All posts in “mattresses”

Bed Bug Awareness Week Bed Bug Facts & Prevention

As part of National Pest Management Month, PPMA is launching “Bed Bug Awareness Week,” April 22 – 26 to promote public vigilance and provide essential prevention advice about bed bugs in advance of the summer travel season.

Tips Bed Bug Facts

• Bed bugs are found worldwide and are thought to have come to the U.S. from Europe in the 17th century.
• Bed bugs primarily feed on humans, but they can also feed on warm-‐blooded animals including birds, mice and family pets.
• Adults are just under ¼” long, relatively flat and oval in shape compared to most other insects.
• Bed bugs can lay one to five eggs per day and more than 500 in a lifetime.
• Bed bugs can survive for several months without eating.
• Bed bugs can withstand a wide range of temperatures, from nearly freezing to 122 degrees Fahrenheit.
• Bed bugs draw blood for about five minutes before retreating to digest.
• Bed bug hatchlings are so small they can pass through a stitch-‐hole in a mattress.
• Bed bugs can ingest seven-‐times their own weight in blood, which would be the equivalent of an average-‐sized male drinking
120 gallons of liquid.

Bed Bug Prevention Tips

There are several steps you can take to help prevent bed bugs in your everyday life. Regular bed bug inspections are the best line of defense to help you avoid a bed bug infestation.

Here are some other prevention tips to keep in mind:
• Regularly inspect areas where pets sleep for signs of bed bugs such as pepper-‐like stains, molted bed bug skins and white, sticky eggs.
• Never bring second-‐hand furniture, especially mattresses and box springs, into a home or college dorm without thoroughly examining it for signs of a bed bug infestation.
• At hotels, thoroughly inspect the entire room before unpacking, including behind the headboard and in furniture. Pull back the
bed sheets and check the mattress seams for pepper-‐like stains that may be evidence of bed bug activity.
• If you suspect an infestation or problem, notify management and change rooms immediately. Be sure the new room is not adjacent
to or directly below or above the possibly infested room.
• Keep suitcases in plastic trash bags or protective covers during a hotel stay to prevent bed bugs from nesting there. Do not put
them on the beds.
• Upon returning home from a trip, inspect all suitcases and other belongings before bringing them into the house.
• Wash all clothes -‐ even those that have not been worn -‐ in hot water and dry them using an extra-‐hot dryer setting.

Information provided by Professional Pest Management Alliance

In the old days these would have been gone in 2 shakes…but not now!

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In the old days these would have been gone in 2 shakes… but not now!

I remember those days as if they were only a year or so ago, wait they were. This Bed Bug problem in continuing and doesn’t look like it is going to let up very soon. These little biters are showing up in houses across the U.S. at alarming rates and the controversy continues on repellency against pyrethrins. No more are people grabbing up old mattresses from the curbside and many places are requiring mattresses to be marked and encased before going to the curb. These mattresses have been here for 3 days and it doesn’t look like they are going anywhere except the dump.

Dust-mites are leading cause of asthma in children.

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Dust-mites are leading cause of asthma in children.

House dust mites are microscope bugs that primarily live on dead skin cells regularly shed from humans and their animal pets. Dust mites, relatives of the spider, are too small to see without a microscope. Dust mites are generally harmless to most people. They don’t carry diseases, but they can cause allergic reactions in asthmatics and others who are allergic to their feces. People sometimes confuse dust-mites with bed bugs. 500 million people are affected by these little critters worldwide and may be a factor of 50 – 80% of asthmatics.

Skin cells and scales, commonly called dander, are often concentrated in lounging areas, mattresses, frequently used furniture and associated carpeted areas, often harbor large numbers of these microscopic mites. Since the average human sheds or loses about 1/3 ounce (10 grams) of dead skin a week. That gives dust mites a lot to eat. Cats and dogs create far more dander for dust mites to eat.

Beds are a prime harborage (where 1/3 of life occurs). A typical used mattress may have anywhere from 100,000 to 10 million mites inside. Ten percent of the weight of a two year old pillow can be composed of dead mites and their droppings. Mites prefer warm, moist surroundings such as the inside of a mattress when someone is on it. A favorite food is dander both human and animal skin flakes. Humans shed about 1/5 ounce of dander or dead skin each week. About 80 percent of the material seen floating in a sunbeam is actually skin flakes. Also, bedroom carpeting and household upholstery support high mite populations.

What can you do?

Wash the bedding frequently with very hot water.
Purchase quality mattress encasement.
Purchase and use a good hepa vacuum daily.
Use Green Cleaners.
Reduce the temperatures and humidity – dust mites love warm, humid conditions, above 70 F & 50% or greater humidity.
Replace air filters frequently (air and dehumidifier).

