News

Bed Bugs Threaten Hotels in the Time of COVID-19

Published in HOTEL BUSINESS: Expert Insight - MAY 13, 2020

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For Immediate Release

CONTACT: Chris Murray
610-864-9123

Allergy Technologies Stresses the Importance of Responsible Control of Public Health Pests During the COVID-19 Response

AMBLER, PA. - MAY 06, 2020 - With stay-at-home orders in place in most states, public health structural pests like bedbugs, roaches and rodents are proliferating because of increased accessibility to food sources. All of these contribute to worsening asthma conditions and related breathing complications, which may lead to more severe cases of COVID-19 for the 25 million asthmatics in the U.S.

Although pest control has been deemed an essential service by Homeland Security and the vast majority of states during the COVID-19 pandemic, concerns over maintaining social distancing and possible exposure to the coronavirus has significantly slowed, or stopped, treatments for these internal structural pests.

“The implementation of stay-at-home mandates has created a fertile breeding ground for bedbugs, roaches, and rodents. This is especially true for multi-occupant, assisted living, and hospitality properties,” said Joseph Latino, President of Allergy Technologies. “There is a need to strike the ‘right’ balance between preserving public health through preventive and focused pest control, while not causing undue exposure risk to clients during the COVID-19 pandemic.”

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Additional coverage can be seen at PMP Magazine

An Open Letter to Hoteliers re: COVID-19

Published in Hotel Business April 23, 2020

By Joseph Latino

Dear Hotel Owner,

We are writing to make you aware of an important COVID-19 related bedbug issue. Hotels being repurposed to become centers for COVID-19 patients and workers will be facing significant bedbug treatment costs if they don’t adopt preventative measures now. In addition, hotels with reduced census may start seeing bedbug issues spread through the hotel as existing bedbugs move to find blood meals in occupied rooms.

With many states in the U.S. implementing shelter-in-place guidelines, reports of bedbug incidents are rising greatly. People are spending more time in beds and sofas at home, giving bedbugs frequent blood meals that are essential to speeding up reproduction and leading to major infestations. Compounding the problem is that bed-ridden COVID-19 patients are a prime, unmoving food source for bedbugs. With this in mind, the influx of new occupants resulting from your repurposing efforts makes the likelihood of a significant increase in bedbug introductions a certain event. For hotels helping with COVID, prevention can mean the difference between treating a few rooms and expensive, building-wide bedbug treatment.

Click here to read the full letter

For Immediate Release

CONTACT:
Chris Murray
610-864-9123

First U.S. Bed Bug Prevention Program Launched at Philadelphia Affordable Housing Complex

Allergy Technologies’ ATAHC Program is joined by leading pest control industry companies – Corbett Exterminating, Key K9, Rockwell Labs, Bayer Environmental Science, Target Specialty Products, and MGK -- to address the growing bed bug problem in Philadelphia

AMBLER, Pa. – February 11, 2020 – Allergy Technologies LLC, manufacturer of ActiveGuard® Mattress Liners, with the support of Philadelphia Councilman Mark Squilla and local affordable housing management, is spearheading an effort to address the rampant bed bug problem in Philadelphia.

Allergy Technologies, along with other leading researchers, has developed the ATAHC (Allergy Technologies Affordable Housing Control and Prevention) Program for bed bugs - a first of its kind program designed to create an affordable and sustainable model of control and prevention of bed bugs within affordable housing.

ATAHC (pronounced ‘attack’) is distinguished from other approaches by incorporating an initial facility-wide remediation, effectively lowering the bed bug population.  This status is sustained by the installation of long-acting preventive measures property-wide.  Program success relies upon early detection and prompt intervention through an emphasis on engagement by residents and staff through continuing education.

According to Councilman Mark Squilla, “I’m determined to eliminate Philadelphia from all lists of worst bed bug cities.  Bed bugs have significantly impacted the lives of Philadelphia residents, apartment owners and other commercial establishments.  I appreciate the work done on the ATAHC Program by Allergy Technologies – a great Philadelphia area company – and the cooperation of management, staff and residents at the property.”

Current treatment strategies are not working, and bed bug infestations continue to rise across the country, especially in community housing environments. The main sufferers are residents, whose quality of life is being severely impacted.  “The ATAHC Program will make a huge difference for managers, staff and residents of affordable housing,” said Joseph Latino, President of Allergy Technologies.  “The turnkey nature of the Program and the ability to protect residents from bed bugs further highlight this groundbreaking initiative.”

