Monthly Archives: July 2012

Bed Bug News

If It’s Free, Leave It Be!

The battle against bed bugs has been raging not only in America, but also for our neighbors to the North.  Providences throughout Canada have suffered tremendously from coast to coast from the pesky little bloodsuckers, just as residents in the United States have.

July 1st marks “Canada Day” and in Montreal, for many renters it is also the day where most tenants will move out of their rental property as most leases expire on July 1st.  For years, it has been common practice for residents to place unwanted furniture curbside for other renters to rummage through so they can take pieces along to their new rental units.  For years, it has been a great way of recycling…until the bed bug boom!

The Star.com reported on June 30, 2012 that as usual, stacks of abandoned furniture is lining the streets of Montreal.  City official are however warning residents to not take any of the discarded items with them because they may contain hidden bed bugs or bed bug eggs.  The city is so worried about the transmission of the pests that they are providing large plastic bags to wrap mattresses in prior to moving or placing them curbside, just in case they are infested with bed bugs.

Even with a thorough inspection of curbside furniture by a trained professional, the risk of bringing bed bugs home is extremely high.  A bed bug sniffing dog inspection can give you added assurance that the furniture is safe for use, but the best rule of thumb to follow when it comes to furniture that is left at the curb is…”If it’s free, leave it be!”

Bed Bugs

Why Are Bed Bug Eggs So Hard To Find?

In the insect world, some insects are considered to be social insects and some are not.  Social insects work together to form a colony.  Each member of the colony has a specific job to do each day.  In a social colony there is at least one queen, sometimes more depending on the species, that serves as the egg laying machine for the colony.  In a social colony, the job of the males is to mate with the queen(s) and in most instances, they die soon after mating.  The workers in social colonies are typically sterile females.  Examples of social colonies are ants, wasps, termites, and yellow jackets.  Social insect colonies run successfully until humans or predators destroy them.

Bed bugs are extremely successful no matter what type of location that they infest, despite the fact that they are not social insects.

NJ pest control professionals report that bed bugs eggs are extremely difficult to locate which is one of the reasons that bed bugs are difficult to control.  Female bed bugs can lay up to 7 eggs per day in any location that they travel.  The eggs are white to translucent in color and stick to any surface.  Being that they are the size of a pin-head and are often laid in slim cracks or crevices, it is rare that humans are able to locate the tiny specimens.  Newly hatched nymphs are about 1/16th of an inch.  They look like adults, yet much smaller and lighter in color.  They must go through five molts to reach adulthood, each time receiving a blood meal first.

We invite you to visit our website to see the multiple ways that we can help you combat bed bug infestations.

Bed Bug News

Beware of Home Bed Bug Treatment Methods!

Bed bug infestations can be a tricky situation to deal with.  It is widely believed by NYC pest control experts and those from other areas in the United States that one of the reasons that bed bugs have continued to spread at such a rapid rate is because of the lack of education about the pests.  There is a huge amount of resources available online, yet some of the information about the pests, or ways to control them, is not always reliable.  Some information about controlling bed bugs that is available is just plain dangerous!

When tenants or homeowners are faced with having to deal with bed bugs, the cost of treatment can be an unattainable pipe dream, especially in this troubling economy.  Out of desperation, many people will try most anything to try to rid their homes of the little vampires that attack in the night.

WFMY News 2 reported on July 1, 2012 that a woman living in an apartment building decided to treat the bed bugs that had taken up residence in her apartment.  In a bold move, fire officials say that the Kentucky woman doused her entire couch in alcohol attempting to kill the bloodsucking bed bugs.  Reports are that after dousing the couch with the extremely flammable and toxic liquid, the woman accidentally dropped a lit cigarette on the couch, which promptly burst into flame.  It did not take long for the fire to spread to other units.  The resulting fire, which took hours to reach containment, caused about 30 people at the apartment complex to lose their homes!

No matter how desperate you are, bed bugs are not a reason to put your life or home in jeopardy.  Contact a NY, NYC, or NJ pest control pro for help!