Metro Bed Bug Dogs

Ok, what I am trying to say is that I’m coming across more and more cases of people with delusions of bed bugs. The delusion is not that they imagine they have bed bugs; our trained K-9 Chopper confirms bed bug activity. The delusion is that after treatment and no more evidence of bed bugs, they still think they have an infestation. Every little skin bump is a bed bug bite; every black speck in the house is a bed bug; every dead spider, mosquito, or beetle is a bed bug. They wake up to bed bugs; live their days thinking and spraying for bed bugs; they have sleepless nights thinking about bed bugs. I have clients who, after they have treatments and the bed bugs are gone, stand in the kitchen talking to me and scratching their arms like madmen. Clients who have thrown out their possessions, moved from their apartment, destroyed their apartment or have not slept in weeks. These are cases of “bed bugs in your head.” What makes things difficult for me treating these poor souls is that  I no longer know what information from the client I can rely on when it comes to further treatments.

One client calls me every few days to tell me that when he watches TV on his new couch and at about 9 pm every night the bed bugs come out and start flying around his head. I keep telling him “bed bugs don’t fly.” I have a client who, after three months of what I thought was an early infestation and simple treatment, thought she was still getting bit. I could no longer find any evidence of the little vampires but she insisted that she was still getting bit. She basically left all her belongings and moved to a new apartment. Another client decided to spackle every square inch of his apartment with his bare hands to make it bed bug proof. I can’t imagine what it will cost to fix up the apartment when he comes back to earth.

One case that I thought would be simple tuned into a major job. After two treatments, I was able to declare there were no more bed bugs. My client kept on insisting he was getting bit and I could not find any more signs of the elusive pests as I kept returning for more inspections. On my fifth visit, the client informed me that he read that steam was the best thing to kill bed bugs. I don’t often use steam; I prefer freezing bed bugs. He was so adamant that I took out my steam machine and steamed his couches and bed. The truth of the matter was I never steamed anything. When I turned on the steamer it was not working. I went through the motions of treating because I did not have the heart to tell this person that they would need to wait. I figured once I fixed the steamer I would come back and retreat. Before I went back, he declared he was bed bug free, the fake steam worked. It worked!

When these blood suckers get into our heads we start acting crazy. I’m starting to recommend therapy for some clients. My heart goes out to these people. I know what it’s like to imagine you’re getting bit. I still have sleepless nights after working a job with a heavy infestation. I actually wake up in the middle of the night with what I can only describe as a painful sting. What works for me is the knowledge that you can’t feel bed bugs when they are biting.

I think education is the best answer. Then again, I had one client who, after a mild infestation, proceeded to stay up for 24 hours on the internet educating herself into a total state of madness. I told her to shut off her computer, find a designated driver and go out for a drink. I was at a loss of what to say.

You find bed bugs in your home and what do you do? Scream, cry, throw out all your belongings, start
looking for a new home. Then, you then go to the web, do a Google search for a bed bug exterminator
and now you really want to scream. Talk about sticker shock, from $850.00 to $1500.00. Your first
reaction is to look for the cheapest option which is a huge mistake!

You need to look at the work involved in the successful treatment of these vampires and the key
word is successful.

The process starts with an accurate inspection using a certified dog. Not only does a certified dog
find the hiding spots and the level of the infestation, it can cut down on the amount of work you, the
homeowner, need to do to in treating. A good exterminator can find bed bugs only about 35% of the
time. Bed bug dogs can find them 95% of the time.

Do you really want to treat all your clothes and belongings or only the infected items? That’s where
the dogs come in; they will tell you what clothes to treat and more importantly, the ones not to treat.
With a dog’s help, we can cut down on your laundering bills and even the amount of physical work.

We now need to look at treatment. Based on where the dog has determined the infestation is, we
need to take action. We need to bag all your contaminated belongings; clothes, bedding and even
curtains if infected. We need to know if the bed bugs have infected your electronics. What furniture
are the bed bugs hiding in? Are they in your walls? Have they spread to other rooms, couches and your
closets? A good exterminator will help you bag and prep for the treatment. If not done correctly, you
can spread the problem when prepping for the extermination.

