The Affordable Housing Management Association (AHMA) and Schendel Pest Services will hold a “Bed Bug Boot Camp” at the Sheraton Oklahoma City Hotel on Tuesday, October 26, 2010, from 1:00 pm until 4:00 pm.  Speakers at the Bed Bug Boot Camp include an Associate Certified Entomologist, a Canine inspection dog handler, and a certified commercial applicator. 

This half-day workshop was designed as an outreach effort to educate owners and managers in the multi-housing, hospitality and health care industries.  It is in response to the severe increase in bed bug infestations in homes and businesses throughout Oklahoma.  According to Schendel Pest, the reported increase has been more than 300% over recent months. 

Bed bug infestations in formerly unlikely places – The Empire State Building, Times Square in New York City, along with office buildings and retail stores like Victoria’s Secret and Abercrombie & Fitch – have thrust bed bugs into the national media spotlight.
According to Missy Henriksen, vice president of public affairs for the National Pest Management Association, “We are on the threshold of a bed bug pandemic, not just in the United States, but around the world.”

Public perception about bed bugs is that poor cleaning or sanitation causes them to thrive.  However, bed bugs are notoriously good hitchhikers and travel in the belongings of people.  Anywhere people congregate can become infested with bed bugs at any time.  It is nearly impossible to prevent a bed bug infestation, so early detection and prompt treatment is the best course of action.

Bed bugs feed on the blood of human beings, most often at night time, when people are asleep. When they feed, they inject a salivary secretion into the wound to prevent coagulation. The fluid can cause a person’s skin to itch and even become swollen. Scratching can cause sores which often become infected.

An adult bed bug is the size of an apple seed, about 1/5-inch long, oval in shape and flat. They’re generally brown except after sucking blood. Their body then becomes swollen and the color changes to a dark red.

Bed bugs like to hide in the cracks and electrical outlets in walls, behind wallpaper, base boards and picture frames, between beds and around the creases of mattresses and in bedding materials. Bed bugs are often carried into houses by clothes, luggage, furniture, and bedding.
Bed bugs seek harborage in cracks and crevices. Common harborages in hotel rooms and bedrooms include: folds & creases in bed linens, seams, tufts & under buttons on mattresses, in drapery pleats & hems, beneath loose wallpaper, in headboards, desks, entertainment centers and nightstands, behind base molding, or in wall-mounted artwork.

About AHMA
The Affordable Housing Management Association is a non-profit organization representing companies and individuals involved in the ownership and/or management of affordable housing, particularly multi-family housing communities subject to Federal regulation.  Affordable housing is highly regulated.  Owners must be knowledgeable of key regulatory and compliance issues.  Since the 1970’s, AHMA members have been actively involved in federally regulated housing programs. 

About Schendel
Schendel Pest Services has provided complete pest management services to commercial, industrial, and residential clients since 1947.  Schendel’s corporate office is located in Topeka, Kansas and Schendel provides services to customers in five states – Arizona, Arkansas, Kansas, Missouri and Oklahoma.  Additionally, Schendel Pest Services is a partner with Copesan Services, which enables the company to sell and service commercial accounts on a national basis.