(By Robert Holyfield)
As this article is being written, we have two representatives from our company attending a Bed Bug summit in Chicago. Bed bugs are becoming a major problem across the country and are spreading at an alarming rate. We are now getting calls daily and finding homes infested where only a few years ago it was only a bedtime saying. A lot of people get very emotional thinking they are dirty or have done something wrong when they get an infestation. This is far from the truth. Due to world wide travel, bed bugs can come from 5 star hotels. Their great hitchhiking ability has led to them being found in movie theaters, department stores, airplanes, buses, just about every where people travel or meet. Some studies say there is about a 25% chance that apartments that have a bed bug infestation will infest the ones next to it also. Lawsuits are springing up everywhere. Financial problems are arising for property owners or managers having to pay high fees for treatments that were not budgeted for. Used furniture can be a good way to introduce your home to these pests. Even taken delivery of a new mattress that was transported to you with a truck that has just picked up a discarded mattress from the previous customer loaded with bed bugs can cause you future problems for sure. To date, there are no silver bullets to get rid of the problem. Early detection and treatment is the best course of action. Inspect regularly for bedbugs or evidence of them. You will see actual bedbugs or fecal blood spots and stains along the seams of the bed mattress. Framing and head boards are very important to inspect also. The first thing my wife tells the kids when we stay in a hotel is let daddy check the room for bed bugs. She has heard the stories and wants no part of these little monsters. Several companies have developed whole house heat treatments that heat up the entire home to around 140.degrees. This kills all stages of the bed bug, however there have been several homes burned to the ground doing this treatment and all areas must reach around 113 degrees temperature or you could have a failure with surviving bed bugs. Pesticides treatments have not provided very good results due to resistance from bed bugs. There are a number of preventative products being marketed and sold. Bed mattress encasements work well to prevent the mattress from becoming infested. There are also disks that can be placed under the legs of the bed or furniture to keep them from climbing up. Glass cups work well also as bed bugs cannot climb due to the slickness of glass and their feet not having suction ability. We currently offer whole house fumigation to rid the entire house with one shot. The Jacksonville Bed Bug task force will be holding a meeting December 13th bet 1:00 and 5:00 and is free to the public. They will have some great info and suggestions for the public or businesses that could be affected by this critter.
As always, if we can help, give us a call.
904-743-8272
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