You mattress and box spring come next; can they be saved or do they need to go. In most cases,
saving the mattress and box spring are the best options. Most people’s first reaction is to throw
them out and start all over. Just think of it this way: when you throw out your bedding, you might be
spreading bed bugs throughout your home and building and even worse, your new bedding can become
infected in a matter of days. When treating your bed and furniture, they need to be taken apart and
treated properly. The bed frame may need to be disassembled, drawers need to be removed, and
furniture needs to be turned upside down. The correct treatment using the correct method is next. This
might include freezing, steaming and vacuuming and then pesticides may be needed. Killing live bed
begs is relatively easy; their eggs are the problem and pesticides are known not to kill bed bug eggs.
That’s why other methods are sometimes required.

You also need revisits to follow up and retreat depending on what the results are from the first visit;
this is where the guarantees come in. While no one will guarantee eradicating the infestation, a good
exterminator will guarantee his work in that he will come and retreat as needed. What if you have a
strain of bed bugs resistant to the pesticide being used? We find on average 3-4 visits are needed to rid
you of the problem. Fewer visits will often just create a situation where you have temporary relief only
to have the same issue resurface in 2 to 4 months.

If your exterminator walks in, sprays around the bed and perimeter of the room, leaves and
charges you $300, all he has done is slowed down the problem and possibly created a new strain of
pesticide resistant t bed bugs. Killing these bugs takes time, labor, and knowledge. You need to find an
exterminator who has the experience to treat the problem and is willing to put in the time needed.

Over the counter products make treatment harder. They may kill a few bed bugs but they seem to
put more in hiding mode. About 30% of my clients are people who have had treatments in the past and
now have to start all over again. Imagine having to prep your house for a second time! These jobs also
become harder because we now have bed bugs possibly resistant to pesticides. When this happens, it
might take us up to six visits until we have things under control.

Typically, a thorough initial inspection and treatment takes 2 to 3 hours for two men with 2 to 3 follow
up visits. That’s why the price is so high. The easiest treatments are early detection, with a thorough
inspection, thorough treatment, education, and follow up. This takes time, labor, specialized equipment,
and knowledge. In life, we often get what we pay for and bed bug eradication is no different. So do your
homework find an experienced exterminator with a dog and the knowledge to take care of the problem.

During these times we hear about bed bug infestations everywhere, not just the home. A new habitat is on the rise: The office. Pest control technicians are seeing an ever increasing number of sightings in offices both great and small. It’s not entirely farfetched when you consider that the average person spends 40+ hours a week working. The office space is a hub for human parasites. There are so many people who commute between all sorts of places throughout their day. Think Grand Central Terminal. This not only creates a hazard in your work environment but it also makes it very easy to transfer them to our homes as well!

However, this is no cause for great alarm or cubicle hysteria. The proper knowledge as well as a few preventative measures should help keep you, your coworkers and your family on the safer side. We’ll do a quick breakdown of Dos and Don’ts that should help everyone sleep a little easier, even while on the clock:

DO:

• Cut down on the paper clutter.  Cardboard especially. Paper is a dying form anyway; keeping data as an electronic file is not only a smart way to limit their living space options but it’s also cost effective.
• If cutting down on the paper isn’t much of an option it would be wise to purchase airtight containers. Similar to Tupperware. You can quarantine items and let them sit for years.  A bed bug can survive for a little over a year without a blood meal, anything airtight should keep them locked inside until they starve.
• Purchase Steri-fab sanitizer and keep a small bottle in the office for people to use as they enter and exit.  Steri-fab is an alcohol based product and is just about the only over the counter spray we recommend to our clients (Cut us a check, guys!).  What it does is kills Bed bugs on contact.  But it’s also one of the very few methods to also destroy their eggs.  Spraying your shoes, office chair and bag should be more than sufficient.  It’s safe on your skin. Although, you should also use a lotion afterwards, as alcohol dries out your upper layer of skin.  You can find it online, Amazon carries it.
• Also, for larger offices, there exists another apparatus that might just save the day: Packtite. Packtite is a portable bed bug heating device. You can use it to place any papers, bags, etc. inside and heat the contents to a high enough temperature that nukes bed bugs.  It can be a bit costly at upwards of $350.  Despite that, it’s in high demand due to our ever-growing epidemic.  If you travel often, it’s a very wise investment.
• If you can catch one, do it.  This sounds silly, maybe even a little gross. But it’s not so dangerous.  A piece of scotch tape will hold the wanker just fine.  This will help any technician determine whether you infact have a bed bug infestation.

