, D. M. 2016. Living with Bed bugs: Biology, behavior, and control. Training for Roanoke Rescue Mission. Invited by Superior Pest Control Company. May 11th, 2016. Roanoke, VA. 2 hours.
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Other Year Published: 2016 Citation: Miller, D.M. and R. Nielson. 2016. What is bugging you? Invisible Infestations. VCE Winter Conference. Feb. 3rd, 2016. Blacksburg, VA. 45 min.
  • Type: Other Status: Other Year Published: 2016 Citation: Miller, D.M. and S. Kells. 2016. Writing an effective pest management contract. National webinar training program for US HUD procurement officers. 2 hours. 297 attendees.
  • Type: Other Status: Other Year Published: 2016 Citation: Miller, D. M. 2016. Living with bed bugs: The next 10 years. Training program for Our Lady of the Valley Coordinated Services Managers and Maintenence Directors. March 24th, 2016. Roanoke, VA. 2 hours.
  • Type: Other Status: Other Year Published: 2016 Citation: Miller, D.M. 2016. Bed bug biology, behavior and control methods. Training program for the Virginia Apartment Managers Association. April 26th, 2016. Lynchburg, VA. 2 hours.
  • Type: Other Status: Other Year Published: 2016 Citation: Miller, D. M. 2016. Living with bed bugs: The next 10 years. Training program for Myrtle Beach hotel managers, condominium owners, and owners of vacation rental properties. April 28th, 2016. Myrtle Beach, SC. 2 hours. Invited.
  • Type: Other Status: Other Year Published: 2016 Citation: Amos, K., M.L. Stedfast and D.M. Miller. 2016. The bug stops here: The whats, whens, and whys of managing common pests in the home. Training program for Master Gardeners. May 5th, 2016. Lynchburg, VA. 45 min.
  • Type: Other Status: Other Year Published: 2016 Citation: Miller, D. M. and M. L. Stedfast. 2016. What are bed bugs and how do we keep them out of our homes? Training for TinBridge Manor apartment residents. June 30th, 2016. Lynchburg, VA. 2 hours.
  • Type: Other Status: Other Year Published: 2016 Citation: Miller, D.M. 2016. Pulling back the sheets on bed bugs: Detection, monitoring, and management. Training for Farmveille Crossroads Mental Health Services personnel. July 19th, 2016. Farmville, VA. 4 hours.
  • Type: Other Status: Other Year Published: 2016 Citation: Miller, D.M. and M.L. Stedfast. 2016. Bed bug biology, behavior, control methods and prevention. Virginia Department of Social Services and Division of Licensing. June 2nd, 2016. Abingdon, VA. 4 hours.
  • Type: Other Status: Other Year Published: 2016 Citation: Stedfast, M. L. and D. M. Miller. 2016. Bed bug prevention consultation: Included site tour and bed bug history of UVA Health Systems Dialysis Treatment facility with Paula Edwards. May 9th, 2016. Lynchburg, VA. 3 hours.
  • Type: Other Status: Other Year Published: 2016 Citation: Stedfast, M.L. 2016. Bed bug biology, behavior, and control. Training for Bon Secours Medical Offices. April 22nd, 2016. Blackstone, VA. 2 hours.
  • Type: Other Status: Other Year Published: 2016 Citation: Stedfast, M.L. 2016. Bed bug biology, behavior, control. Training for Virginai Cooperative Extension. March 15th, 2016. Newport News, VA. 3 hours.
  • Type: Other Status: Other Year Published: 2016 Citation: Miller, D. M. and M. L. Stedfast. 2016. Pulling back the sheets on bed bugs: Bed bug education workshop for Frontier Health Services. March 2nd, 2016. Duffield, VA. 8 hours.


