FAIRFAX, Va. – This June 7-13, 2020 is Bed Bug Awareness Week, an annual campaign in which the Professional Pest Management Alliance (PPMA), the public outreach arm of the National Pest Management Association (NPMA), works to educate consumers about the prevalence of bed bugs. Through various media relations and social media tactics, PPMA will work to ensure the public remains vigilant against bed bugs, is aware of the signs of an infestation and of the importance of working with a licensed pest control professional. 

“With all of the excitement the prospect of summer travel brings in response to stay-at-home restrictions being slowly lifted nationwide, it’s easy to forget that bed bugs are still very much a threat,” said Cindy Mannes, executive director of PPMA. “It’s a common misconception that bed bugs simply disappear without human hosts, as they’re actually able to survive for several months while waiting for their next meal. Bed bug populations that were established in hotels before the COVID-19 crisis impacted occupancy rates may in fact be hungrier than ever, posing an increased threat to unsuspecting travelers.”  

With more than six million online conversations in the U.S. on the topic of finding bed bugs in April 2020 alone – a 70 percent increase from this time last year* – PPMA is urging industry professionals to get involved by taking advantage of the custom marketing materials made available on PPMAMainframe.org. 

“To aid our partners who have supported our industry’s initiatives by investing in PPMA, we’ve developed a robust Bed Bug Awareness Week toolkit to help promote their businesses and the importance of working with a pest control professional. We will also be unveiling a series of exclusive videos next week showing consumer audiences just how elusive and difficult to control these hitchhiking pests are,” added Mannes. 

The toolkit is available for download to Mainframe subscribers on PPMAMainframe.org, an exclusive digital marketing hub containing hundreds of custom, professionally-designed marketing materials and assets for pest control companies to use to promote their business. The Bed Bug Awareness Week kit contains a customizable press release, suggested social media content, Bed Bug Awareness Week logos, high resolution photography, media training documents and a list of video content that can be directly embedded on a company’s website. 

*Online engagement findings are a result of research conducted by Advanced Symbolics Inc.