DON’T:

• Keep it to yourself. Report signs of activity. If you have a few mysterious bites, see a doctor.  If you see any activity, let someone know.  Which leads me to:
• Panic (See Bed bugs in your head). Flying off the handle has historically proven to never fix anything.  We’ve seen it all, from people refusing to go to work, to sit next to certain coworkers they suspect are “carriers”.  Assessing the situation, treating the problem and dealing with it decisively is a much better strategy.
• Buy over the counter “Bed Bug” sprays.  I seriously cannot stress this enough. Most of these sprays don’t carry enough pesticide to kill bed bugs but just enough poison to help an insect build up a resistance to pesticides.
• Buy a space heater. Gradually warming up an area won’t kill any bed bugs .
• Buy wicker baskets.  Or wicker anything for that matter. Aside from it being somewhat out of place unless your office is located in St. Croix, they create another perfect haven for bed bugs to thrive. They can possibly survive in the small space between the weaving and make certain pieces nearly impossible to treat.
• Keep folders, boxes and papers on radiators. They’ve been known to use the heating system as a highway to move around throughout buildings. From floor to floor.

If you stick to these it should help you guys out and give you one less thing to worry about throughout your day at the office.

The first thing you might notice is the smell in a room. You can actually smell a really bad infestation that has been there for awhile; there will be a musty odor. The first thing I do when I get to my hotel room is inspect the luggage rack or closet for signs of activity. That is where I would recommend putting luggage. Don’t put it on the floor or on the bed.

Next, pull back the bedding to get a look at the mattress. The sheets should be fresh and should not have any signs of activity. Look at the top of the mattress by the headboard. Look in the mattress seams, between the wall and the mattress, and behind the headboard.  Most headboards lift up and off. Look for bed bugs and fecal droppings. Check around the nightstand also, pull the drawer etc. At this point if you don’t find any signs of activity, I would feel good about staying in the room.

MIDWOOD (WABC) — An exterminator hired to kill bed bugs at a New York City elementary school has left behind a big mess. The cost to decontaminate what was contaminated is estimated to cost hundreds of thousands of dollars on top of the $100,000 already paidfor the extermination.

Parents picking up their kids at P.S. 197 in Midwood, Brooklyn have recently not been sure that bed bugs won’t be going home with them.

“My wife went to a parents teacher meeting and she said that they said that there is bed bugs, that they have a problem there,” said Dennis Mitchell, a parent. But, the effort to get rid of the little creatures has created bigger problems. ”Exterminating fluid was found in the rooms, on the teachers’ desks, on the children’s desks, on their books, on the floor, and it had an odorto it,” said Lucille Mauro, a teacher.

Eyewitness News’ cameras were not allowed inside the building, but a teacher provided a photo of one of five classrooms that were soakedwith a liquid bed bug killing chemical. ”Who ever exterminated it was negligently exterminating the room and all the materials that I have are now in the garbage,” said Ellie Salman, a teacher. The Department of Education hired a private contractor, listed on its website as Joe’s Extermination Company. They paid just under $100,000 for the services. Research by the Teacher’s Union estimates the classroom cleanup will cost well over twice that amount. ”This is the neighborhood of a quarter of a million dollars, money that could have been used in the classrooms,” said Alan Abrams, the Teacher’s Union leader.

The DOE says it plans to bill the contractor and prevent his company from doing business with the city. That company has not returned Eyewitness News phone calls. “We don’t know what everyone was exposed to, so it’s unnerving,” said Denise Richford, a teacher. The substance used is being tested, but teachers will not know the results for two weeks. They are now more concerned that the materials they lost will not be replaced for the rest of this school year.
(Copyright ©2010 WABC-TV/DT. All Rights Reserved.)

