All posts in “bed bugs”

Bed Bug job – Day 1 – The Inspection.

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Bed Bug job – Day 1, Invader Pest Management & ProBest Pest Management

 

Most of this pest control work requires an inspection and I’m a big believer in this inspection. It’s an integral part of a process that must be worked to achieve the desired outcome – no bed bugs.

What would happen if you were quoted a price and the day of service the service company changed their mind and wanted more money? It’s not your fault, so I truly believe an inspection is the absolute only way to begin to understand a Bed Bug job. Bed Bugs come with their own baggage of problems, how did you get them, where are they so far, what have you done so far to solve the problem  and what does the home look like? All this being said – is the home cluttered?

ProBest Pest Management has been working with Chanel 3 on a Bed Bug story and located a family that was in need of some Professional work, after seeing the house we decided the only way to solve this bed bug issue was to bring in my friends from Invader Pest Management and their heat equipment.

So first the inspection:

                                      

Clutter always adds an extra element of success or failure, it is important to get to where the Bed Bugs are hiding and with clutter it could be anywhere. The next portion of this series will be the treatment, so stay tuned!

Cimex K9 – A Bed Bug Experience by ProBest Pest Management

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Cimex K9 – A Bed Bug Experience by ProBest Pest Management

I often speak about technology and with the advent of Bed Bugs it is great to see an ally in the industry. Dogs can smell way better than we can and can be rated – in this case by The Bed Bug Dog Registry. We use a team of dogs from Cimex K9 and the other day I had an opportunity to see them in action. Eric (handler) and Kohl (expert bed bug sniffer dog).

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Well anyway here is the story, somebody got Bed Bugs and after the treatment wanted to make absolutely, positively certain there were no Bed Bugs in this home. It was also a great experience for us, Seth did a remarkable job (as always) and Kohl didn’t find anything except a few dead things. Which is good because Kohl only hits on LIVE.  Eric does play a little game with Kohl, just to be sure he is on the game, after the inspection he hides a bottle with a few Bed Bugs in it just to make sure Kohl in on game and you see by the pictures that Kohl did an excellent job.

So whether before or after we can get the K9 involved to assist in either the pre-inspection or post-inspection.

Sleep tight and Don’t let the Bed Bugs Bite!

Bedbugs Put Police Cars Out of Service – Bed Bugs showing up in weird places…

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Bedbugs Put Police Cars Out of Service

I think it is amazing where we are finding Bed Bugs, they are showing up in ambulances, movie theaters and now police cruisers. So if you’re a police officer, EMT or just a regular citizen take care when and where you take a ride.

A FEW FACTS

  • Bed bugs get their name because they are commonly found in beds, but can also be found in other places. Dressers, baseboards, clothes, drapes, bed frames, wall mounted devices, tack strips/carpets, behind cracked paint or wallpaper.
  • Bed bugs feed on the blood of any warm-blooded animal.
  • They can ingest up to 7 times their weight.
  • A severe infestation can result in over 500 bites in a single night.
  • Bed Bugs are able to live up to 12 months without a meal, this is debatable in Arizona because of the lack of humidity.
  • They are immune to many of today’s insecticides, generally permethrins.
  • Many people can live with them without even knowing they’re there.
  • Their eggs hatch within 10 days and only take 30 days to become fully grown.
  • Females can lay up to 500 eggs over their lifetime.
  • Reported cases have increased over 500% the past few years.
  • Bed bug infestations are a traumatic experience for those attacked including increased stress, anxiety and insomnia – I call this the CREEP FACTOR.

 

 

Have you ever had one of those days?

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Have you ever had one of those days, when you think the world may be against you?

Yes all of us probably run into this weekly, maybe daily. We can handle it primarily because of faith, faith maybe in a few different things like 1. Faith in God 2. Faith that it just happens 3. Faith that it probably can’t get much worse, but anyway you get my drift here. I don’t want to go on about the economy or the government, or preach about the existence of God but you know stuff just happens.

So here are a few tips to stop that stuff from happening – especially the bug or bird kind of stuff.

