New York City has been touted by some pest control experts in other parts of the world as being the bed bug capital of the United States.  Nearly wiped off of our radar screen in the 1950’s, bed bugs have certainly made a comeback on America’s landscape.  They have now reportedly been found in all 50 states.  Larger U.S. cities, with more dense populations, understandably have had more trouble with the bloodsuckers, but bed bugs are indiscriminate blood thirsty characters.  They do not care where you live or what your economic status is.  They are after one thing…blood…preferably from a human host.

Scientists in the United States have previously reported that bed bug infestations have become more difficult to kill from coast to coast.  Modern day bed bugs have been able to transform themselves so that they can withstand current pesticide treatments that are available to New York, New Jersey, and other pest control professionals across the United States.  Bed bugs that are found today have mutated and now have a stronger exoskeleton which is able to withstand pesticides that are used by pest control experts.  In additions, this new breed of bed bug has also changed its genetic makeup which has further enhanced its ability to survive.

JunkScience.com reported on April 16, 2012, that “mutant bed bugs” have now been discovered in Scotland.  Pest control experts are finding that Scottish bed bugs are now twice as difficult to kill in comparison to years past.  According to reports, policy makers and scientists in Scotland are looking at new ways to try to combat the bloodsuckers before they become more of a problem than they already are.  Their discovery of “mutant bed bugs” appears to be the same troubles that we are experiencing here in the United States.  You may read the article here.

Trying to kill NY or NJ bed bugs on your own will prove to be an uphill battle as they are masters at hiding in odd places.  Their tiny size and their ability to multiply quickly make them one of the most frustrating and most difficult household pests to eliminate.  Store bought chemicals have proven to be ineffective on bed bug infestations.  Your best bet for treating NY or NJ bed bug infestations is to contact a licensed pest control expert with extensive experience in bed bug eradication services.

NJ pest control experts report that all stages of bed bugs reach certain death when they are subjected to temperatures over 113 degrees.  Stern Environmental Group offers the perfect solution to killing bed bugs on personal property.  The PackTite Portable Bed Bug Killing Heat Chamber is available in small and large sizes.  Use the small one for killing bed bugs and their eggs in backpacks, luggage, blankets, coats, toys, or other sensitive items.

The University of Nebraska-Lincoln recently underwent a massive bed bug infestation problem in many of their student dorm facilities.  It has been reported that they spent over $300,000 ridding the campus of the bloodsucking pests by utilizing several bed bug sniffing dogs and heat treatment.  Not wanting to have bed bugs plague the facilities again, the University bought eight PackTite units that will be used to treat luggage, backpacks, and other small items that are brought in by students who have gone home for weekends and holidays as well as incoming students.

The PackTite Portable Bed Bug Killing Heat Chamber is an invaluable tool in helping curtail bed bug infestations.  Hotels will benefit from having a unit on site.  If a guest happens to find bed bugs in their room, the hotel can kill any bed bugs that have hitched a ride in their luggage or personal belongings in a matter of hours, causing minimal disruption to the guest.  The PackTite Closet is a perfect solution for hotels as its larger size allows for more air and heat circulation.  Any bed bugs or their eggs will not stand a chance in this unit when the temperature reaches 120 to 140 degrees.  It has been proven to kill all bed bugs, in all life stages, in just two hours!

You can find both the large and small size PackTite Portable Bed Bug Killing Heat Chamber at Stern Environmental Group.

Often times, people who are living on a limited income may turn to picking up second hand furniture as a means of furnishing their homes.  Many people are finding out that this is not often a good choice as they have unwittingly introduced bed bugs into their home.

