The recent spike of bed bugs in the news has prompted a lot of anxiety and worry among many. Whether you own a home, a bed-and-breakfast, or a chain of hotels – bed bugs are never a welcome guest! The increase in travel at all levels, coupled with a change in the pesticides and insecticides used to deal with infestations (more environment friendly and non-toxic insecticides are current), has led to a resurgence in their numbers, so know that they are going to be more prevalent in the future. There are a few facts we want our customers to know, though, in order to put a stop to needless distress. Yes, bedbugs are a problem – but it’s a fixable problem! Did you know that:
• There may be a stigma about bedbugs; but the truth is that absolutely anyone and everyone can get them. Bedbugs have nothing whatsoever to do with poor hygiene, bad housekeeping or a certain level of poverty. No matter how pristine and sanitized your home is, they can – and will – hitch a ride into your house.
• Bedbugs don’t transmit any harmful diseases, in fact – they don’t transmit any kind of disease at all. All they do is bite, and sometimes the bite is itchy, and sometimes it’s not.
• Bedbugs are not only found in beds; an “infestation” of bedbugs is generally about 70% in the bed, and 30% in the room. And the only thing that interests them about beds is that you are lying there, not moving, because what they want to bite on is – you.
• When people are bitten, or something itches, and they suspect bedbugs, they will generally run to the computer and look up pictures to try and figure out what kind of bite they have. With bedbugs, the bites are like snowflakes, they look different on different people, sometimes clustered, sometimes scattered, and sometimes – for about 30% of people – they don’t look like anything, because they don’t have any kind of reaction to bedbugs at all.
• Even if you can’t see them, you may have them, and even if you think you have them, you might not. Itching bites may indicate a problem, but the only way to know is to call in a professional for a thorough inspection. Bedbugs are seriously hard to spot. Even a pro needs at least an hour to diagnose a room, just to discover whether you truly have bedbugs or not.
• You don’t have to throw away your mattress or your clothes if we find bedbugs; heat is the number one killer of bedbugs. We will treat your home with a combination of dry steam cleaning, deep heat, and safe chemical treatments. All you have to do with your clothes is throw them in a very hot dryer for about 30 minutes.
• Never treat for bedbugs yourself; this is truly a big “no,” and not because we’re in the extermination business. If you use a bug bomb or fogger that claims it’s for bedbugs, all it will do is scatter them throughout your home, and – what’s worse – if you live in an apartment, it will often scatter them into your neighbor’s apartment as well.
Bedbugs are certainly a problem, and they can become a big problem, but if you call us at the first sign, we can take not only care of them for you – we can put your mind at ease!
