Background
Clint Childers from Robinhood Pest Solutions has provided full pest control services in Northern Ohio since founding the company in 2019. With years of experience in the pest control industry, he felt that it was time to venture out on his own. Now free to choose his own best approach, he decided to give a new product a try—Aprehend®.
Treatment Scenario
One of Robinhood’s clients, inherited from another pest control company, is a multi-unit apartment complex with an ongoing bed bug infestation issue. The property had tenants self-treating for years to no effect (Figure 1), as well as being treated by the prior PMP.
In this particular treatment, it was a one-bedroom unit on the bottom of a stack. The unit was only mildly cluttered (Figure 2), but, with an older tenant, they were unable to perform prep themselves and could not afford replacement furniture or cleaning services.
Due to prior self-treatment and other professional treatments done in this unit, the bed bugs were in the corners of walls and ceilings, the bathroom, and covering the furniture. The bed bugs had also infested two units on the floor directly above (Figure 3).
Protocol
Robinhood’s protocol in this scenario was a no-prep service (other than removing a cat). Nothing was vacuumed during this treatment to ensure that any live bugs that were not directly killed by Aprehend®’s bed bug control would become carriers of the fungal spores.
Their usual protocol includes vacuuming if a heavy infestation is found. (NOTE: ConidioTec highly recommends vacuuming at every job because it clears the way for a solid, strong Aprehend® barrier. Dust, dirt, fecal matter, and shed casings interfere with the integrity of the Aprehend® barrier and can compromise its efficacy.)
The apartment presenting the main infestation didn’t have a bed, but the couches and chairs were being used for sleeping (NOTE: In units that have mattresses, Robinhood treats with Crossfire during the regular bed bug services.) The couch and recliner cushions were removed, and all of the seams, tufts, and folds that would not come into contact with people were treated with Aprehend® bed bug home treatment. The back perimeter and undersides of the couches and chairs were treated as well as the top outline of the recliner where the majority of bed bugs were found.
The perimeter of both the floor and ceiling was done in the apartment living areas, as well as around all outlets, windows, and doors. The bathrooms, which also had bed bugs, were treated with Alpine WSG mixed at 0.3%. (NOTE: humidity from hot showers shortens Aprehend®’s length of efficacy.) This unit required ~6 oz. of Aprehend® bed bug control for treatment.
The two apartments upstairs were vacant but also received a perimeter treatment of Aprehend® on the baseboards, ceiling, windows, door frames, and closets. As with all bed bug products, Aprehend® works best in an occupied apartment where human activity lures the bed bugs out of their harborages in search of a blood meal.
Since Robinhood visits this property each week for general pest services, Clint visits the vacant apartments for bed bug control through an agreement with the property manager. (NOTE: for details on vacant apartment treatment, see the Aprehend® Case Study – Eradication of Bed Bugs in a Vacant Apartment). The vacant units used ~2-3 oz. of Aprehend® for treatment.
Follow-Up Schedule & Results
This apartment complex receives monthly unit inspections. Thirty days after the initial treatment, this unit did not have any signs of live bed bugs, nor did the customer report seeing any live bugs. The apartment has had five inspections since the initial treatment, and no live bed bugs have been found or reported. No other products targeting bed bugs have been applied to the units since the initial treatment. In fact, Robinhood treated 11 of 20 units that had active bed bugs since service began in February 2020, and no further bed bugs have been found in the entire facility.
Overall Impression of Aprehend® Treatments
Clint reports, “Aprehend® has a higher initial cost than other products, especially based on the amount of areas treated. However, the effectiveness has virtually eliminated callbacks on our bed bug services. With the exception of the mattress (depending on infestation level), we have begun using mattress covers and only Aprehend® for most of our bed bug services and removing the need for any prep to the home/rooms other than removing sheets and blankets from beds. With this protocol, we have also been able to cut our time-on-site drastically, which has let us drop our cost of treatment to reach an entirely new customer base. We have started offering over 3x the length of warranty for our bed bug service, as well as providing the best value possible for our customers.”
Suggestions for Other PMPs
Many PMPs like Clint have come to depend on Aprehend® as the best bed bug treatment on the market today for its effectiveness in eliminating bed bug populations for good.
Clint says: “My biggest suggestion to other PMPs is to make sure the level of customer education is higher than ever, since any sprays (self-treatments) or lifestyle changes can disrupt the Aprehend® treatment. The only callbacks we have had since focusing on primarily Aprehend® treatments have been customer-related causes such as removing carpet or moving furniture from room-to-room just a day or two after treatment,” says Clint.
PMPs can buy an Aprehend® 16-oz bottle to see for themselves what our product can do for you and your customers.
Find additional instructional guides and prep documents can be found here.
Access this report in PDF form here: Aprehend® Case Study: No Prep in a Multi-Unit Apartment Complex