Watch your nightly news reports, read your daily newpapers, or tune into internet news stories and you will see that bed bugs have been nibbling their way across the United States.  All 50 states now have reported in with an upsurge in bed bug infestations and with the holiday season upon us, the bed bug numbers are sure to grow.

Years ago when people discovered bed bugs in their home, they ran down to their local store and picked up a box of DDT which proved to be a quick kill of the bloodsuckers.  In the 1970’s DDT was pulled from the market because it was deemed unsafe for human use and because it was largely responsible for killing off treasured birds, like the bald eagle, in the United States.  It has since been determined that bed bugs are immune to DDT, but desperate bed bug infestation victims are begging for it’s return to the marketplace for one more chance at total bed bug eradication.

So the big question remains as to if there are any new bed bug chemicals that will soon be released to pest control professionals or to consumers to help fight bed bugs.  The answer is…not likely in the near future…here’s why.

Many of the insecticides that are used indoors have derived from agricultural pesticides.  Chemical companies are currently working on chemicals to fight bed bugs, but unfortunately, the big profits come from chemicals that are made for agricultural use.  The costs of developing a new line of chemicals to fight any type of pest can cost hundreds of millions of dollars and over 10 years of research time.  For chemical companies, their big returns on profits come from agricultural pesticides, so unless a chemical can be used outdoors, it does not make economic sense to spend the time and money on bed bugs.

Experts seem to agree that you should be diligent in your quest to avoid bed bugs and if you happen to pick them up, contact a pest control expert quickly to control the problem.  The faster you work to eradicate a NJ bed bug infestation or infestation anywhere in the US, will help in keeping the bed bug pandemic from spreading.

They don’t hop or crawl, but bed bugs are incredibly talented at hitchhiking from place to place.  These nocturnal nibblers are motivated by one thing…feasting on human blood and they will stop at nothing from achieving their goal.

Previously in the week we gave you tips on how to avoid bringing bed bugs home with you while you were traveling this Thanksgiving travel season.  Despite your best efforts, you might find that you still have inadvertently picked up bed bugs on your trip.  Because it is possible to bring an egg or just one bed bug home with you, it might be a while before you realize that you actually have a New York or New Jersey bed bug infestation on your hands.

Now the question is…how do you get rid of the nasty nibblers?  Here are two useful tools that you can find at Stern Environmental Group.

The Bug Dome is a small bed bug monitor/trap that uses heat to attract bed bugs.  Once the bed bugs climb into the special electric trap, they are permanently stuck there by the glue material in the trap section.  There are three traps in the Bug Dome set so you can easily find bed bugs in several rooms.  Once you discover that you have bed bugs in your home, call a NJ pest control specialist for full eradication services.

The PackTite Portable Bed Bug Killing Heat Chamber is a great tool killing pesky bed bugs.  Use the PackTite to treat your luggage, clothing, toys, sensitive items, and dry clean only items each time you travel.  This portable heat chamber will kill all phases of bed bugs so you won’t have to worry about creating an infestation in your home when you travel.  It’s very simple to assemble and use, and collapses for easy storage too.

Stern Environmental Group provides expert bed bug eradication services to Secaucus, New Jersey, the Greater New York City Metro and Connecticut Regions.  We have a vast selection of bed bug products available for your home and for travel that will help protect you from bloodsucking bed bugs.  If you find that you have a NJ or NYC bed bug infestation, contact Stern Environmental Group for discreet, accurate, and expert removal of bed bugs!

Continuing from Monday…

Experts now agree that you should not use the drawers that are inside of any hotel or motel room as it is too easy to pick up bed bugs.  It only takes one adult female to deposit her eggs in your belongings (which you will not see), for you to bring home a bed bug infestation.  We recommend that you use the BugZip Luggage & Drawer Linger Bags or the Hefty Bedbug Travel Bags instead so that your belongings are safe from bed bug exposure.

Upon your return home, there are a few bed bug prevention items that are handy-dandy tools for early detection of bed bugs and ones to help you prevent an infestation from establishing at your home.  A mattress and box spring are a costly investment so it is wise to consider buying a mattress encasement for both before you leave on any trip.  The Protect-A-Bed Mattress and Box Spring Encasements are easy to install and they are certified to be bed bug bite proof.  Using the proper type of mattress encasement will prevent bed bugs from being able to infest your bed in the crevices along the edge of the seams.

