Alliance Environmental Blog

Los Angeles Seeing More Bed Bug Infestations

Six years ago, bed bugs in Los Angeles county were virtually non-existent.  This year, Alliance will respond to thousands of calls for people seeking relief from beg bug infestations.  What has changed?  Bed bugs are quite literally an epidemic—these pests, which were all but extinct 50 years ago, are now sweeping across Los Angeles like a plague due to changes in travel habits and pesticides.

“Literally, it’s the biggest epidemic - as far as bugs go - hitting the world right now.”

-  Mike Masterson, Isotech Pest Management

Just ask the residents of Covina’s Southe Point Apartments on Citrus Avenue, where 15% of the units are infested with bed bugs.  The owner of the apartment complex, Ahmed Hassan, has been battling to eradicate these pests for over a year.

Three times since 2009 have workers from the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health declared the infestation “abated,” only to have the bed bugs reappear again.

While chemical treatments for bed bug infestations can be effective, Alliance promotes a more radical solution and guarantees success.  Cutting-edge heat treatment technology (ThermaPure heat) allows Alliance to elevate the temperature of a structure to 140 degrees, which is the temperature at which bed bugs (and their eggs) are destroyed.  The upside to this technology is quite obvious: no harmful chemicals, no odors, no needless move-out, etc.

Angelo Bellomo, directory of environmental health at the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health, stated that, “I think we’re looking at bed bugs a lot more seriously today than we have historically.”

Alec Gerry, a veterinary entomologist on faculty at UC Riverside, agrees: “Most likely, the bedbugs are back in the United States in greater numbers forever.”

If this is the case, then its time for Los Angeles county residents to educate themselves on the distinct benefits of Alliance’s ThermaPure heat treatment for bed bugs.

Bed Bug Crisis Escalates into EPA Crisis Meeting

The dangers of using pesticides to kill bed bugs within a residence are beginning to receive additional scrutiny.  The EPA just recently issued a consumer alert regarding off-label bed bug treatments, warning in particular about the dangers of using outdoor pesticides in homes.  Given the resiliency of bed bugs at surviving traditional pest-killing methods, Alliance once again promotes the value of ThermaPure heat treatment for bed bugs,

Excepts from a Yahoo! News article on bed bugs:

“For reasons still unknown, bedbugs really seem to like the state of Ohio. The problem is so dire in Cincinnati that some people with infested apartments have resorted to sleeping on the streets.

Cincinnati created a Bedbug Remediation Commission in 2007 and, like other local and national governments around the world, the city is trying to mobilize strategies to control infestations of the resilient insects, which can hide in almost any crack or crevice and can go a year or more without eating. On Aug. 10, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) issued a consumer alert about off-label bedbug treatments, warning in particular of the dangers of using outdoor pesticides in homes. The Ohio Department of Agriculture has mounted a more unusual response to the crisis: it petitioned the EPA for an exemption to allow in-home use of propoxur, a pesticide and neurotoxin banned in the 1990s out of concern for its effects on children.

Although the EPA rejected Ohio’s propoxur plea in June, the agency has scheduled an Aug. 18 meeting with state and municipal leaders to try to formulate an abatement strategy everyone can live with. Among the meeting’s participants: representatives from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and, no joke, the Department of Defense…”

Alliance Environmental Group supports the belief that there are more effective ways to combat bed bug infestations!

Keeping your home, your family or your employees safe should be a top priority for anyone looking to eradicate bed bugs from a structure.  Rather than using chemicals, Alliance advocates for the usage of heat treatment.  There are definite benefits to Alliance’s heat treatment for bed bugs, including:

• No toxic chemicals
• No three-day move out
• No odor
• No bagging of food
• No harm to pets or people
• Fewer neighborhood complains

Alliance’s ThermaPure heat treatment kills beg bugs by elevating the temperature of a house to 140 degrees for three hours.  This increased heat kills both the bed bugs and their eggs, ensuring that your infestation is resolved.

Contact us today to learn more about how ThermaPure heat treatment is right for you!

National Air Duct Cleaners Association Says Scammers Beware

John Schulte, NADCA’s Executive Direction, offers his candid perspective on the fraudulent bait-and-switch tactics of low-priced air duct cleaning advertisers and details the current recent victories in the battle against cut-rate air duct cleaning companies.

Alliance Environmental Group is proud to relay the first amongst many presumed successes in the battle against low-quality, dishonest air duct cleaning companies.  Refer to our information on Alliance’s air duct cleaning packages for more details on this sort of outfit.

An excerpt from John Schulte’s article “Scammers Beware”:

“We’ve all seen them: the coupons offering whole-house air duct cleaning for less than the cost of a cheeseburger off the value meal menu of your local fast food restaurant.  I know that you’ve seen these, because about a million NADCA members each year make it a point to call our offices and complain about these coupons.  And despite our many efforts to educate consumers and solicit support from the legal system, it has been this way for many years.

My friends, I am pleased to report that the winds of change are - FINALLY - starting to blow our way!  Earlier this year, the Montgomery County Office of Consumer Protection (Maryland) pursued charges against eight air duct cleaning companies and two direct mail advertising forms for deceptive advertising practices and other illegal business practices….

These cases follow news exposes in states across the country over the past six months, as well as other cases that are currently under investigation.  NADCA Headquarters and NADCA members have assisted in these cases while distinguishing between the few bad actors in the industry and the quality service provided by the legitimate companies out there working hard to earn a living.”