How Western Pest Services Helped a Local College Address a Bed Bug Emergency Before the Fall Semester
The Challenge
With the fall semester approaching, a local college faced an urgent bed bug issue in one of its residence halls. The situation quickly became more than a pest control concern. After discovering bed bugs in a dorm room, the affected student shared the information on social media, creating concerns about the potential impact on the college’s reputation – just as students and families were preparing to return to campus.
The college president contacted Western Pest Services at 8:45 a.m. looking for immediate, same-day assistance. The goal was clear: identify the extent of the issue, stop it from spreading, and give the college confidence that its students and campus would be ready for the start of the semester.
The Western Approach
Western immediately mobilized a team to assess the situation. Senior Account Manager Ken Buerck connected with Service Supervisor Nick Barbieri, who coordinated with Technician Kevin Stansbury to conduct an immediate inspection. Kevin quickly identified bed bug activity in the original dorm room. But he didn’t stop there.
He asked a critical follow-up question: Where had the student been moved?
That question uncovered additional bed bug activity in the student’s new room, indicating that the issue had already spread to another building on campus.
Rather than treating only the original reported location, the Western team looked at the bigger picture and began expanding the response to identify potential areas of exposure.
Mobilizing the Right Resources
Because the investigation indicated the possibility of a larger campus-wide issue, Western brought in additional resources, including a canine inspection. When the team’s usual senior canine handler was unavailable, Western reached across branches to find another solution. Vicki Soman, office supervisor, helped coordinate the response and connected the team with canine handler Faith Pearson.
Faith and her canine partner, Tony, arrived in less than two hours and conducted a comprehensive inspection of the affected dorm floor, including:
- Student rooms
- Common areas
- Laundry facilities
The laundry room was particularly important because students from throughout the building could potentially encounter infested clothing or bedding, creating additional opportunities for bed bugs to spread.
At the same time, Western was preparing for whatever the inspection uncovered. Nick Barbieri and Pete Riccobene coordinated next steps while Kevin Stansbury brought in Technician Randy Freeman so the team could respond immediately if additional activity was identified.
The Solution
When Tony identified additional bed bug activity, Western was ready to act. Randy was dispatched immediately to treat the identified areas, including the laundry room. He also addressed additional concerns and inspected nearby rooms to help reduce the risk of further spread.
Throughout the response, Western maintained close communication with the college president and the teams working on-site.
By 2:30 p.m. – less than six hours after the initial emergency call – the college, with Western’s help, had addressed the identified bed bug activity and was prepared to move forward toward the fall semester.
The Customer Experience
For the college president, the experience went beyond simply solving a pest problem.
The speed, coordination, and professionalism of the Western team helped the college:
- Quickly identify the scope of the issue
- Reduce the risk of further spread
- Protect students, faculty, and the campus community
- Address growing concerns on social media
- Maintain clear communication throughout the response
- Prepare the residence hall for the upcoming semester
Despite multiple Western team members and resources being involved, the college president described the experience as seamless. Inspections and treatments were conducted discreetly, while consistent communication helped reassure students and parents that the situation was being addressed.
The Result
What began as an urgent 8:45 a.m. call became a coordinated, same-day response involving team members from multiple Western branches. By 2:30 p.m., the college had completed the immediate response and was positioned to move forward with preparations for the fall semester.
The success wasn’t the result of one person or one service. It was the result of a team that communicated, anticipated challenges, shared resources, and stayed focused on the customer’s needs.
Why It Matters
For colleges and universities, pest issues can quickly become operational, reputational, and customer-experience challenges.
Western Pest Services understands that responding to a pest issue means looking beyond the immediate problem. It means asking the right questions, identifying potential risks, bringing together the right expertise, and acting quickly.
In this case, a single follow-up question uncovered additional activity. Cross-branch collaboration brought in specialized canine inspection capabilities. And proactive planning allowed the team to respond immediately when additional activity was found.
The result: a faster response, reduced risk, and a college community that could move forward with greater confidence.
The Western Difference
One customer. One team. One mission.
From the first call to the final treatment, Western’s team stayed connected and focused on one goal: delivering the best possible customer experience.
Different roles. Different branches. Different areas of expertise.
One Western team working together to provide the right solution when it mattered most.