Bakersfieldnow.com reported on April 13, 2012 that a woman claims that she rented a bed and two couches from a national furniture rental store.  She claims that her son began receiving strange welts in October of 2011, but she did not know what the marks were.  After several months, she eventually went into her son’s room late at night and turned on the light only to find bed bugs crawling all over his mattress, pillow, body and face.  She called the furniture company and had the bed removed. The son then slept on a couch and began receiving bed bug bites.  A Pest control expert flipped the couches over and found bed bugs continuously crawling in and out of the underside of the sofas.  Bed bug eggs were also in abundance.  The couches were completely infested.  A call to the rental company met with their speedy removal, but no admission of guilt for causing the bed bugs.

You may read the article here and be sure to check out the video link showing the massive amount of bed bugs popping out of the couch and their eggs surrounding them.  Gross!

Bed bugs can be costly to eradicate.  When dealing with rental furniture, many companies are quick to blame the renter for causing the infestation, even when the bed bugs are discovered immediately.  When a renter does not discover the infestation until months down the line, it opens up the possibility that bed bugs were caused by the multi-unit housing complex and a battle usually ensues as to who is legally responsible for the bed bug eradication procedures.

For fast NJ and NYC bed bug removal services, contact Stern Environmental Group.

Continuing from Wednesday… The research showed that bed bugs will die on high temperature in the dryer.  Their experiment contained a 7.7 pound laundry load.  They found that the load must run for at least 30 minutes in order to kill all of the bugs.  Washing clothing on high heat for at least 30 minutes killed all stages of bed bugs and their eggs.  In contrast, washing on the warm cycle killed all adults and nymphs, but only 25% of the eggs met their demise.  The study also revealed that soaking clothing for 24 hours in cold water killed all adult and nymph bed bugs, but the eggs were unaffected by their time in the water.  Clearly, heat is a major factor in successfully killing bed bug infestations.

Preparing your house for bed bug treatment by a pest control professional is an arduous task. Laundering your bed bug infested items can be frustrating and time consuming.  In an effort to provide our customers with the best and most convenient alternatives, Stern Environmental Group offers the Mobile Bed Bug Heating Trailer.  No longer do you have to throw away expensive furniture or suffer though the frustration of laundering a houseful of clothing and bedding.  When you use the Mobile Bed Bug Heating Trailer, heat sensitive bed bugs are killed at one time using heat that reaches temperatures over 122 degrees Fahrenheit.  Our special temperature probes and computer monitoring ensures that all bed bugs and their eggs are dead, even ones that are hidden deep within the confines of furniture.

Having bed bugs invade your home is a difficult task to deal with.  Let Stern’s specially trained team safely pack up your belongings and move them into the Mobile Bed Bug Heating Trailer for fast and accurate thermal remediation.

Continuing from Monday… Search the internet and you will many different articles suggesting different ways to deal with bed bug infested laundry.  As many consumers have learned, not all information they read online is accurate.  Two scientists, R. A. Naylor and C. J. Boase, from the University of Sheffield in England performed tests to find out exactly what kills bed bugs in laundry.  Their interesting research is sure to help those who are suffering through a bed bug infestation.

Treating bed bugs on clothing and other fabric items should be handled carefully.  Consumers should take special care when moving things around and taking items out of infested rooms.  Items should be packed up or placed in a bin so that bed bugs cannot drop off and spread to other locations in the home.  Some pest control experts report that running bed bug infested items through the dryer only is sufficient in killing all stages of bed bugs.  It should be noted that some consumers have reported that they have found that some bed bugs have been able to survive this would-be cycle of death by slipping into, and lurking in the dryer vent area.  NYC pest control experts recommend washing AND drying all bed bug infested clothing on hot heat in order to obtain absolute kill of bed bugs.

According to the “Insects in the City” article authored by Dr. Mike Merchant at Texas A & M AgriLIFE Extension, the research performed will help in the disinfection process of laundry.

According to their findings, all stages of bed bugs are killed during the dry cleaning process.  Some consumers are finding that some dry cleaners will not provide treatment for bed bug infested clothing.  It is important to advise a dry cleaner of the infestation as they typically have special protocol that is followed so that they do not become infested.

Please check back on Friday for the conclusion.