Clark Pest Control's Blog

Sacramento Bed Bugs - The Bed Bugs are here!

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Sacramento may not know it, but the bed bugs are here

The shape of a flax seed and the color of blood, they hide in cracks and crevices, crawling out for a blood meal in the dark of night.

They're well known in San Francisco, where the health department has its own bedbug regulations. And in New York, where a bedbug attack early this month forced temporary shutdowns at two Abercrombie & Fitch stores.

In Sacramento, the quarter-inch parasites have yet to surface in the mainstream. Yet they're still there, hiding.

"It's on the rise. There have been more calls about it because people are getting infestations in their rental units," said Tom Curl, county code enforcement officer.

The National management Association reported a 71 percent rise in U.S. infestations since 2001. And a University of Kentucky study found that 91 percent of pest professionals had noted a bedbug increase. "It's a problem of almost epidemic proportions being reported in each of the 50 states," said spokeswoman Missy Henriksen.

Unlike San Francisco, officials in Sacramento don't track bedbug cases.

"I don't think Sacramento city or county does a good job to make sure it's easy for a person to report a bedbug problem," said Bill Gaither, director of Pest Control Operators of California.

The county's health officer, Dr. Glennah Trochet, said reporting bedbugs isn't required. "No one is responsible for keeping tabs on it because bedbugs don't cause diseases," she said.

Property owners in the city can face initial fines of $1,400 for failing to eradicate pests such as cockroaches. But they get a pass on bedbugs, which are considered a civil problem between landlords and tenants, said code enforcement officer Bill Hutcheon.

Curl said the county is taking small steps to deal with bedbugs. "We recently received direction that we do respond to bedbugs. Even though it's not a vector, it's a nuisance and it's going to spread to other rental units." Curl said the department can charge property owners with improper maintenance fees if bedbugs go untreated.

"It's not as reported here, but it's just as big a problem as in San Francisco," said Martyn Hopper of Pest Control Operators.

Chuck Ehmann, the department head of Clark Pest Control, said that two years ago he received a maximum of 10 bedbug calls a year. Today, he gets that many calls a month.

"We didn't know if this was going to be a little visit from the past or a new reality. They're not going away," said Jim Steed, owner of Neighborly Pest Management. Bedbug treatments account for a fraction of Steed's business, but the issue is high on the psychological radar, he said.

The mental impact sneaks up in the form of insomnia, phantom sensations and paranoia that the creatures are lodged in personal belongings. Most bedbugs are found in or near beds, according to the University of California's Pest Notes. The rest hide in upholstered furniture, bedroom cabinets, baseboards, wallpaper and carpets.

"Professionals who treat them say they are the single most difficult pest to eradicate -- worse than termites, ants and rodents," said Henriksen. The problem lies in their ability to hide in cracks as thin as a credit card.

Professionals have traditionally used chemical Insecticides but are researching less toxic and more effective methods such as heating a living space to about 140 degrees for a few hours and setting up traps. But bedbugs, which can lay up to 500 eggs in a four-month lifetime, are notorious repeat offenders, sometimes forcing pest control officers to apply several treatments to a single unit. Costs can swing from a couple of hundred dollars to a couple of thousand. As part of the treatment, residents must remove clothing and bedding from their living quarters.

Pest control providers say infestations are usually no one's fault. Clean and clutter-free living spaces help abate infestation, but as the New York Times Magazine reported in an article about the spread of bedbugs in an affluent New York neighborhood, bedbugs are equal-opportunity pests.

"You'd think that cheaper motels would be bigger targets but that's not the case," said Hopper.

The bedbug can increase landlord-tenant stress. The Rental Housing Association responded to the crisis by creating a bedbug addendum to its standard lease agreement last year. "It provides a layer of protection for the owner or manager," said senior deputy director Cory Koehler. "The resident shouldn't be able to come into a rental unit that is pristine and not follow good housekeeping standards."

Advocates with Legal Aid of Northern California said bedbug addendums have grown in popularity, but they maintain that the pests are an owner's responsibility. "Even with an addendum, you have to prove that it's the tenant's fault," said Martha Valles, a housing paralegal, and the parasite's elusive behavior can make that difficult.

The annoying insect that can leave itchy red welts, cause psychological damage, and trigger a slew of economic and legal complications has the potential to become lethal, some experts warn.

"We're lucky they haven't been inside of disease cycles yet," said Dr. Vernard Lewis, a University of California, Berkeley, entomologist. "Can the situation of bedbugs turn for the worst? Of course it can because evolution happens."

www.sacbee.com/. Copyright (c) 2010, The Sacramento Bee, Calif.

Bed Bug Travel advise - Vacation Traveler’s Guide to Bed Bugs

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JULY 14, 2010 · POSTED IN BED BUGS ON THE RAMPAGE 

With spring break nearly here and summer vacation just around the corner, families are gearing up for vacation travel. Nobody minds bringing home a little sand in their shoes after an idyllic week lounging on the beach, but there’s nothing that takes the joy out of a vacation like unpacking a few bed bugs along with the swimsuits.

Opera singer Alison Trainer got bed bugs while staying at an upscale Phoenix hotel in 2007. She told ABC News that when she woke up in the middle of the night, “They were all over the bed and the comforter and the pillows and I pulled the sheets off and they were just everywhere.”

