EPA Planning Webinar Series on Eco-friendly Bed Bug Management

Bed bugs is one of those topics that gets my skin crawling. Fortunately I have never been face to face--or should I say "toe to face"--with them. I have written about the little critters a number of times for Green Lodging News. Do a search on "bed bugs" at www.greenlodgingnews.com and several pages of articles appear. There is no doubt that how to deal with bed bugs once you have them as your "guests" is a hot topic. The EPA even had a Bed Bug Summit last month. I will be writing about natural approaches to bed bug treatment again soon. If you have your own ideas, I would love to hear them.

Until my article appears, I would like to encourage you to participate in a free two-part webinar on eco-friendly bed bug management. Part one, "Preventing Bed Bugs...or at Least the Next Closest Thing," will be held on March 23 from 3 p.m. to 4:30 p.m. Part one will discuss: bed bug basics, getting ahead of bed bug infestation through early detection and maintenance, training lodging staff to be your first line of defense and educating guests on their role in preventing the spread of bed bugs. Speakers include: Kevin Maher, American Hotel and Lodging Association; Rick Cooper, Rutgers
University; and Ray Hobbs, Senior Vice-President Kelco Management & Development, Inc. To register, click here.

Part two of the bed bug webinar series will take place on April 27 from 3 p.m. to 4:30 p.m. Part two will discuss integrated pest management of bed bugs and working with your pest management professional, developing guest response protocols for cases of reported bed bugs, and creating a comprehensive
Bed Bug Action Plan that includes environmental factors. Tentative speakers include: Steve Kells, University of Minnesota, and Ray Hobbs, Senior Vice-President Kelco Management & Development, Inc. To register for this webinar, click here.

The webinar series is being organized by the U.S. EPA Regions 4 and 5.