ProBest Pest Management does carpet cleaning and Bed Bug work, so if you have any questions please feel free to contact us or check out our website.

Bed Bug video (recent job)

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Bed Bug video (recent job)

[embedplusvideo height=”365″ width=”450″ standard=”http://www.youtube.com/v/3M1GFlQUfnE?fs=1″ vars=”ytid=3M1GFlQUfnE&width=450&height=365&start=&stop=&rs=w&hd=0&autoplay=0&react=1&chapters=&notes=” id=”ep4009″ /]

This is only a short little snippet of the Bed Bug infestation, there was also an issue with German cockroaches. We had to resort to a heat treatment because of all the stuff within the house and as soon as the heat was kicked on – the Bed Bugs began to run.

Any ideas on where Bed Bugs hang out the most?

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Any ideas on where Bed Bugs hang out the most?

University of Kentucky did some extensive work to determine the following information!

I think most people immediately think Bed Bugs = beds but that’s not always the case. As you can see from the work that was done that were are many other places where these little biters can be hanging out.

“Sleep Tight, Don’t let those Bed Bugs bite.”

Travel Bugs = Bed Bugs.

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A little play on words, what is the travel bug – Bed Bugs of course!

Well in just about a week people will begin the Holiday traveling season, traveling to see relatives or friends. Hopefully not many will be bringing back any hitchhikers like Bed Bugs. So with traveling just ahead of us, here are a few tips for safety from National Pest Management Association and ProBest Pest Management:

Thoroughly inspect the entire room with a flashlight before unpacking, including behind the headboard, under lights, and inside dressers, drawers, sofas and chairs. I prefer to leave my luggage in the bathroom and hand my clothes on the shower rod.
Pull back the sheets and inspect the mattress seams and box springs, particularly at the corners, for telltale stains, spots or shed bed bug skins.
Place suitcase in a plastic trash bag during the duration of your trip to ensure that bed bugs cannot take up residence there prior to departure. *Tip: Pack clothes in zip lock bag for easy cleaning upon returning home.
Do not place luggage on upholstered surfaces. The safest place is in the bathroom in the middle of a tile floor or on a luggage rack after it has been thoroughly inspected. Do not use a luggage rack if it has hollow legs, where bed bugs may hide unseen.
If you notice bed bugs in your room, notify management and request to change rooms immediately.
Do not move to a room adjacent and/or directly above/below the suspected infestation.
When you return home, inspect your suitcases before bringing them into the house.
Vacuum your suitcase thoroughly before bringing indoors and storing away.
Wash all of your clothes – even those items you haven¹t worn – in hot water to remove any bed bugs or eggs that may have traveled home with you. Dry clean only clothes should be thrown in the dryer and run on high heat.

FTC Consumer Alert

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FTC Consumer Alert

http://www.ftc.gov/bcp/edu/pubs/consumer/alerts/alt194.shtm and this article on deceptive claims on advertisement “FTC Takes Action“. I constantly hear people say things that are just not true or factual. Bed Bugs do not jump, I don’t care what you have heard they cannot jump. They may be able to fall into cuffs of pants or onto clothes and hitchhike in a lot of different ways. The biggest item is that you must throw away everything, not true use common sense just like the article above suggests. It isn’t always necessary to throw away mattresses or dressers, they may be old and you may want to discard them but in 99% of the cases a Pest Management Professional can treat and eliminate the Bed Bugs without damaging the article.

These sites listed above can be a valuable tool in getting rid of Bed Bugs and that Creep Factor associated with them.

Bed Bugs

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Bed Bugs (Article & Story by Revolution Main and AZFamily KTVK TV3)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xW9Yi1L8cuY

Got Bed Bugs – Call ProBest Pest Management!

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The Verifi™ bed bug detector offers homeowners and property manager’s huge new advantages over traditional detection methods. Not only is Verifi a more affordable, more discreet way to determine if a bed bug infestation is present, it works around the clock to help give you continuous peace of mind.

Featuring replaceable attractants, the Verifi bed bug detector is the first device to provide ongoing detection for up to 90 days at a time. Your pest management professional can quickly and easily replace the attractants on a regular basis for year-round monitoring. Designed to fit behind beds and other furnishings and operate silently, the Verifi bed bug detector won’t disturb occupants in a room.

Even if you don’t currently have bed bugs, the continuous detection of the Verifi bed bug detector helps alert you to any newly-introduced bed bug populations at an earlier stage. Early detection of bed bugs can increase the success and decrease the cost of your treatment program.

Check out our website for further details https://callprobest.com/bedbugs

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.