Progress 04/01/15 to 09/30/15

Outputs
Target Audience:The target audience for our work in 2015 included the management staffing at multi-unit housing sites. Makers of the ELISA allergen kits; and over 6000 pest control operators, parks and recreation employees, school administrators, school nurses, realtors, apartment managers, Childrens Law Center employees,public health officials, social service licensing personnel, MasterGardeners, and National Environmental Health employees that received training under the Virginia Tech Bed Bug and Urban Pest Information Center mission. Changes/Problems:Major changes in laboratory staffing have delayed progress on some objectives. New staff members have been trained and progress is occurring. Proposals were not funded, however,we continue to seek funding for the cost and efficacy study. What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided?Two members of my laboratory (Molly Stedfast (PY1.0)and a graduate student(0.5) were able to attend the National Pest Management Association Pestworld Conference in Nashville, TN(Oct. 2015). At the conference they were able to attend educational presentations featuring novel pest managment methods, as well as a presentation on how to usesocial media for marketing purposes. Since the studenthas taken over responsibility for the VTBBUPIC Facebook page, our Facebook reach has increased from 5,000to over 77,000 in one year. Theyhave alsoattended the Virginia TechEnsemble website management trainingin October 2015. Molly has our VTBBUPIC website posted but she continues to make improvements to both the quality of the information on the site, and the site'saccessibility. How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest?Please see above lisiting of workshops and presentations. What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals?* To complete the survey data analysis quantifying the costs of bed bug and urban pest management in multi-unit housing in Virginia. We also want to publish these results in 2016. *Continue to look for sources of funding to quantify the cost of a novel IPM pest managment contract in HUD facilities. * We may have to re-write Objective 3 ofour Hatch proposal to eliminate the allergen study. However, this work has great potential for funding from the NIH, so I am currently communicating with another potentialPh.D. student. It is possible that this student could begin that research study in the Fall of 2016. * Continue to deliver urban pest management training programs throughout 2016 as part of the VTBBUPIC mission.

Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals? At this time we are successfullyanalyzing the bed bug cost surveythat we collected frommulti-unit housing managers in Virginia. We had hoped to complete that analysis in 2015,however, this analysis is still on-going. In 2014, I brought on a new Ph.D. student (Shavonn Whiten) to conduct the bed bug allergen portion of this project. This studentdelivered a research proposal presentation toa biotechnology company, who agreed to provide ELISA expertise and sample analysis for the bed bug allergen project. In 2015, Molly Stedfast and I were very successful indisseminating ourresearch findings (particularly bed bug product and IPM strategy evaluations) to stakeholders (described above) within and outside thestate via outreach and education programs delivered by the Virginia Tech Bed Bug and the Urban Pest Information Center (VTBBUPIC). In 2015, we delivered 7 webinars, and 4 in-service training programs, 13 invited workshops, 4 invited shortcourses, 11 invited seminars, and 18 invited conference presentations.We were also able to secure funding ($132K) for the VTBBUPIC for the second year (2015-2016).

Publications

  • Type: Journal Articles Status: Published Year Published: 2015 Citation: Delong, B. and D. M. Miller. 2015. Insecticide resistance in eggs and first instars of the bed bug (Hemiptera: Cimicidae). Insects. 6: 122-132. doi:10.3390/insects6010122
  • Type: Other Status: Published Year Published: 2015 Citation: Miller, D. M. and M. L. Stedfast. 2015. Is bed bug heat treatment hot enough for public housing? Article for P.C.O.C.- The voice of pest control operators in California magazine. Fall 2015 www.pcoc.org / Fall 2015. 3 pages.
  • Type: Theses/Dissertations Status: Published Year Published: 2015 Citation: Koganemaru, R. 2015. Investigation of reduced cuticular penetration type insecticide resistance in the common bed bug, Cimex lectularius L., M.S. Thesis, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, VA.
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Other Year Published: 2015 Citation: Stedfast, M. L. and D. M. Miller. 2015. Sentinal bed bug, Cimex lectularius, for laboratory and field evaluations. Ten minute papers, MUVE section: Bed bugs at the Entomological Society of America 2015 meeting. Minneapolis, MN Nov. 17th, 2015.
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Other Year Published: 2015 Citation: Miller, D. M. 2015. Designing bed bug management protocols for efficacy in different environments. MUVE Section Symposium: Best bed bug management practices and novel research; Entomological Society of America 2015 meeting. Minneapolis, MN Nov. 15th, 2015.
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Other Year Published: 2015 Citation: Miller, D. M. 2015. Managing bed bugs in sensitive areas: Myths and realities. Member Symposium: Bed bugs, Cimex lectularius, in sensitive areas- research and mitigation techniques. 2015 Annual Meeting of the Entomological Society of America. Nov. 15th, 2015
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Other Year Published: 2015 Citation: Stedfast, M. L. and D. M. Miller. 2015. Turning up the heat: Putting commercial heat chambers for bed bug control to the test. MUVE Section Symposium: Best bed bug management practices and novel research; Entomological Society of America 2015 meeting. Minneapolis, MN Nov. 15th, 2015.
  • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Other Year Published: 2015 Citation: Stedfast, M. L. and D. M. Miller. 2015. Bed bug management for multi-unit facilities. Presentation at the Eastern Branch of the Entomological Society of America meeting. Rehoboth Beach, DE. March, 17th, 2015.