The Climbup Insect Interceptor is also a good tool to use for early detection and prevention of bed bugs.  This device creates a barrier between the floor and the bed when it is installed under bed post legs.  The innovative design of the Climbup Insect Interceptor will trap bed bugs exiting the bed and those trying to gain access to the bed.  Once bed bugs make contact with the trap, they are prevented from escaping as they are stopped dead in their tracks by the fine talc powder that is be placed within the trap.  If you do find any bed bugs in the Climbup trap, be sure to call a NJ pest control expert immediately.

It may seem like too much work to check your hotel room for bed bugs while you are traveling this holiday season, but imagine the work you will encounter if you accidentally create a NJ bed bug infestation in your home by bringing the little vampires home with you!

Thanksgiving is once again upon us and with it comes the busiest travel and shopping season of the year.  Because bed bugs can be found in a multitude of locations from hotels, motels, retail stores, movie theaters, and even an unsuspecting relatives home, it’s important to keep a watchful eye out for the bloodsuckers so that you do not bring bed bugs back home with you.

Here are a few helpful tips to make your Thanksgiving travel bed bug free…

If you are staying at a hotel or motel, the be sure to check the Bedbugregistry.com to see if any bed bug infestations are reported in the hotel you are staying at.

Bed bugs like to hide in baseboards, the edges of wallpaper, and the edges of carpets so when you first arrive in a hotel room, check the entire perimeter for bed bug excrement, shed skins, and live or dead bed bugs.

The cracks and crevices of wood drawers in hotel rooms make perfect hiding places for bed bugs.  Check all drawers very carefully for any signs of bed bug excrement, shed skins, and live or dead bed bugs.  Removal of the drawers is helpful as they tend to hide on the underside of the drawers as well.

Experts recommend that you remove the headboard from a bed when you inspect a hotel room, but clearly this is not always possible as they are often bolted to the wall.  I find it helpful to bang on the headboard and take a large towel and run it along the back of the headboard (when possible).  Be sure to check carefully with a flashlight to see if any bed bugs or their skins have fallen to the ground behind the headboard.

Bed bugs are known for hiding in the seam areas of mattresses so checking the bed is a must.  The entire perimeter of the bed must be checked.  Peel back the sheets to expose the mattress.  Look for bed bug excrement, blood smears, shed skins, and live or dead bed bugs.  I found hidden bed bugs in a luxury hotel one time by running tweezers along the seam all the way around the bed.  The bed bugs were well embedded in the stitching and I did not initially see them upon doing my inspection.  Once I ran the tweezers over the stitching, many live bed bugs popped right out!  A thin credit card also works for this job.

Please check back on Wednesday for the conclusion.

In difficult economic times, many people are finding it necessary to turn to second hand stores or yard sales to find great deals on used furniture pieces.  Some people will even find it hard to resist the temptation of a “free” piece of furniture sitting curbside waiting to be picked up by the Sanitation Department.  In the past, a family may have had to worry about bringing home cockroaches, fleas, or perhaps a spider nest when obtaining used furniture.  Nowadays, there could be a pest like no other lurking in the cracks and crevices of any used furniture piece.  Bed bugs could easily be waiting to make your home, their new home.

The problem is that even for the trained eye, it is very difficult to detect bed bugs on some types of furniture…especially upholstered ones.   If you do choose to pick up used furniture you should not bring it into your home until you have had it inspected and/or treated by a pest control professional.  Another option would be to call in a bed bug sniffing dog which will be able to detect live bed bugs, dead bed bugs, bed bug eggs, fecal spots, and bed bug skins.

New York City has been under siege from nasty blood sucking bed bugs with no real end in sight.  In an effort to try to avoid transferring bed bugs to neighbors and sanitation workers, a new mattress disposal regulation will soon be implemented.  Beginning on December 3, 2010, all mattresses that are placed curbside must be completely encased in plastic so that there is no opportunity for bed bug transfers, even if you don’t have an infestation.  Those who violate this new policy will be fined a whopping $100 per occurrence.  Residents have a grace period until 1/3/11 before the city begins to issue the fines.  Wrapping a mattress in plastic is not easy.  To make it easier, you can use the Protect-A-Bed Storage or Disposal Bag that is available at Stern Environmental Group.  Despite the mattress being wrapped in plastic, there will be those who will still think it is a great find.  When disposing of a bed bug infested mattress, it’s a good idea to put a sign, write in permanent ink, or spray paint “bed bugs” on the mattress so that you too can help end the spread of these little vampires!

My theory is if it’s free, leave it be!  The amount of money you save on a free piece of furniture is not worth the costly expense and aggravation that is caused when your home becomes infested with bed bugs.