“While core tenets of the ATAHC Program include early detection and intervention, a key component of the program’s success comes from working closely with property management, staff and residents —all of whom have been incredibly supportive,” continued Latino.

Jeffrey Lipman, Esq., whose practice focuses on the legal consequences of bed bugs in multiple occupant housing, often encounters the significant financial and emotional consequences of infestations.  “In addition to the costs of treating the continuous challenges of bed bugs for residents of affordable housing, budget constraints can often contribute to delayed treatments and therefore worsen the problem,” said Lipman.  “I applaud this program’s core preventive objective that will alleviate the burdens placed on residents as a result of this insidious pest.”

Entomologist Dr. Jim Ballard, a principal of Ballard Consulting who has been researching bed bugs for fifteen years and has seen the ineffective results from treatments in absence of long-lasting protection.  “I’m impressed with the proactive approach adopted by the ATAHC Program, which uses select, field-proven strategies to prevent infestations.  The program has also emphasized staff and resident engagement, which typically is overlooked.”  Staff and resident education about effective pest prevention and control as well as the benefits of the Program has already taken place at the initial selected property.

“The fact that our hometown is ranked as one of the topmost bed bug-infested cities in the country is not acceptable, so we decided to do something about it,” said Gus Carey, Managing Director and founder of Allergy Technologies.  “While this demonstration alone will not immediately solve the overall bed bug problem in Philadelphia, it will ultimately showcase an effective and cost-sustainable strategy for bed bug control and prevention that will improve the quality of life for Philadelphia residents,” Carey continued.  Carey expects the success of the ATAHC Program will lead to its being replicated throughout the City of Brotherly Love and across the country.

In addition to developing the ATAHC Program, Allergy Technologies has donated more than $100,000 of ActiveGuard liners to the Philadelphia Housing Authority building complex.  Corbett Exterminating, a professional pest control provider with expansive experience in affordable housing, has been chosen to implement the demonstration.  Leading pest control companies including Key K9, Rockwell Labs, Bayer Environmental Science, Target Specialty Products, and MGK have made significant product donations and lent their professional time to support the effort.

ActiveGuard Mattress Liners are field-proven in hotels, apartments and colleges and provide long term prevention of bed bugs in or on mattresses and box springs, working 24/7 for two years. ActiveGuard liners come in four bed sizes and are easily installed by one person.

For more details, please visit the Allergy Technologies website at: www.AllergyTechnologies.com.

About Allergy Technologies LLC

Allergy Technologies LLC is committed to the creation and manufacture of innovative, effective and consumer-friendly products addressing major issues in both pest control and healthcare. The company’s product claims are always the result of scientific truth and rigor. ActiveGuard Mattress Liners are available for purchase by pest control professionals and distributors; hoteliers; colleges and universities; property management; federal, state and local housing; cruise lines; and homeowners.  Allergy Technologies is a subsidiary of A. Carey Co. LLC, which focuses on using philanthropy as a core business strategy for its businesses. Through its Philanprofit^SM strategy, a portion of all ActiveGuard proceeds go to help fund inner-city homeless and women's shelters and asthma clinics.

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Do you know the 'true cost' of a dealing with a bed bug occurrence in your hotel?

"...A common mistake hotels make is underestimating the cost of bed bugs infestations and treating the problem instead of preventing it.

While it [bed bug prevention] is often deemed too expensive, it shouldn't be, when you consider the 'true cost' of an infestation."

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College Planning & Management - April 2019 Issue

Preventing and Treating Bed Bug Infestations in Residence Halls

by Joseph Latino

College dorms are among the top 10 hiding places for bed bugs. Prevention is preferable to treatment when dealing with this pest.

The 2018 “Bugs Without Borders” survey conducted by the National Pest Management Association found that college dormitories are the seventh most common place pest management professionals (PMPs) found bed bugs. (Single-family homes are the most common, followed by apartments/condominiums and hotels/motels). Forty-five percent of PMPs reported treating for bed bugs in college dorms. And, three of four PMPs say that bed bugs are the #1 most difficult pest to control.

College dormitories experience significant human traffic, and contain personal belongings, equipment, furnishings and décor that provide harborage near potential hosts (humans). Often the student’s bed is the center of activity—used for studying, relaxing, and eating, in addition to sleeping. Plus, dorm rooms are typically small—and cluttered, giving the bugs more places to hide and making it harder to get rid of them. This combination puts dorms in the “high risk” category for bed bug infestations.

