NEW ORLEANS – Bed bugs are no joke but that didn’t stop everyone from enjoying Saints superfan "Mack the Quack" when he joined the Greater New Orleans Pest Control Association, Inc. on its annual day of service on November 8, 2012. The association partnered with FMC Professional Solutions, makers of the Verifi bed bug detector, and Protect-A-Bed to donate a bed bug detection system and mattress protection to the Ronald McDonald House of New Orleans.

"The house has not had a bed bug problem but the potential is there," says Gary Whelen, association spokesperson. "With Verifi and the mattress encasements, we will be able to identify infestations when they are small and easy to handle. Our goal is to ensure that with all these families have to deal with, bed bugs are not one of them."

Ten members of the Greater New Orleans Pest Control Association helped install the Verifi bed bug monitors and mattress encasements in the 15-room Canal Street home, a respite for families of sick children being treated at area hospitals.

Members of the association will return regularly to inspect the devices, and to recharge them every 90 days. Saints superfan Mack the Quack is really Mack Cuenca, an entomologist by day and current president of the association. "The Verifi devices are so easy to install, even a clown can do it," he joked.

Actually, a pest management professional must install them, but they can be used in any house, business or hotel to detect bed bug infestations before they get costly and difficult to eradicate.

For more information, the manufacturer, FMC Professional Solutions, has a web site at www.verifibedbug.com. For more on mattress encasements, visit www.protectabed.com.