A Part-Time Hobby Grows Into an Important Industry Resource

VANCOUVER, British Columbia, Canada — In his full-time position as quality assurance manager and technical advisor for a major North American pest control company, Sean Rollo saw first-hand just what type of challenges were inherent with bed bug control

He also realized the value of bringing together a diverse mix of experts to share their bed bugs experiences, which is why he launched www.thebedbugresource.com in 2007 (which he operates on his personal time). “The site was established primarily to replace a mail serv list that professionals involved with bed bugs were using,” Rollo said. “The forum-based (i.e., message board-based) site allowed for greater interaction and prevented full inboxes from ‘reply to all’ subjects that were not of interest to all those involved.”

When the site was first launched in 2007 it was receiving 1,000-plus hits per day. To give you an idea of how the site has grown (and how people’s interests in bed bugs has grown) www.thebedbugresource.com has received more than 750,000 hits so far this year (93,750 per month) and the number of emails and posts Rollo answers has grown as well.

“The site has evolved from a message board to a full blown information resource on bed bugs,” Rollo said. “The information has been compiled from personal experience as a pest control professional and entomologist along with information gleaned from (University of Kentucky's) Dr. Michael Potter, (Cooper Pest Solutions Technical Director) Rick Cooper, (Virginia Tech's) Dini Miller, (Australian bed bug expert) Steven Doggett, (New York PMP) Gil Bloom, (American Museum of Natural History in NYC) Dr. Sorkin, (UK molecular biologist) David Cain, and many other bed bug specialists.”

Rollo said he is proud that the site does not endorse companies, services, or products but rather offers up information about how to choose a company, the types of services that are available, and the product choices and innovations that are out there for readers to be able to make informed choices.

So just who visits the site? Rollo said a diverse mix of people visit the site, including teachers, nurses, housing authorities, lawyers, entomologists, pest professionals, home owners, students, etc. “I am also always amazed at how global the readership is,” he said.  “I get visitors from the four corners of the earth.  I think St. Helena in the South Atlantic Ocean off of Africa was the most unique place a visitor was from thus far.”

Rollo said his short-term goal is to get more industry professionals to participate in the discussion forums. Ultimately, Rollo says he hopes that site will play a role in the industry’s efforts to “make a significant dent in bed bug populations around the world.”