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Today's Hotelier - January 2019 Issue

Key to Bed Bug-Free Hotels

A STUDY FROM ORKIN, A nationwide pest control company, found that eight of 10 hotels had dealt with bed bugs in the past year, and 40 percent had treated for bed bugs in the past month.

The hotel industry is particularly vulnerable to bed bug infestations due to two important factors, namely, bed bug "biology and behavior" and hotel "biology and behavior." The biology of bed bugs requires them to have a blood meal (preferably humans), and their behavior often is to hitchhike to new sources for their sustenance. The hotel community "biology" survives on frequent guests who, unfortunately, may be carrying bed bugs. The guest’s "behavior" is to stay a relatively short period of time and move on – possibly with bed bugs as their travel companion.

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For Immediate Release

CONTACT:
Chris Murray
BTC
610-864-9123
cmurray@btcmarketing.com

Allergy Technologies, Manufacturer of ActiveGuard, Named a Supply Partner by Hilton Supply Management

ActiveGuard Mattress Liners are the ONLY EPA-registered Product Labeled for Two-Year Prevention of Bed Bug Infestations

AMBLER, Pa. – January 3, 2019 – Allergy Technologies LLC, a leading science-based manufacturer of innovative, effective, consumer-friendly pest control products, has been named a supply partner by Hilton Supply Management, the global supply chain partner for more than 6,000 properties, including Hilton and non-Hilton-branded hotels. Allergy Technologies is the manufacturer of ActiveGuard® Mattress Liners, the only EPA-registered, proactive product labeled to prevent bed bug infestations for two years. They are the first mattress liners to work against bed bugs – even new, more resistant strains. In hotel use for years, ActiveGuard-based preventive programs have proven to reduce infestations as much as 90 percent or more.

ActiveGuard liners kill bed bugs in or on mattresses and box springs and are effective in both active and preventive bed bug control strategies. Maintenance-free and non-disruptive to hotel operating efficiencies, the liners work 24/7 for two years protecting both guests and bedding from bed bugs. ActiveGuard comes in four bed sizes and are easily installed by one person.

Extensively evaluated in field studies, ActiveGuard’s ability to save hoteliers hundreds of thousands of dollars in operational expense while preserving brand reputation is well documented in “Do Not Disturb,” an editorial by Jeff Fenner in the June 15, 2016 PCT Magazine Bed Bug Supplement. In a large convention hotel that is part of a major brand hotel chain, ActiveGuard installed on box springs facility-wide (1,600 rooms) was successful in preventing infestations over a two-year period while providing protection against potential bed bug related litigation.

“Bed bugs are a pest that notoriously plague properties with high client turnover, which makes proactively addressing the bed bug resurgence even more critical for hotels,” added Joseph Latino, President of Allergy Technologies.  “The financial benefits of preventing bed bugs are clear: reducing operational expenses, increasing hotel revenues, preserving the hotel’s reputation, enhancing guest confidence and reducing legal liability.”

Allergy Technologies offers the only performance guarantee against bed bugs when using ActiveGuard to prevent infestations. For a period no longer than two years from the time of purchase, if one or more bed bugs are found in contact with an ActiveGuard Mattress Liner and continue to be alive after seventy-two hours of contact, Allergy Technologies will either replace the liner at no cost to the property or reimburse the property for their purchase price of the liner. For more details about the guarantee, please visit the Allergy Technologies website at www.AllergyTechnologies.com.

About Allergy Technologies LLC
Allergy Technologies LLC is committed to the creation and manufacture of innovative, effective and consumer-friendly products addressing major issues in both pest control and healthcare. The company’s product claims are always the result of scientific truth and rigor. ActiveGuard Mattress Liners are available for purchase by pest control professionals and distributors; hoteliers; colleges and universities; property management; federal, state and local housing; cruise lines; and homeowners.  Allergy Technologies is a subsidiary of A. Carey Co. LLC, which focuses on using philanthropy as a core business strategy for its businesses. Through its PhilanprofitSM strategy, a portion of all ActiveGuard proceeds go to help fund inner-city homeless and women's shelters and asthma clinics.