  • More cases of Bed Bugs are happening right now because we are traveling for the summer, so take precautions.
  • Get a termite inspection yearly, it can’t hurt – it’s not like a colonoscopy (I just had to throw that in) it’s nothing like that….
  • Don’t put firewood against your home, don’t allow rocks to be higher than the stucco.
  • Clean up those oranges and grapefruits that fall on the ground, better yet give them to the food bank.
  • Clutter in and around your home can lead to pest infestations.
  • Don’t let tree limbs touch the house.

When in doubt seek out a trained professional for advice – the National Pest Management Association has a great website for consumers.

A personal experience with bed bugs by Dr. Mike Merchant

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A personal experience with bed bugs by Dr. Mike Merchant (re-home seal)

His daughter called , a visit to her apartment the next day revealed 200 to 300 bed bugs happily tucked away in the corners of the fitted sheets, dust ruffle and box spring cover of her bed.

Often times when we talk about an infestation we are talking about the issues involved with a customer perspective in mind. Mike recently had a Bed Bug issue of his own, so please take a moment to see how he dealt with the problems “A personal experience with bed bugs” and gain his insights into the mind of someone who has to deal with Bed Bugs in their home.

Desperation leads to mistake! Bed Bugs

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Desperation leads to BIG mistake! Bed Bugs

 

30 people have to find a new place to live for awhile , woman in Kentucky uses alcohol to treat her couch and this action leads to fire. “Kentucky woman sets apartment on fire while attempting to kill bed bugs“

There is a place and reason to hiring a Professional, just like I don’t repair the brakes on my cars or company vehicles. I probably could do it but it isn’t my life and frankly other people do it better. What I can do and I’m rather good at it is understanding bugs and how to eliminate them. Its not always about

Please use caution and I truly believe you should call a Professional http://www.pestworld.org

mistake

Photo by PPMA mistake

“Cheap” What a word in Pest Control!

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“Cheap” What a word in Pest Control!

“I do not prize the word “cheap.” It is not a badge of honor. It is a symbol of despair. Cheap prices make for cheap goods; cheap goods make for cheap men; and cheap men make for a cheap country.” William McKinley

So today I had this call about Bed Bugs, I was not the first person there and apparently not the last and here is the real story. The person has had the bugs for several months, maybe a year at this point and has been spending time elsewhere. They had spread into at least 2 bedrooms and 1 living room, I quoted $900 and recommended encasement’s and bagging what they could. They told me the previous company quoted $400 for only the master bedroom but they decided they liked my option better and booked the job. The next day they called to cancel –  they had found someone to do the entire home for $500.

To do this job correctly will take 4 -5 hours and it will be done on hands and knees to make sure you get to the bed bugs, where they hide.

What kind of job do you think they will get for $500? They only have to miss one white egg or translucent nymph?

You get what you pay for and in the creepy world of bed bugs you need a PRO! Like ProBest…

         

Photo’s courtesy of National Pest Management Association

Don’t Tick me!

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Don’t tick me! 

 

Most of the North  didn’t get the cold weather this year and so the ticks are going to be out in force. Here  in Arizona the temperature rarely dips cold enough to really freeze out most of our bugs. Reader’s Digest did an article called “13 things ticks won’t tell you“, if your camping this year I would highly advise you to read the readers digest article and prepare accordingly.

Have a safe summer and play safe!

One of the key techniques in identifying ticks are that they have eight legs but recently I encountered bedbugs in a home and just so everyone is aware bedbugs also have eight legs. So if you find something in your home it is essential to determine where you are fining them and if possible bring a sample into your local pest control professional.

If you find them under a bed and you have pets it is probably a good indication that you have ticks or if you’re fining them in your bed it is probably a good indication that you have bedbugs. No guessing the first part of any good treatment is always in identifying the problem.

Professional Speaker – Pest Control Expert

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Professional Speaker – Pest Expert

Does your organization need a Professional Expert to talk before your group, our resident expert Dr. Bug aka Keith V. Birkemeyer is an expert on bugs and critters of all kinds! ProBest can tailor a pest program or service on whatever your group may desire.

Bed Bugs

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