Increased Incidence of Cancers in Pest Control Workers

Multiple epidemiological, biological, and toxicological studies have shown that pest control workers have a higher rate of cancer, which correlates to positively to their extent of pesticide exposure.  While the EPA has worked hard to reduce the health risks associated with pesticide use and has removed many of the most dangerous chemicals from the market, risks remain. In response to public concerns, the EPA has advised making less use of chemicals that are lipophillic (stay in the body longer), longer-lasting, and or broad spectrum.

One reason the EPA can’t do more to reduce the risks associated with pesticide exposure is the need to balance benefits versus dangers. Frequently, therefore, the agency justifies approval of pesticides with known health risks because of their proven ability to eradicate difficult pest problems. The reassuring news is that consumers who use pesticides as directed are not in serious danger of developing pesticide related cancers.  However, pest chemical applicators and to a certain extent their family, have a much greater exposure to cancer causing chemicals and consequently greater chance of developing pesticide related cancers.

Cancers known to be caused by pesticide exposure include cancers of the bladder, brain, liver, lung, prostate, gastro- intestinal tract, respiratory system, testicles, malignant lymphomas, leukemia, multiple myeloma, and other forms of carcinogenic and mutagenic effects. The five most common cancers  associated with pesticide use are prostate cancer, non-Hodgkin lymphoma, leukemia, multiple myeloma, and breast cancer.

A list of pesticides associated with the four most common pesticide related cancers are:

Prostate cancer – Fonos, Terbufos, Malathion, Permethrin, Aldrin, Chlordecone, Lindane, DDT, Dieldrin, Simazine, and Methyl Bromide (methyl halide).

Non Hodgkin Lymphoma (NHL) – Lindane, Dieldrin, Toxaphene, MCPA (phenoxy herbicide), β-Hexachlorobenzene, DDT, Chlordane (oxychlordane), Glyphosate, Atrazine (triazine), and Mirex

Adult Leukemia – Fonofos (OP), Diazinon (OP), Metribuzin (triazinone herbicide), Alachlor (aniline herbicide), EPTC (thiocarbamate), Chlordane/heptachlor (OC),

Multiple Myeloma (MM) – Permethrin (pyrethroid insecticide), Captan (phthalimide fungicide), Carbaryl (carbamate insecticide)

Zika Virus Control

Mosquitoes transmit  dangerous diseases including: Zika, Chikungunya, dengue, West Nile, and yellow fever viruses, and malaria. Mosquitoes that transmit zika virus are found in many countries in South America and the West Indies. Recently a mosquito colony transmitting Zika virus was found close to Miami. The symptoms of Zika are fever, rash, joint pain, and conjunctivitis. Normally the symptoms are not severe and few people die of Zika. However, if a pregnant woman is infected, she can pass the infection on to her child, and the infection can cause certain birth defects including microcephaly (smaller than normal head size). For this reason pregnant women traveling to an area where Zika virus is found should consider rescheduling the trip, but if they decide to travel, they should take precautions against being bitten, including using an effective mosquito repellent.

Silicon Dust for Killing Bed Bugs

Silicon dust adds residual killing power to your bed bug spray regimen and is an effective part of the bed bug killing team. Active spray ingredients usually kill a high percentage of bed bugs on contact. Many of the sprays will and should also kill the eggs. But only some of the ingredients provide long term residual killing power. That’s why many companies are adding silicon dust to their insect spray. Silicon dust gel mixes with the liquid and coats the surface being sprayed. The liquid evaporates, leaving a layer of silicon dust. Bed bugs in the area will pick up the dust just as humans pick up grains of sand when they walk down the beach. The dust penetrates the horny outer layer of their integument and dries them out from within. Because the powder coats the surface for a long time, the gel provides long term residual killing action.

