Help, I found a Bed Bug

Bed Bugs continue to be alive and well in the time of Covid, but just like you and me, they are not happy being quarantined. They are missing going out and seeing the world but our advice on the matter of bed bugs remains the same.

If you think you found a bed bug or suspect bed bugs, the first order of business is to remain calm. Don’t start throwing out everything you own until you have done some research.

Bed bug populations increase rapidly; however, you will not have an infestation overnight. It takes many months for this to happen. So, if you have just found one bug, you needn’t worry that your whole house is crawling with bugs.

Bed Bugs do not pose any health risk to your family as they do not carry or transmit disease. The biggest health risk is the psychological stress of knowing you have bed bugs. It can be difficult to go back into the room where you found the bug and even harder to think about sleeping on the bed knowing you are laying yourself out on a platter for the bed bugs to feast later that night.

IDENTIFY YOUR NEMESIS

There are a number of bugs that can be found in your home, such as carpet beetles, spider beetles, roach nymphs and furniture beetles.  Take a picture of any bug you find and start doing a bit of research on the internet or send a text picture of the bug to Bed Bugs Dead Bugs and we will identify it for you. My assistant Logan is a fully certified Pest Control Professional with experience in identifying most common pests.

In The early stages of a bed bug infestation, you may get one or two bites and then see nothing for a few weeks. This is because the bed bug has feasted on you and has gone back into hiding to lay her eggs. In about two weeks, she will repeat the process. It can take several months for you to even notice the pattern.

If you are only seeing bite marks and have not yet found the bug that is biting you, we suggest you grab a flash light and start hunting in the usual places bed bugs like to hide. Bed bugs are small but can be seen by the naked eye, it is just a matter of looking in the right places or seeing tell-tale marks.

Flip up your mattress and box spring to search for live bugs, dead bugs, black smears and red blood smears. Bed Bugs particularly like to hide around the staples in the box spring.

Shine your flashlight on all the joints of the bed frame and headboard. Open your bedside table drawers and inspect anything that is on the night table, such as books for evidence of bed bugs. Lastly, check behind any picture frames to see if they are hiding there.

Another indicator that you are dealing with bed bug bites tend to be in in groups in one area of your body. The swell up and stay itchy for quite a few days. If you are getting bitten around the feet, inspect the bottom of the bed and if you are getting bitten on the arms or shoulders, check the top of the bed for tell-tale signs.

CALL YOUR LANDLORD FOR HELP

Once you have determined you are getting bed bug bites, it’s time to think about calling in management to assist.

If you live in an apartment building or you rent a house or flat, the first call you should make is to your landlord. In Ontario, your landlord is responsible for providing you with a “vermin-free home” according to The Landlord and Tenant Act. The Act does not place blame as to how the pest came into the place but clearly puts the responsibility on the landlord. It doesn’t matter if you went on vacation and brought back bed bugs or if your friend stayed over and slept on the sofa and gave you a parting gift of a few bed bugs. Your landlord is required by law to treat your unit for bed bugs if you can provide evidence that you have an infestation.

It’s even more important that you involve your landlord in the process as pest control can be an expensive undertaking using traditional spray treatments. Depending on the size of your home, chemical treatments cost upwards of $500 and you will need at least two treatments.

The first treatment is to kill any adult bugs and the second treatment is to kill any eggs that have hatched. You may require three, four or five treatments to be successful and your landlord is not going to be happy to foot the bill, but the law says it is the landlords responsibility.

WHY SPRAY TREATMENTS CAN BE INEFFECTIVE

Pest control companies using traditional spray treatment are using pesticides developed in the mid 1970s. That means that bed bugs have had at least 45 years to genetically modify to become immune to the pyrethroids used in those sprays. Yes, the spray treatment will kill many of your bed bugs, but it will not kill all of them.

I have had customers tell me tales of having a chemical treatment and then watching the bed bugs avoid the areas that were sprayed. Bed bugs can smell the chemicals and avoid them. This makes it even more challenging to kill them.

If you are thinking of going to the local hardware store and getting some bed bug spray, STOP RIGHT THERE, if the chemicals that the professionals are trained to use are not effective, how effective do you think the over-the-counter sprays are going to be? The answer: USELESS. They are a complete waste of your money as the chemical make up of the spray contains absolutely nothing that will kill bed bugs. Take time and look at the label to review the ingredients. Then grab a can designed for flea. You are going to discover that they use the same ingredient for bed bugs, fleas, ants, etc. Save your money and skip the trip to the hardware store.

WHY HEAT TREATMENT WORKS

Bed bugs have not been able to adapt their genetic make up to change their thermal death temperature of 45C. Adults, eggs and every stage of nymph in between, all die at 45C! This is good news for you.

If you can turn your bedroom into a giant oven and bake those bloodsuckers, you will be killing all of them at once – in a single treatment. How beautiful is that?

Guess what? You can turn your bedroom into a bed bug incinerator with Bed Bugs Dead Bugs heater rental equipment. To top it off, rental rates start at $200 for a house and $225 for an apartment or condominium.

Yes, you can be bed bug free in one day and never have to leave your home during the treatment! OMG, I am sounding like an infomercial, but it’s true. Bed Bugs Dead Bugs has been helping families for six years to kill bed bugs in a single treatment using heat.

It works or we wouldn’t still be in business!!!!!

Call Adrienne today to find out how we can help you Sleep Tight Tonight. 416-824-6009