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My name is Jeff White and I'm the research etymologist for Bed Bug Central, and the host
of Bed Bug TV. Bed Bug Central is a free online informational resource where you can go and
learn anything you want to know about bed bugs, and even watch me on Bed Bug TV talking
about different bed bug topics. You know people always ask me, you know, "How did you get
into bugs and better yet how did you get into bed bugs as disgusting as they are?" And I'll
readily admit they're pretty disgusting: infesting people's homes, you know, feeding on them
while they sleep, all pretty creepy stuff. And to be honest with you, I have no idea
how I got into bugs and bed bugs. You know when I was doing my Undergraduate at Rutger's
University, I did an internship working with the Beneficial Insect Lab here in New Jersey,
and thought it was pretty neat. I always liked to be outdoors, and you know I got to walk
around in forests, finding different insects. It was a pretty cool job. And I said, "Why
not go get my Masters." I didn't know what I was going to do with it but, "Why not?"
And so I did in strawberries and got to deal with bugs and forest and all these other things,
and had a lot of fun. Did a couple years towards my Phd. Didn't finish it. Had worked with
a lot of different insects, and started to, you know, look for jobs. And got hired by
a pest control company that said bed bugs are making a comeback. You know, "We'll hire
you and you're going to work with bed bugs day in - day out." And here I am 6 years later
and having a lot of fun working with bed bugs. They offer a very unique situation where they
were virtually eradicated in the US from the end of World War II. And since then a lot
of research hasn't been conducted. And so we're learning a lot of basics that a lot
of other insects don't offer us, and having a good time at as well. I'm going to be talking
to you today about pest control.