Bed Bugs

 

WHAT ARE BED BUGS?
Bed bugs are small insects that feed on human blood. They are usually active at night when people are sleeping. Adult bed bugs have flat rusty-red-colored oval bodies. Adult bed bugs are about the size of an apple seed - they are big enough to be easily seen, but often hide in cracks in furniture, floors, or walls. When bed bugs feed, their bodies swell and become brighter red. They can live for several months without feeding on a host.

WHAT DOES A BED BUG BITE FEEL AND LOOK LIKE?
Most bed bug bites are initially painless, but later turn into large, itchy skin welts. These welts do not have a red spot in the center as do the bites from fleas.

ARE BED BUGS DANGEROUS?
Although bed bugs and their bites are a nuisance, they are not known to spread diseases.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

HOW DOES A HOME BECOME INFESTED WITH BED BUGS?
In most cases, people carry bed bugs into their homes unknowingly, in infested luggage, furniture, bedding or clothing.

HOW CAN I GET RID OF BED BUGS?
1. Find out where bed bugs are hiding in your home. Use a bright flashlight to look for bed bugs or their dark droppings in bedroom furniture.

Check:
• Behind your headboard.
• In the seams of your mattress and inside the box spring.
• Along bedroom baseboard cracks.
• In and around nightstands.
• Other bedroom items, including window and door casings, pictures, moldings, nearby furniture, loose wallpaper, cracks in plaster and partitions, and clutter.

2. Clean areas where bed bugs are likely to hide.

• Clean bedding, linens, curtains, rugs, carpets, and clothes. To kill bed bugs, wash items in hot water and dry them on the highest dryer setting. Soak delicate clothes in warm water, with lots of laundry soap, for several hours before rinsing. Wool items, plush toys, shoes, and many other items can be placed into a hot dryer for 30 minutes to get rid of bed bugs.
• Vacuum mattresses, bed frames, nearby furniture, floors, and carpets. Pay special attention to cracks and open spaces. Immediately after vacuuming, put the vacuum cleaner bag in a sealed plastic bag, and dispose of it in an outdoor container.
• If you find bed bugs on a mattress, cover it with a waterproof, zippered mattress cover labeled “allergen rated,” or “for dust mites.” Keep the cover on for at least one year.

 

HOW CAN I KEEP BED BUGS OUT OF MY HOME?
• Wash clothing and inspect luggage immediately after returning from a trip.
• Inspect used furniture for bed bugs before bringing it into your home.
• Never bring discarded bed frames, mattresses, box springs, or upholstered furniture into your home.

HOW CAN I KEEP MY FURNITURE FROM INFESTING SOMEONE ELSE'S HOME?
• Never resell or donate infested furniture or clothing.
• If you throw infested furniture away, make it undesirable to others by cutting or poking holes in its upholstery or making it unusable.
Tape a sign to it that says, “Infested with Bed Bugs.”

 

Treatment & Control

Just spraying pesticides is not the solution.

 

Control of bed bugs is best achieved by following an integrated pest management (IPM) approach that involves multiple tactics, such as preventive measures, sanitation, and chemicals applied to targeted sites.

 

Bed bugs are challenging pests to control. They hide in many tiny places, so inspections and treatments must be thorough. In most cases, it will be prudent to enlist the services of a professional pest control firm such as Prevail Pest Control.

 

Prevail knows where to look for bed bugs, and has an assortment of management tools at their disposal. Owners and occupants will need to assist Prevail in important ways. Affording access for inspection and treatment is essential, and excess clutter should be removed. In some cases, infested mattresses and box springs will need to be discarded. Since bed bugs can disperse throughout a building, it may also be necessary to inspect adjoining rooms and apartments.

 

Bed bugs were treated years ago by wholesale spraying of pesticides. This practice is no longer permitted. Thoroughness is still important, but treatments today are generally more targeted and judicious. It often takes hours to properly inspect and treat a bed bug infestation, and follow-up visits are usually required.

 

Infested bedding and garments will need to be bagged and laundered (120°F minimum), or discarded since these items cannot be treated with insecticides. Smaller items that cannot be laundered can sometimes be de-infested by heating. Individual items, for example, can be wrapped in black plastic bags and placed in a hot, sunny location for at least a few days (the 120°F minimum target temperature should be monitored in the centermost location with a thermometer). Bedbugs also succumb to cold temperatures below freezing, but the chilling period must be maintained for at least two weeks. Attempts to rid an entire home or apartment of bed bugs by raising or lowering the thermostat will be entirely unsuccessful. Vacuuming can be very useful for removing bugs and eggs from mattresses, carpet, walls, and other surfaces. Pay particular attention to seams, tufts, and edges of mattresses and box springs, and the perimeter edge of wall-to-wall carpets.

 

Afterward, dispose of the vacuum contents in a sealed trash bag. Steam cleaning of carpets is also helpful for killing bugs and eggs that vacuuming may have missed. Repair cracks in plaster and glue down loosened wallpaper to eliminate bed bug harborage sites. Remove and destroy wild animal roosts and bird nests when possible.

