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Royal spent several weeks planning the fumigation. “Planning is critical,” noted John Achzet, Royal’s Vice President of Operations. “For Royal, safety is paramount, and communication is a key to safety.” During the preparation process, the company communicated with local police, fire departments, emergency aid workers and the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection. Royal also consulted with Dow AgroSciences, which manufactures Vikane®, the fumigant that was used.
“Getting all of the components together to make this work was a challenge,” said George Milyo, manager, Royal Fumigation. “A great help to us was the property owner’s cooperation. The property manager went out of his way to take care of the tenants and support us, from arranging for tenant housing to educating them on how to prepare their apartment units for the building fumigation.”
The Royal team of professional technicians spent approximately 12 hours sealing the building. Then on May 1, the area was cordoned off and the gas was shot in for an exposure period of 24 hours.
“Marty Morgan of Dow Agrosciences was right there with us, providing Royal with the kind of experience and knowledge about the fumigant that made this a precision operation,” said Milyo.
At the end of the exposure period, Royal completed a nine-hour aeration with fans. While monitoring equipment showed that entry would be safe at 9:00 p.m. on May 2, Royal chose to keep the site empty until the next morning, to make sure there was no off-gassing.
In the morning the building was turned back over to the owner, who brought in a professional cleaning company to clean everything before the tenants returned.
According to Joel Mick, general manager, Royal Pest Management, it’s good to have another tool to control bed bugs. “While fumigation is not the solution for every bed bug problem, what we have shown is that with proper planning and cooperation from the property owner and tenants, it may be the most effective and timely solution for extreme infestations.”