Bed Bug Treatment
"Beware Cheap Bed Bug Treatment;" What's the Real Cost?
Author: Harry Case
“If it seems too good to be true, it probably is.” It’s an old addage that still holds true today. Bed bug infestation in North America and around the world is an issue that isn’t going away any time soon and a lot of people are quite concerned; with good reason. A few Bed bugs brought into a home can quickly become thousands, causing suffering, embarrassment and even fear. Bed bugs can be accidentally picked up in a variety of ways. They can be found in the best of high class hotels and roadside motels. They can be picked up at the office if one employee brings in an infested jacket. That slightly used dresser or bed that you recently bought at a garage sale may harbor Bed bugs. You can even pick them up by riding in an automobile, bus or other mode of transportation. As the populations of these insects grow, so will the types of locations in which they may be waiting to hitch a ride home with you. And bed bugs aren’t particular about whether a home is clean or not. Their only requirements are nice, warm, secluded places to hide during the day and warm-blooded hosts (you and me) to provide them with their meals.
The habit of these insects is to hide, during the daylight hours, in all sorts of tight, cracks, crevices and secluded areas that you may never think of. They will hide between the parts of your bed frame, along mattress beading, between dresser drawers, behind anything hanging on walls and will enter wall voids by crawling under baseboard moldings and through electrical outlets. They will even hide in your clean laundry. Treatment for these pests is a detailed, time-consuming and expensive effort. It requires participation of both the pest professional and the homeowner. Each must thoroughly do his or her part if control is to be achieved. Beds must be taken apart, dresser drawers pulled out, window hangings must be inspected and thoroughly cleaned or treated. Pictures and other decorations must be removed from the walls and checked for bugs. Every potential hiding place in the infested room must be looked at and treated. All clothing in a room must be laundered and dried on high heat to kill the insects and eggs. Other clothes must be taken out and dry cleaned. In short, the whole room is virtually “taken apart,” treated and put back together. Even then, two or more follow-ups and possible touch-up treatments are highly recommended to ensure, as much as possible, that the problem is solved.
Lately, in what appears to be an effort to gain customers in our tight economy, some companies have begun to tell customers and potential customers that they can eliminate Bed bugs for very little cost and with little effort. Some are also promising to include Bedbug control in regular pest control programs at no additional cost. There are only two ways this can be accomplished. 1. Charge higher fees to compensate for the additional time and materials to treat an infestation should one occur. (If it never does, the customer has purchased some pretty expensive “insurance.”) 2. Keep the fees low and hope for the best. In this case the pest control company is betting that an infestation will never happen. Unfortunately, if an infestation does develop, the technician doing the work will feel rushed to get the job done because he, or she and the company are not being properly compensated The results from such a treatment may be less than thorough. This will likely result in a temporary reduction or perceived elimination of the problem, with some Bed bugs escaping the treatment. The infestation will likely resurface at a later date, possibly with a more treatment-resistant population. In some locations resistant populations are already being reported. It is this author’s concern, that over time, practices like these could result in a nearly uncontrollable epidemic of these unsavory insects. If you’re approached by a company offering low cost treatments or programs to treat this problem, be extremely cautious and suspicious. Do your homework. Check on their reputation and success rate in dealing with Bed bugs. Be sure that your contractor will do the job right, before you make the buying decision.
Article Source: http://www.articlesbase.com/p-articles/beware-cheap-bed-bug-treatment-whats-the-real-cost-2347995.html
About the Author
Harry Case is Sales and Marketing Manager for Pest Control Center, Inc. in California and is a licensed pest control “Field Representative.” He has been in the Structural Pest Control industry since May of 2005. Harry also has 16 & ½ years experience as a licensed Pest Control Operator in the related field of Landscape Pest and disease Control in the state of Washington.
November 30, -0001
12:00 am #comment-1
Make 3 phone calls.
November 30, -0001
12:00 am #comment-2
First, the good news: bed bugs do not carry disease.
The bad news: While there need be no shame in getting bed bugs (you can get them from sitting in the wrong seat of the bus, opera, buying used clothing and not washing it before you bring it in the house), they can be extremely difficult to get rid of, and they are well on their way to becoming a pandemic again. Some people are more allergic to the bites than others, just like mosquitoes, so someone with a heavy infestation may not be bothered because they have a slight reaction, and someone with a light infestation may be very bothered.
The worst news: they have been known to live at least 18 months without feeding.
You’ll need to inspect all cloth and paper goods in your home/apartment. In your bedding, tell tale signs (besides the bugs, which can be sized from sesame seed size up to about 1/4″ and are most likely found in seams, cushion button areas, etc: they really do like to be tight and cozy) are drops of dried blood, and a sort of papery appearance around their eggs: they prefer wood, paper, and cardboard as areas to lay their eggs.
A good, SPECIALLY trained exterminator will give you a guarantee, with a series of treatments but you need to do your part too, because there is prep work and post work to be done. There are reputable items for sale at hardware stores and on the internet, but beware items that claim to kill too many types of different bugs. The aim is to 1) stop them breeding 2) kill the eggs already laid 3) kill the bugs. In all honesty, the prices you quoted are not out of line for a very good treatment, but I would always go with a local, family owned business when possible: they care more about what they do.
Hereis some basic information on the steps to take before you spray/have an exterminator come to spray.
1. Go through all your clothes and linens for washing. Place clothes and linens – and pillows – in sealed plastic bags for transport. Wash and dry everything on hottest possible setting. Have different plastic bags to transport clothes back from laundry; store in the plastic bags or clean, sealable bins until the treatment is completed.