 

While the former measures are helpful, insecticides are important for bed bug elimination. Prevail may incorporate the use of a variety of low-odor sprays, dusts, and aerosols. (Baits designed to control ants and cockroaches are ineffective). Application entails treating all cracks and crevices where the bugs are discovered, or tend to hide. Eliminating bed bugs from mattresses and box springs is challenging. If there are holes or tears in the fabric, the bugs and eggs may be inside, as well as outside. There also are restrictions on how beds can be treated with pesticides. For these reasons, it is often recommended that infested beds be discarded. If disposal isn't an option, encasing the mattress and box spring will be helpful if bugs are still present. Prevail offers our customers zippered bed encasements for both bed bug and dust mite prevention.

 

Insecticides

Just spraying pesticides is not the solution!

 

Residual insecticides (usually pyrethroids) are applied as spot treatments to cracks and crevices where bed bugs are hiding. Increased penetration of the insecticide into cracks and crevices can be achieved if accumulated dirt and debris are first removed using a vacuum cleaner. Many readily available aerosol pesticide sprays will cause bed bugs to scatter, making eradication more difficult. Dust formulations may be used to treat wall voids and attics. Repeat insecticide applications are often required two weeks after the initial treatment since it is difficult to find all hiding places and hidden eggs may have hatched.

 

No insecticides are labeled for use on bedding or linens. These items should be dry cleaned or laundered in hot water and dried using the "hot" setting. Do not use any insecticide on a mattress. "Bug Bombs" or total release aerosol insecticides never work for bed bugs and can be very dangerous when used.

 

PROACTIVE BED BUG SOLUTIONS

“Team Prevail announces an innovative program to address the current bed bug epidemic.”

 

BED BUG CERTIFICATION PROGRAM

 

Prevail consistently strives to provide the most advanced, cutting edge solutions for pest related issues facing the multii-unit industry. Team Prevail, recognized as the innovators and educators, have launched an exclusive bed bug certification program.

BENEFITS:

 

• Insulate management/ownership from costs associated with bed bug treatments
• Reduce liability assumed by management for bed bug infestations
• All vacant turns inspected and treated by Prevail before being certified “Bed Bug Free”
• Prevail will provide for re-treatments for the life of the lease for a low, fixed certification fee
• Excellent marketing tool to new resident,s insuring them that their new home is “Bed Bug Free”
• Increases valuation of property
• Creates awareness of the issue without alarming residents

 

PREVENTION

Educate…Educate…Educate

Many things can be done to prevent bed bugs, beginning either during construction or renovation/rehabilitation, and for multi-units during the turn process.

 

• Caulk, foam, seal, paint, and fill any cracks and holes in the walls, ceilings, floors, and furniture
• Eliminate any bird, bat, squirrel, rat, or mice populations from buildings as they are hosts for bed bugs
• Install hard floors (wood, tile, linoleum) instead of carpets

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 
Bed bugs can easily enter into homes or apartments. Be aware the following can be sources:

1. Purchased used furniture, TVs, linens, clothes, boxes
2. Furniture including mattresses, clothing, etc., picked up off street
3. Gifted furniture, luggage, etc., from a personal acquaintance
4. Self infesting by bed bugs themselves; moving between apts
5. Items from self storage facilities
6. Items carried in rental, delivery or moving trucks
7. Rented furniture
8. House guests who have traveled or friends/relatives visiting
9. Cruise ship vacationers

PREVENT…PROTECT…PREVAIL!

 

BED BUGS ARE REAL!

In the past ten years, bed bugs have begun making a comeback across the United States. Their diet consists only of blood. Bed bugs feed like mosquitoes by extracting blood from their meal source, whether it is humans, animals or birds. They are totally incapable of eating food like other insects or mammals. Ant and roach baits have no impact. Aerosol bombs for fleas or other insects don’t work either other than making the bugs scatter to different areas of the same room or to adjacent rooms. International travel and commerce have facilitated the spread of these insect hitchhikers that have been found on airplanes, ships, trains, and buses. Bed bugs are most frequently found in dwellings with a high rate of occupant turnover. Hotels and motels certainly fall into that category, along with college dormitories and apartment complexes, to just mention a few.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Eradicating bed bugs is more difficult and more costly than dealing with other types of pests. Residents inadvertently bring bed bugs home with them when they go away for vacation and/or business. Moving from one apartment community to another can also help spread the problem. Traditional pest control methods, which emphasize the routine application of pesticides, often ignore the root causes of infestations, allowing bed bug populations to persist. Effective prevention and treatment involves the commitment of both the resident and Management. An Integrated Pest Management Plan promotes the prevention of infestation through education, inspection, and other preventative measures. 

 

Consistent information to homeowners, management, and tenants, as well as early detection and application of treatment to targeted sites, will help prevent spreading the problem.

 

BED BUGS DO NOT DISCRIMINATE. EVERYONE IS SUSCEPTIBLE TO INFESTATIONS. DON’T GO IT ALONE…

CALL THE PROFESSIONALS

813.621.7337 OR 800-432-6547