Bed Bug Spray Tips

When you go to the store to buy an over-the-counter bed bug spray, be sure to check out the ingredients. Deltamethrin is a powerful pyrethroid; however, most bed bugs have developed one or two mutations of resistance against it, so the chemical has lost much of its effectiveness. Permethrin is approved for fighting ticks and fleas but not for fighting bed bugs. Piperonyl butoxide is a pesticide synergist which has no innate pesticide activity. However, when added to other ingredients such as pyrethroids or carbamates, it can enhance their power.

Search on the interne for each ingredient  to find out what its current anti-bed bug fighting ability really is.

Improper Ways to Fight a Bed Bug Infestation




Hello Dovid, it’s good to have you with us.

Dovid: It’s good to be here.



Why A # 1 Control Eschews Bed Bug Heat Treatments.

Every pest control company has its own unique ideology and method for treating bed bugs. Dovid Davis, a Baltimore exterminator and founder of A # 1 Pest Control, a Baltimore pest control company, has definite opinions and expresses his bed bug control reasoning in a very intriguing way.

Dovid stresses in numerous ways that his company focuses on treating with pesticides that have residual effects. This means that a single bed bug treatment will take effect for up to 90 days or more when combined with high temperature washing and drying of clothing and bedding plus diligent household cleaning.

Anti-bed bug heat treatments and foggers are effective one time kills; however, A # 1 Pest Control believes in treatments with residuals, so the pest control company’s Baltimore branch does not use these other treatments. However, when they are asked to treat a small area such as a single room or small apartment, they will exterminate in the whole area and save the expense of a bed bug sniffing dog.

A # 1 Pest Control offers additional treatments as needed and works to acheive customer satisfaction. For more information about their skillful bed bug control, call the company at 410-764-PEST and check the bed bugs that have invaded your home.

I hope you appreciate that A # 1 Pest Control respects the various options for treating bed bugs. While A # 1 Pest Control dosen’t use heat treatments or foggers they don’t do so because of ineptness. The company also demonstrates a even as opposed to an all or nothing approach to using bed bug sniffing dogs. First and foremost, Essentially, the director prefers using the strongest available pesticides, and to treat with residuals so that his treatment will retain their effectiveness for as long as possible. In short, by selecting A # 1 Pest Control for your personal pest eradication needs, you will be certain that you are getting a treatment based on sound intellectual principles

Bed Bug Infestation Update





Bed Bug Found in a Chair at a Public Library

bwd bugs found in public library

bed bug was recently spotted in a chair at a public library in Fairfield, Connecticut. The incident is a reminder that you need to be mindful about bed bugs when you are visiting public places. Public libraries are especially appropriate venues  for bed bug transmission as people from all walks of life use the building and generally sit for long intervals of time. The bugs can ride in on someone’s clothes and then hop off when the carrier sits down, only to latch onto another person’s clothing later on.

If the hitchhiking bed bug is a pregnant female, then the home of the new host can become infested within weeks. Anyone visiting a public library should inspect the chair they are planning to sit in, the table area they are about to use, and the nearby floor. Bed bugs can also crawl between the pages of a book and enter homes that way, so it makes sense to inspect each book, even shake it out briefly before taking it with you. A little care when visiting a public place can prevent a costly extermination problem later on.

Bed Bugs

Acknowledgement: Some of the material in this article is being used with permission of Harvard University
bed bug taking a meal
Not long ago bed bugs were considered has beens of the pest world. Now, however, in the wake of restrictrions on the most powerful pesticides, increased travel, and urban congestion, bed bugs have made a serious comeback. In this article we consider the phenomenon of bed bug return, and we will look at the life style and life cycle of this ubiquitous pests.

Bed bugs are part of the insect family Cimicidae. There are three Cimicidae species that feed on people. The most common bedbug one found in human infestations is Cimex lectularius. Bedbugs may feed on any type of warm blooded mammal, including bats, birds, and rats.

Cimex lectularius is most often seen in the northern temperate climates of North America, Europe, and Central Asia and is most adapted for city dwelling areas. It is found more sporadically in southern temperate regions. In Florida and tropical locales it is replaced by C. hemipterus. At one time, as a result of effective insecticides such as DDT, bedbug infestations were greatly diminished in number. In recent years, however, because of the ban on the most powerful insecticides, greater urban congestion and the increase in international travel, they have made a comeback.