What went wrong?
Apparently, everything! First how can anyone charge $100,000 for exterminating a school? How big is the school?I can only imagine which incorrect methods were used if books and desks were left with pesticide residue.I don’t know what happened, how it was treated, or who actually did the treatment.What I can tell you is what we at Metro Bed Bug Dogs would have done.

Step 1: Inspection using our trained K-9. This cuts down the need for pesticides and allows us only to treat the infected area.

Step 2: Treat the areas that tested positive with ice or heat depending on the surface. This is a chemical free way of killing bedbugs.

Step 3: If books and papers were infected, pack them in heating units and treat them with heat. There is no other way of treatingsuch materials.

Step 4: Any clothing found to be infected: bag it, seal it, and treat it in a dryer-high heat for 45 minutes kills bed bugs.

Step 5: If we found bed bugs in the walls, or radiator system, or electrical outlets, pesticide dusts that are not exposed to humanswould have been applied after consulting with the school.

Step 6: Educate the staff on how to reduce the spread of bed bugs in the future.
What we need to understand is that spraying pesticide on every surface is a thing of the past.The indiscriminate use of pesticides helped create this problem in the first place. When pesticides are not used accordingly, weget super bed bugs resistant to pesticides. Recently, I’ve been getting work that exterminators have turned down. They lack theknowledge and/or appropriate tools needed to treat bed bugs. However, it is reassuring that many exterminators are turning thiswork over to people who have the expertise to solve the problem.

Let’s face a guarantee is only has good has the people who stand behind it. Most exterminators don’t want give customers any guarantee when it comes to bed bugs. The main excuse is that they can’t control the customers bringing bed bugs back into the space. I don’t agree with that, I believe one of the most important services we can give our customers isknowledge. How did you get the little vampires, and what do we need to do so that this does not happen again.

Most exterminators treat the first time and come back in 2 weeks, perform a second treatment. In my experience this is when the real work starts. Any exterminator can kill most visible bed bugs, the hardwork starts when you have bed bug hiding deep in walls or deep in furniture. If an exterminator missesa few in several weeks you have a new infestation that might be resistant to the last pesticide. It takestime to clean up an infestation.

To properly treat a home an exterminator has to take several things into consideration. Can you effectively treat a piece of furniture or does it need to be disposed. Is this a strain of bed bugs resistantto pesticide in use? Bed bugs eggs are resistant to most pesticides and they can take up to 2 weeks tohatch. These are just a few issues, how can this be done in 2 treatments over 2 weeks.

Although originally a problem faced only by city dwellers, bedbugs have begun infesting even the tiniest zip codes. However, you won’t hear about the problem at your next dinner party. The first thing my customers demand is total discretion. Our crews show up in unmarked cars and they always avoid the neighbors. And no matter how good of a job we do, we never ask for a referral. There is an intense stigma attached to having a bedbug infestation. The New York Times even wrote an article about people losing friends over these little critters. There seems to be an understanding that bedbugs only affect poor people or dirty people, however, we’ve had clients who picked them up while vacationing in the Hamptons—one of the nicest, wealthiest towns in the Metropolitan area.

These tiny parasites live on human blood. At one time, they were nearly extinct but a growing resistance to pesticides and an increasingly mobile population has caused their reappearance. For years, bedbugs have been enjoying inner city life and in the past decade, they were carried into big cities on the backs on of college students, people returning from hotel stays and visitors from other countries.

Once bedbugs infest a home, their offspring will eventually set off in search of new blood. They travel along apartment walls, subways, bus seats and a variety of other ways. And while there is no evidence that these tiny pests transmit disease, they certainly cause extreme amounts of anxiety and insomnia.

After years of battling bedbugs in New York apartments, the infestation has reached epidemic levels.  Bedbugs have moved into suburban neighborhoods, office buildings, department stores and even movie theaters.  Wherever you go, they can go. Education and proactive treatment are the only ways we can stop these creepy pests from spreading.