With bed bugs continuing to make headlines, pest control company Orkin, Inc. and the American Society for Healthcare Environmental Services (ASHES) of the American Hospital Association have released a new white paper to answer questions about bed bugs and their implications for healthcare and long-term care providers.

“Concern about bed bugs has grown steadily over the past decade alongside the bed bugs resurgence,” said ASHES executive director Patti Costello.  “We asked Orkin to provide some insight to help our members better understand the practical issues and solutions surrounding these pests.”

In “Pulling Back the Sheets on the Bed Bug Controversy: Research, Prevention and Management in Hospital & Long-Term Care Facilities,” Orkin entomologists Ron Harrison, PhD, and Bill Lawrence, PhD, examine the current position of the medical and pest management communities on the bed bug issue, share Orkin technical and field research and offer tips on prevention, early detection and remediation in hospital and long-term care settings.  

“Orkin services thousands of healthcare and long-term care facilities, and from what we have observed, early detection is critical,” said Harrison, who also is Orkin’s director of technical services.  “Once bed bugs are in a facility, infestations can spread quickly, so monitoring for bed bugs has to be a fundamental part of any preventive pest management program.”

The white paper will be distributed at the annual ASHES Annual Conference & Technical Exhibition in Reno, Nev. Sept. 21-22, then will be available for complimentary download at 

ASHES and Orkin have partnered on educational materials in the past, including the ASHES Recommended Practice on Integrated Pest Management (IPM) in the health care industry.  Health care providers can learn more about pest management best practices from Orkin and ASHES, or request a complimentary copy of the ASHES Recommended Practice or the white paper at 