Testing the Hypothesis
1. Most low-income and middle-class Americans cannot afford pest control. Bed bugs are a common household pest that affect low-income Americans more than middle or upper-class Americans. These blood-sucking insects are also known to invade hotels, hostels, homeless shelters, and dormitories. These pests are elusive and difficult to detect until an infestation has occurred. Bed bugs are also able to hide within clothing or on luggage.
2. I have identified two “who’s” for this problem. I believe bed bugs affect bother low-income Americans and people who stay at hotels or hostels.
Who: Low-income Americans
What: This demographic is affected by pests more than middle-class or upper-class Americans and cannot afford help.
Why: The majority of treatments or products aimed towards eliminating pests are expensive.
2nd Who: People who stay at hotels/hostels: people on vacation, people whose job requires them to travel
2nd What: Travelers may suffer from bed bug bites while staying in a hotel.
2nd Why: Bed bugs are known to hide in clothing and luggage. These insects are easily able to spread from a person or person’s luggage into a hotel room. An infestation in one room can easily spread to other rooms, causing an infestation throughout the building. Sometimes these infestations are difficult to detect due to the elusiveness of the bug.
3. Hypothesis: Both low-income Americans and people who travel are in need of an affordable product/service that can detect the presence of these insects within hours. Therefore, this person could know whether there are bed bugs in the hotel or their room before they are bitten or before an infestation occurs.
Testing the who: I believe there may be others who have this need. Students who live in dorms and apartments may have this need.
Testing the what: I stated that low-income Americans have this need because they cannot afford help. Maybe there are other reasons this need exists.
Testing the why: I do believe treatments are expensive; however, there are other reasons. People are also not able to afford devices that monitor for pests. People may blame pest control companies for this. People may blame the government’s lack of pest regulation for this. I really do not know why this problem exists.
4. I interviewed three UF undergraduate students, one UCF undergraduate student, and one employee of a pest control company.
Nearly every person had a different perspective on this problem. One person said that they have never had problems with pests. One student actually woke up with bed bug bites during the first night in her new apartment in Gainesville. The man who worked for the pest control company said that he frequently treats hotels with infestations. The other people interviewed said that they have had problems with ants, mice, rats, and/or flies. Overall, only one person had a personal experience with bed bugs.
When I asked about their attitudes on pest control, one student said that they relied on Raid because of how cheap this product is. The employee of the pest control company said that he thinks pest control companies are necessary and provide treatment that no other field offers. The other students did not have any opinions or attitudes towards pest control companies or pest control.
5. Only one of the people interviewed had a personal experience with bed bugs; however, I believe the worker for the pest control company highlighted the likeliness of being attack by bed bugs while staying at a hotel. He even mentioned that he treated a bed bug infestation in a pharmacy. Overall, I believe my “who’s” remain the same; however, maybe more businesses are affected by bed bugs than I originally thought. Also, new residents of apartment complexes may be added to this list. I believe my “whats” and “whys” are the same after these interviews. These bugs spread easily and are difficult to manage.
2. I have identified two “who’s” for this problem. I believe bed bugs affect bother low-income Americans and people who stay at hotels or hostels.
Who: Low-income Americans
What: This demographic is affected by pests more than middle-class or upper-class Americans and cannot afford help.
Why: The majority of treatments or products aimed towards eliminating pests are expensive.
2nd Who: People who stay at hotels/hostels: people on vacation, people whose job requires them to travel
2nd What: Travelers may suffer from bed bug bites while staying in a hotel.
2nd Why: Bed bugs are known to hide in clothing and luggage. These insects are easily able to spread from a person or person’s luggage into a hotel room. An infestation in one room can easily spread to other rooms, causing an infestation throughout the building. Sometimes these infestations are difficult to detect due to the elusiveness of the bug.
3. Hypothesis: Both low-income Americans and people who travel are in need of an affordable product/service that can detect the presence of these insects within hours. Therefore, this person could know whether there are bed bugs in the hotel or their room before they are bitten or before an infestation occurs.
Testing the who: I believe there may be others who have this need. Students who live in dorms and apartments may have this need.
Testing the what: I stated that low-income Americans have this need because they cannot afford help. Maybe there are other reasons this need exists.
Testing the why: I do believe treatments are expensive; however, there are other reasons. People are also not able to afford devices that monitor for pests. People may blame pest control companies for this. People may blame the government’s lack of pest regulation for this. I really do not know why this problem exists.
4. I interviewed three UF undergraduate students, one UCF undergraduate student, and one employee of a pest control company.
Nearly every person had a different perspective on this problem. One person said that they have never had problems with pests. One student actually woke up with bed bug bites during the first night in her new apartment in Gainesville. The man who worked for the pest control company said that he frequently treats hotels with infestations. The other people interviewed said that they have had problems with ants, mice, rats, and/or flies. Overall, only one person had a personal experience with bed bugs.
When I asked about their attitudes on pest control, one student said that they relied on Raid because of how cheap this product is. The employee of the pest control company said that he thinks pest control companies are necessary and provide treatment that no other field offers. The other students did not have any opinions or attitudes towards pest control companies or pest control.
5. Only one of the people interviewed had a personal experience with bed bugs; however, I believe the worker for the pest control company highlighted the likeliness of being attack by bed bugs while staying at a hotel. He even mentioned that he treated a bed bug infestation in a pharmacy. Overall, I believe my “who’s” remain the same; however, maybe more businesses are affected by bed bugs than I originally thought. Also, new residents of apartment complexes may be added to this list. I believe my “whats” and “whys” are the same after these interviews. These bugs spread easily and are difficult to manage.
Hey Ashley,
ReplyDeleteI think your idea on affordable pest control is a very compelling subject. I personally had never experienced any pest issues while living in my apartment in Gainesville, but I had many friends that have and their only alternative was using Raid. I also think it's interesting how through your research you discovered that this idea might be more tailored to businesses than you originally thought because that happened with my idea as well.