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For Immediate Release

CONTACT:
Chris Murray
610-254-7422
cmurray@btcmarketing.com

Allergy Technologies Offers First Ever Hotel Bed Bug Guarantee Program

Hotels that invest in hotel-wide protection using ActiveGuard^® Mattress Liners will be reimbursed up to 10% for any bed bug treatment costs incurred during the two-year period from date of purchase.

AMBLER, Pa. – (September 5, 2018) – Allergy Technologies LLC, a leading science-based manufacturer of innovative, effective, consumer-friendly pest control products, has introduced its ActiveGuard-based Hospitality Guarantee Program for hotels.

ActiveGuard Mattress Liners (‘ActiveGuard’) are the only EPA-registered product labeled to prevent bed bug infestations for two years. They are the first mattress liners to actually kill bed bugs – even new, more resistant strains. In hotel use for years, ActiveGuard-based preventive programs have proven to reduce infestations as much as 90% or more.

For any hotel-wide purchase of ActiveGuard, Allergy Technologies will reimburse hotels up to 10% of the invoiced price for any bed bug treatment costs incurred during the two-year period from the date the liners were purchased.

“The bottom line is prevention is more effective and less expensive than treating bed bugs,” said Gus Carey, Managing Partner and CEO of Allergy Technologies.  “And we have such great confidence in the ActiveGuard-driven preventive strategy that we are able to offer this guarantee, which is unprecedented in the hospitality industry.”

ActiveGuard liners kill bed bugs in or on mattresses and box springs and are effective in both active and preventive bed bug treatment strategies. Maintenance-free and non-disruptive to hotel operating efficiencies, these liners work 24/7 for two years protecting both bedding and guests from bed bugs. ActiveGuard comes in four bed sizes and are easily installed by one person.

“Bed bugs are a pest that notoriously plague properties with high client turnover, which makes proactively addressing the bed bug resurgence even more critical for hotels,” added Joseph Latino, President of Allergy Technologies.  “The financial benefits of preventing bed bugs are clear: reducing operational expenses, increasing hotel revenues, preserving the hotel’s reputation, enhancing guest confidence and reducing legal liability.”

To read the ActiveGuard Hospitality Guarantee Program guidelines, visit  www.allergytechnologies.com and www.hotelbedbugprevention.com.  To learn more or participate in the Hospitality Guarantee Program, please call 1-866-978-6288.

About Allergy Technologies LLC

Allergy Technologies LLC is committed to the creation and manufacture of innovative, effective and consumer-friendly products addressing major issues in both pest control and healthcare. The company’s product claims are always the result of scientific truth and rigor. ActiveGuard Mattress Liners are available for purchase by pest control professionals and distributors; hoteliers; colleges and universities; property management; federal, state and local housing; cruise lines; and homeowners.  Allergy Technologies is a subsidiary of A. Carey Co. LLC, which focuses on using philanthropy as a core business strategy for its businesses. Through its Philanprofit (SM) strategy, a portion of all ActiveGuard proceeds go to help fund inner-city homeless and women's shelters and asthma clinics.

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For Immediate Release

Click here to download this press release

Re: Amazon and eBay ActiveGuard Buyer Warning

March 2018 (Ambler, PA) -  Allergy Technologies takes customer satisfaction seriously and, upon investigation of several recent customer complaints about product performance, has determined that there are noncertified resellers selling our ActiveGuard® Mattress Liners on Amazon and Ebay.Unfortunately, due to the activities of these sellers, Allergy Technologies can no longer honor our ActiveGuard warranty for purchases made through Amazon and Ebay or product that does not match the language currently approved for our registered product. Allergy Technologies is working with internet marketplace platforms to ensure that future sales of ActiveGuard are ONLY sold by ‘Manufacturer-Certified Resellers’ that adhere to the Company’s quality standards for sale. The ActiveGuard warranty continues to be fully supported for any product sold online through our Allergy Technologies website or directly from an authorized distributor. We appreciate your business and look forward to servicing you in the future.

Yours faithfully,
Allergy Technologies LLC

About Allergy Technologies
Allergy Technologies LLC is committed to the creation and manufacture of innovative, effective and consumer-friendly products addressing major issues in both pest control and healthcare. The managers and employees of Allergy Technologies are stewards of the community and environment, making meaningful contributions to impactful philanthropic causes. Consistent with the Philanprofit spirit of its founder, a portion of all Allergy Technologies profits are dedicated to improving the lives of others.

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