If it can’t be washed and dried, can it be dry-cleaned or frozen? Put things like shoes, books, etc inside of plastic bags, and freeze for at least 24 hours. This kills the bugs and the eggs too. Keep the treated items away from the untreated as in the things that can be washed.
It is very common for more than one treatment to needed to get rid of them; the treatments are most effective with 2 – 3 – 4 weeks apart, to get each part of the lifecycle. This is another good reason to keep treated and untreated items separate until you’re sure they’re gone.
2. Vacuum thoroughly, especially along carpet edges, furniture and bedding seams. Dispose of vacuum bag in a sealed plastic bag. Remove this sealed plastic bag to the dumpsters immediately.
3. Remove and inspect all belongings from furniture, tables, closets and dressers. If free of bed bugs, store in tight fitting containers or bags. If not, treat as in #1.
4. Move furniture away from walls. Dismantle bed and other furniture as much as possible.
5. Remove pictures from walls (inspect backing for eggs), and remove electrical outlet and light switch covers from walls (save covers and screws to replace after treatment). You’ll want to use a dry treatment in these areas, and in things like televisions, or other electronic equipment that stays warm even when off – for example, anything that you can use a remote for.
6. If you have a heavy infestation, mattress and fabric furniture _may_ have to be discarded. Don’t go out and toss everything, though, it may not be necessary, really. Do not throw anything away that does not fit into a sealed plastic bag without first breaking it down so that it does – for example, if you do throw out upholstered furniture, cut it so it’s unusable, and mark with a marker “bugs” so that someone else doesn’t take it home and become infested. You may wish to buy a mattress and box spring cover after treatment to prevent reinfestation; places such as bed bath and beyond sell these, and yes, they are special and not simply mattress pads.
9. ELIMINATE CLUTTER. THE ONLY THING THAT MAY TOUCH THE FLOOR IS YOUR FURNITURE. DO NOT BRING IN ITEMS FROM THE TRASH. DO NOT BRING ITEMS INTO YOUR APARTMENT FROM RESALE SHOPS WITHOUT FIRST WASHING IN HOTTEST WATER POSSIBLE.
It can be done, but it’s hard work. Good luck.
November 30, -0001
12:00 am #comment-3
i believe that there are some sprays that are pet friendly, but dont get just any type of chemical for it. there are ones that are pet friendly, and some of them can even be bought at a pet store
November 30, -0001
12:00 am #comment-4
In the state of VA, the landlord is required to keep the property habitable, which includes pest control, regardless of if it’s mentioned in the lease.
The problem with bedbugs is that there is no way to know where the infestation started. If you can prove that the problem was there before you moved in, or that it’s from an adjoining property, you may have legal standing and rights. If you can’t, then the landlord can claim that the bedbugs were brought in by you. Unlike NY state, the housing laws do not specifically mention bedbugs.
November 30, -0001
12:00 am #comment-5
Your solution may be as simple as fresh lemons. Lemons and their juices have been used to fade scarring, age spots and freckles. I guess you could go the cheaper route and use the real lemon concentrate stuff in the bottle or just get a bag of three or lemons cut a slice off three or four times a day and rub it on the area.
Most over-the-counter remedies are just industrial waste that has been refined so that you’ll buy it and get rid of it for the big corps. Lemons might be your answer here.
There are a few places to look for natural remedies that involve hemp. Hemp is a legal, 100% thc free product. Micro-plant is high in natural silica that may also reduce the appearance of scarring. The natural way is usually the best way to go.
Good luck, you’ll smell so Lemony.
May 28, 2009
7:47 pm #comment-6
How much would be charged for bed bug treatment in 1 br apartment?
June 21, 2009
5:25 pm #comment-7
PLEASE HELP! what is the BEST scar treatment out there for bed bug bites?
I’ve already tried SCARZONE and PREFERON as well as some foreign whitening creams….but nothing is working, these scars that resulted from bed bug bites are impervious to all treatments i’ve tried.
can someone please give me some suggestions? i need something that WORKS!
December 29, 2009
5:31 pm #comment-8
VA: Who is responsible for bed bug treatment?
I rent a house in Richmond, VA. I recently discovered that my room is infested with bed bugs. There are cracks in the wall where they are hiding (everything else in the room I’ve cleaned, but I can’t get into the wall obviously).
My lease doesn’t really mention anything about pest control. So who is responsible for treatment, me or the landlord? I did not have this problem in my old place, and I’m not sure of the rental history here. I plan on talking to my neighbor soon, as a couple months ago there were some exterminators outside his house (our houses are connected).
Is there a law that mandates one of us to be responsible? I plan on calling him tomorrow, but I’d like some insight before I moved ahead. Thanks.
I can’t prove they were there, but he can’t prove I brought them in. Does he have any legal standing to require ME to pay for it? Because since they are in the walls, and he owns the house, I figure it’s probably in his best interest to take care of it.
June 2, 2010
4:01 pm #comment-9
I need advice on bed bug treatment?
We live in a single family home with 3 bed rooms . I had bed bug bites and I checked all our beds and found two bed bugs . I called Terminix and they gave me a quote of $900 for 3 rooms without any guarantee . STOMP gave a quote of $570 with a 90 day guarantee . These prices are too high , cant we get rid of bed bugs ourselves using some sprays or something . Please give your advice
June 9, 2010
10:37 am #comment-10
Is it safe to spray or do bed bugs treatment at home with a puppy running around?
Have a 4 month old lab mix at home, and recently found that there are bed bugs in my bed, so was concerned that when I will do any kind of treatment for those bugs, it will definetely go into carpets too (a spray like thing) and since he is just mouthing anything these days, is it safe for him to come across that kind of a thing. I can keep him away while doing the treatment but eventually he will be playing there only.