Bedbugs in my Sofa and furniture?

One question I get is can bed bugs live or bite on or in a sofa or other furniture? The short answer is yes they can. Bedbugs will hide and nest in anything. Was that clear enough. Anything. You could be sitting on a couch and bed bugs can be in the crevices of the couch and when your legs press against the bugs they will suck your blood. Same can happen in a movie theater seat and on a bus or air plane seat. It is important to know this because some people think that because bed bugs have the word bed in it , they simply are found on or around the bed. Not true.

Travel and Bed Bugs

Getting ready for a bed bug free vacation? Planning a trip and you don't want to bring bed bugs home with you? Can you really pick up bed bugs while you travel? You should answer yes to all these questions, and in order to have a bed bug free vacation you should be as careful and diligent as possible when traveling. If you are planning on having your luggage stored in a separate compartment like a bus or airplane luggage area, you will want to protect the bags with some kind of barrier. There are some products like Rest Easy Bed Bug Luggage Spray from JT Eatons, or another product called the bug zip that allows you to basically wrap the luggage in a plastic cover to keep bed bugs out. Upon getting to the hotel, be sure to check the head boards and mattress. Look for blood stains, spots, and live bugs. If you are going to unpack for a long stay, consider keeping clothing and shoes in zip lock bags. Crazy? Maybe. Smart. Definitely.

Bedbug Control-Ahead of the eight ball

One of the most important things in the control and ultimate elimination of a bed bug infestation is early detection. Once a bed bug infestation takes hold and establishes itself, the chance of even control becomes almost impossible, but catch the problem early enough, then you have a chance. How do you do this? How do you know? Well if you think you are getting bitten or suspect an infestation, then you should try to contact a pest control company that has a bed bug sniffing dog who will be able to identify the area the bugs are located. At his point you should try to set up treatment as soon as possible. Without the use of a dog or one of the new bed bug detection devices like the Nightwatch, it is almost impossible to find them until the are a problem, unless you are lucky enough to find them out in the open. So be sure to be diligent and remember that early detection is the key.

Bedbugs Bite

Well not really...bedbugs suck. The phenomenon of bedbugs, I fear, will become on of the worst problems of our time by the very virtue of the fact that there is no silver bullet to kill them completely. The problem is , you can do the most thorough treatment, killing off all but one bedbug, and the problem will resurface again. Another problem is the fact that the chemicals are not working on them to kill them. If you spray them directly, you can kill them, but any residual chemical left behind is useless. So how do you protect yourself? You need to research and learn everything you can about the bed bug. You need to raise awareness of this insect. You need to do regular inspections to catch the problem early. That is one thing the experts agree with, if you catch the problem early enough, the possibility of elimination is greater. So crack open those books and hop on the Internet and go back to school. Bedbugs are here to stay.

Bed bug Dogs

Bedbug sniffing dogs are the way to go it seems if you need to find out for sure whether you have a bedbug problem or if a problem has been resolved. They can be extremely useful as a proactive measure in hotels to catch an bed bug problem early, which is your best bet for elimination, and can also be very useful in situations where you just can't be sure. I can see a future where bed bug inspection reports will need to be completed before buying a home or apartment, much like the modern day termite inspection. A bedbug dog would be the best use in this case. Cost is an issue, but this can come down if there is steady work. The dogs are expensive because there are only a few trusted schools that train these dogs, so be careful and ask that question if you hire a dog inspection service.

EPA Bedbug Summit

What a fantastic two days I had early this week at the EPA sponsored bed bug summit. The best brains in the pest control industry were there along with representation from industry across the board. As we all know bed bugs can become a problem for any industry, not just housing, and we all put our heads together to offer our best recommendations to the EPA. The biggest issue that came up was funding, no one wants to pay for research and no manufacturer is interested in new chemistry. The EPA is not interested in bringing back old chemistry that worked, and the chemicals we have today barely work at full strength being sprayed on the bug, but not so much when the chemical is dry and left as residual. So what are we to do? As I always say...education is the key, and this seemed to be the consensus of the group. Public awareness is also a big recommendation. Bedbugs need to become as common as socks and shoes. Raising awareness and education is our best bet for now, catching the bed bugs early is our best bet for control. So go spread the word.

Bedbug Awareness

It looks like bedbug awareness is rising. Municipalities are coming up with protocol and this month in Washington DC there will be a gathering to discuss the problem that is bed bug infestation. Education, awareness, and determination will be our biggest tools in the parade towards eradication.