Bed Bug Bite-Proof Mattress Encasements Now Available

LAWRENCEVILLE, N.J. — Cooper Pest Solutions and Residex announced that mattress and box spring encasements, designed specifically for the control of bed bugs, are now available through Residex.

Richard Cooper, technical director for Cooper, has been working closely with Protect-A-Bed of Chicago in developing a line of mattress encasements that are specifically designed for use with bed bugs. The encasements are being sold as part of a comprehensive bed bug management program.

“Protect-A-Bed has sold thousands of the encasements to hotels and motels around the world over the last few months,” Cooper said. “We are also using the product, encasing all mattresses and box springs during our initial service. It’s not an option it’s a requirement and what a difference it has made. I can’t imagine what it would be like to do bed bug work without them.”

There are a number of very important advantages that encasements bring to a bed bug management effort.

1. Protection of New Beds. Some people cannot emotionally deal with the fact that their mattress and box springs are infested with bed bugs and they cannot rest until they have thrown them away. The problem is that when the new beds are introduced into the home they are likely to become infested as well. Encasements can be used to protect the new mattresses and box springs, preventing them from becoming infested by bugs that are still present in the structure.

2. Salvage Infested Beds. Many people are simply not in a financial position to discard infested mattresses and box springs. Encasements are a solution. Bugs and eggs that may still be present in mattresses and box springs become trapped within the confines of the encasement, where they will eventually die from starvation.

3. Increase Efficiency of Control Effort. Removing or killing bugs that are associated with mattresses and box springs is a time consuming process. Box springs are especially difficult to address due to the complex construction which makes it virtually impossible to eliminate 100% of the bugs and eggs. Encasements, resolve this problem by trapping bugs and eggs inside. On return visits, any new bug activity is restricted to the exterior of the encasement, where they can be easily dealt with.

Initially Cooper was concerned that his clients might be upset by the encasements, and want them removed. “When I first heard about the encasements, I had a preconceived image of a cheap vinyl or plastic cover, like a bed wetting sheet that crinkles when you move in bed, but these encasements are not like that at all, instead these encasements are a high quality product that is very comfortable to sleep on. We have installed over 150 encasements without a single complaint. In fact just the opposite has occurred and the encasements have been received very well by our clients,” he said. The encasements, currently available through Residex are the same ones that Cooper has been using for the past six months. It is Cooper’s belief that bedbugs cannot escape the current design, but he continues to work closely with Protect-A-Bed to develop the next generation of encasements and to put this theory through rigid laboratory testing to confirm what he already believes to be true.

The existing encasements were designed for the hospitality industry; the next generation is being designed with improvements aimed specifically at the pest management industry.

The new encasements will be constructed using a heavier duty material on all sides of the encasement, an improvement over the current encasement that has a mesh-like side panel. In addition the new encasements will be backed by a strong set of data to confirm that the materials are bite proof and that bugs are not capable of escaping the sealed encasement. This research is currently underway at ICR Inc., in Baltimore and the study protocols have been thoroughly reviewed by Richard Cooper. Cooper and Protect-A-Bed are aiming for introduction of the new design in the first quarter of 2007.

Residex and Protect-A-Bed have teamed with Richard Cooper in bringing this latest technology to the pest management industry.

“Initially, we were thinking of waiting until the new design was released before introducing the product to the pest management industry, but many pest control companies are buying whatever encasements they can find,” he said. “We know that the existing Protect-A-Bed encasements have worked well for the hospitality industry as well as for us, so we felt that we should make them available to the pest management industry in their current form. The new encasements, with many improvements, should be available soon and will separate this product from any other encasement product in the marketplace.”

In the upcoming weeks Residex representatives will be receiving in-depth training on the encasements and their use. While this is occurring all encasement orders should be through Residex’s main customer service number 800-526-4222.