Bed Bugs For Christmas

Did you get bed bugs for Christmas? Hopefully not. The reason I ask is because of all the news reports of bed bugs that were found in all the department stores in New York and how these bugs travel and spread on trucks. Think Deliveries. It is a sad day when you have to fear getting bed bugs via presents received during the holidays, but it is a legitimate fear. We need a solution to this epidemic and hopefully we will receive that next Christmas!

Moving Day and Bed Bugs

Over on my other blog, Pest Control Info, I wrote about a system for moving out utilizing a specially fit out moving truck that is insulated and fitted with commercial heaters. I also spoke of tenting and fumigating the truck to kill the little buggers. The problem that we are facing is the transport of these bugs from place to place. Delivery trucks, moving trucks, mattress delivery trucks, postage trucks, any means of transportation can be manipulated my bed bugs to get from point A to point B without our knowledge. Is there any way to stop this migration? It seems almost impossible. The industry would need to come up with processes and this costs money that they are not willing to spend. It is the biggest catch 22 in recent history. With the ingenuity and money that America has with the brightest minds in the world you would think that we'd have the problem beat by now. Instead we are meeting with agencies like the EPA trying to come up with solutions when what we need is funding and less stringent rules that the chemical manufacturers must follow to come up with safe and effective bed bug killing chemicals.
Just some ranting and raving for a Sunday morning.

Holiday Bed Bugs

Giving the gift of bed bugs this year? You might be if you are traveling to the many holiday cities that are famous for Christmas time cheer. Cities like New York or Philadelphia are notorious for bed bugs problems, and going to see a Christmas show can leave you feeling in the Christmas Spirit and full of bed bugs. It seems like bed bugs are impacting the economy as many people have already decided not to visit these attractions for just this reason. People are not visiting theaters, they are not going to the movies, concerts, they are even worried about visiting attractions like the empire state building. Aside from that, even if they do go, it is only for the day, because who would stay at a hotel in these bug cities? It seems like these bed bugs are everywhere, when will the government step in and start the ball rolling to get some new chemistry produced to begin the eradication process. Happy Holidays!

Housekeeping and Bed Bugs

Is your housekeeping service spreading bed bugs? Hotels, businesses, offices, dorms rooms, sea shore houses, they all have housekeeping services. In hotels they have carts that carry all the cleaning materials they need, and as we know bed bugs are notorious hitch hikers. As they cart goes from room to room, it is possible to spread these critters. Same goes with the house keepers that travel from office building to office building. All the supplies they bring with them can be spreading bed bugs from place to place. It is important to have your pest control inspector check these housekeeping supply carts and housekeeping supply closets and be diligent with training the housekeepers of what to look for and report what they find as soon as they see a bed bug. Training and education will be your best defense.

Start Your Bed Bug Fund Today!

Can bed bug treatments be covered by home owner's insurance? This is the questions that has been asked across the country and the unfortunate answer is no. This is tragic, especially since a basic bed bug treatment can cost close to twelve hundred dollars and if you get a heat treatment for your home you are looking at three thousand or more, depending on the size of your home. This is just the treatment cost. What if you are unsure if you have them and you want a definite yes or no answer? Hire a dog. This service where a dog goes through your home to inspect for bed bugs can run a few hundred dollars. How about mattress and box spring covers at a couple hundred bucks? How about laundry and dry cleaning service? How about the bed bug sequel? Sometimes you need to get another treatment after all the follow up services. After all is said and done, you can wind up spending close to five or six thousand dollars. Yikes!

One thing I have started to do is put money aside in case bed bugs rear their ugly head. It is a good idea to have such a rainy day fund because when bed bugs hit home, you are going to want to get rid of them sooner than later, and you may not have the funds to treat the bed bugs properly. It's a simple message. Invest in your future.

Bed Bugs in the News

You must be living under a rock these days if you have not seen or read a story about bed bugs. Stories of movie theaters in New York being closed because of bed bugs and the offices at CNN having bed bug problems are all the rage. It makes me think that we've gotten the word out like we have been wanting to and the public are more aware than ever about bed bugs, the problem is, unless they can afford a boat load of money to heat treat their home with thermal remediation or fumigate it, they may be trouble. The raise in awareness has put a spike in the amount of calls that pest control companies are receiving, many of them are just for simple inspections. The public wants to know if they have bed bugs. Can you blame them?
My hope is that all this public awareness will ignite a fire under the EPA to allow for some flexibility for the manufacturers of chemical that might actually work against these little terrors. I guess only time will tell.

Make A Million Dollars With Bed Bugs.

Let me count the ways.

1. Bed bug prep business- Clean the clutter, bag the laundry, take the beds apart, take the outlet and switch plate covers off, vacuum. Do the grunt work.
2. Heat treatment company. Sub out your services to other companies as well as advertise your own services.
3. Fumigation coordinator. Contract with a fumigation company and a moving company. Pack and load all contents of an apartment, dorm, or entire home onto the truck. The company shoot the truck with gas. Movers unpack the contents back into the home.
4. Laundry Service. Commercial laundry companies can market to pest control companies and facility management as many standard laundry services will not take infested items. You be the first in the area.
5. Dry Cleaner Bed Bug Service. You can't launder the suits. Same as number 4.
6. Bed Bug Dog Inspector. Buy a dog. Get it trained. Make lots of money.

There are many ways that people are making money in the bed bug control industry. If only our chemical manufacturers were doing the same selling the new product that has become the silver bullet for bed bug eradication. Oh wait. That has not happened yet. One day.