Mature bed bugs have no wings and are 1/5 inch long oval rusty red or mahogany in color. Bed bug bodies are very thin and have long antennae. Bedbug eyes are small, and the area behind their head puffs out on either side giving the appearance of a renaissance ruff collar. Immature bedbugs appear identical to adults except for their size, thinner cuticle, and a lighter, yellowish white color. Bed bugs are readily distinguished from kissing bugs, the vector of Chagas disease by their smaller size, more rounded shape, and lack of wings as adults.

Bed bugs can multiplying rapidly, and even a single pregnant female can infest a home. A single fertilized female lays anywhere from 200 to 500 eggs (in batches of 10 to 50). They lay their eggs in very readily available places including rough surfaces such as wood or paper. Bed bug eggs are covered with a sticky substance and hatch in about 10 days. Even after the eggs hatch, the shells frequently remain on the substrate.

Subsequently, bed bugs pass through five nymphal stages of growth. Characteristically, the nymphs require a single blood meal before molting to the next stage. The entire life cycle from egg to adult stretches over a span of time lasting anywhere from 5 weeks to 4 months, depending on temperature. Bed bugs develop more quickly in a warm climate with thermometer readings ranging from 72 to 80 degrees. Both  nymphs and adults most commonly take their blood meal at night and hide in crevices during the day. Common  hiding places include mattresses and box spring seams, cracks in bed frames, spaces behind loose wallpaper, backs of picture frames, and insides of furniture fabric coverings.

Bed bugs can live for 80 to 140 days without any nourishment; more mature ones can live longer without feeding than younger ones. Adult bed bugs have continued without nutrition for as long as 550 days. A bed bug can ingest six times its weight in blood, and their meals can extend 3 to 10 minutes. They generally live about 10 months and can produce up to 3 or 4 generations of oppspring in the course of a year.

Bed bugs may be picked up in theaters, on buses and trains, and subsequently brought into homes on clothing, bedding, luggage, or even firewood. Additionally, although much less commonly, bed bugs that feed on other mammals and birds (chickens, mice, rats, and rabbits) that live near the home may under some circumstances feed on humans if, for example, their primary hosts disappear.

Recommended Bed Bug Treatment Strategy

Our Thoughts About Bed Bug Treatment Strategy

Director of A # 1 Pest Control in BaltimoreNo two pest control companies have the same reasoning when it comes to getting rid of bed bugs. Dovid Davis, an exterminator and founder of A # 1 Pest Control, a Baltimore extermination company, is a very opinionated and outspoken individual and expresses his personal bed bug extermination theory in a most engrossing way.

Dovid stresses in ever so many ways that his company focuses on treating with pesticides that have killing effects that extend beyond the end of the treatment. This means the initial bed bug treatment will take effect for up to 90 days and even longer when combined with high temperature washing and drying of clothing and bedding plus conscientious household cleaning.


Anti-bed bug heat treatments and foggers are efficacious one time kills; however, A # 1 Pest Control believes in treatments with residuals, so the pest control company’s Baltimore branch does not use the one-time kill treatments. However, when they are asked to treat a small space such as a single room or small apartment, they will exterminate  the whole area and save the expense of using a bed bug sniffing dog.

First time bed bug treatments often clear up the problem completely, but if not the company will provide follow up treatments as needed. If you live in the Baltimore area and need bed bug service, give the company a call at 410-764-7500.

I think you can tell already that director Dovid Davis has something to say about every type of bed bug treatment. While A # 1 Pest Control doesn’t use heat treatments or foggers they don’t do so because of ineptness. The company also demonstrates a balanced rather than an all or nothing approach to employing bed bug sniffing dogs. Importantly, the company is committed to using the most powerful professional strength pest control chemicals available. In short, by selecting A # 1 Pest Control for your personal extermination needs, you will be certain that you are getting a treatment based on sound intellectual principles.