“They’re like little vampires, like stealth feeders at nighttime,” Michael Raupp, University of Maryland professor of entomology, told ABC News in the same report. While many people wake up with itchy red bites the next morning, nearly 50% of bed bug victims don’t react. You may not know you’ve been sharing a bed with these blood-sucking insects until you return home from vacation.

According to a 2004 survey of pest control professionals by Pest Control Technology magazine, hotels and motels were the most common sites of bed bug infestations, accounting for more than one-third of bed bug complaints. Bed bugs are brought into hotels by guests; they are not a sanitation issue. These adept hitchhikers travel in luggage and on clothing. They hide in and near beds to be near their prey, the unsuspecting traveler. While they don’t transmit disease, bed bugs feed on human blood and can traumatize their victims, causing anxiety, stress and insomnia. About the size of an apple seed, bed bugs have flat, oval, wingless bodies that are light to reddish-brown in color.

Nearly eradicated in the 1950s, the banning of DDT coupled with increased international travel has caused the resurgence of bed bugs in all 50 states. Hotels, motels, bed and breakfasts, hostels, resorts and cruise ships provide perfect breeding and transmission sites for these nuisance pests. Many tourist cities including New York, Boston, Miami, Chicago, Los Angeles, Honolulu and San Francisco have been waging war against an increasing number of bed bug complaints from tourists and residents. Concern about negative impact on the tourist industry has pushed several states to consider bed bug legislation.

Bed bugs are a vexing problem for the hospitality industry. Rooms that were pest-free one night can be infected by a guest the next. Infestations often go undetected, spreading to adjacent rooms through vents, ducts, plumbing conduits, even by housekeeping staff. When bed bugs are discovered, today’s safer pest control chemicals require repeat applications. Infected rooms may be insufficiently treated before being assigned to new guests.

There’s no reason to stop vacationing, travelers just need to take a few precautions to avoid bringing bed bugs home.

Before booking your hotel, check traveler reviews on popular bed bug reporting websites: TripAdvisor.com, BedBugRegistry.com and HotelChatter.com. Pack belongings in snap and seal storage bags and consider protecting your mattresses and box springs with bed bug-proof encasements in case you bring bed bugs home.

Before leaving home spray your luggage inside and out with a bed bug control luggage spray. We sell one by JT Eaton and consider this Permethrin based product an innovation for travelers.

When checking in, inspect the room. Remove linens and check the mattress, particularly seams and welts, for live bugs, shed exoskeletons and black or rusty fecal stains. Use a flashlight to look behind the headboard, picture frames, in drawers, along baseboards. If you see signs of bed bugs, ask for another room or go to a different hotel.

While at the hotel, keep your suitcase and possessions off the bed, floor and upholstered furniture. Store suitcases on luggage racks or tables and keep them closed. Don’t lay clothing on the bed. Hang purses in the closet.

If you suspect bed bugs or develop itchy red welts, notify the hotel management immediately. Ask for another room in a different part of the building or check into a different hotel. Trap bed bugs in a pill bottle or sealed plastic bag to show the manager. When you return home, immediately call a pest control professional before unpacking. Other insects are often mistaken for bed bugs and bed bug bites are similar to those from mosquitoes and other insects. A pest control professional can correctly identify your problem.

On returning home, unpack in a garage, cleared laundry area or bathtub, not on the bed. Inspect your suitcase and contents for signs of bed bugs. Sort clothing into plastic bags that can be emptied directly into the washer. Wash and dry (for 60 minutes) at hottest settings. Vacuum suitcases and store away from bedroom. Immediately dispose of vacuum bag and storage bags in outside receptacle. Items that can’t be laundered can be sealed in plastic bags and frozen for two weeks or placed in a hot, closed car for 2 hours.

A new product has just hit the market called Packtite that is an enclosed heating chamber made for frequent travelers. This new product allows you to place your entire piece of packed luggage in the heating chamber and kill bed bugs and eggs before even unpacking. Although this product is not for everyone, for business travelers or families that travel abroad frequently the product is worth strong consideration.

For the next couple of weeks check your mattress for bed bug signs. Call a pest control professional immediately if you see any signs of bed bugs.

Douglas Stern is the managing partner of Stern Environmental Group and a bed bug extermination expert. His firm serves commercial and residential clients in New Jersey, New York City, New York, and Connecticut. His firm is located at 100 Plaza Drive in Secaucus, New Jersey. You can reach him toll free at 1-888-887-8376.

Please visit us on the Web atwww.SternEnvironmental.com. 

Sacramento - Bed Bugs Pose Irritating Pest Control Problem

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Blood-sucking bed bugs on the rise

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Cases of bed bug infestations in Lincoln have doubled in the past few years, according to experts.

And it's not just hotels and hospitals that are calling in the experts. Cases of infestation in Lincoln homes

 have also rocketed, with more people than ever needing the help of specialist firms to get rid of the nibbling monsters.

Experts say one of the main issues is that bed bugs are very resilient, living not just in mattresses, but furniture, clothing and even between cracks in skirting boards.

Pest control specialist Ian Spraggins from Eradicate Pest Control Specialists, based in Doddinton Park, said: "Bed bugs are most certainly on the increase in Lincoln – we saw a 50 to 55 per cent increase last year and who knows what this year will bring?

"One of the contributing factors is that more people are heading overseas on cut-price holidays where cleanliness might not be given as much attention. All it takes is a few to crawl into a suitcase, be carried back to the UK, then get nice and settled in your own home."

Click here to read the entire article 

Living with Bed Bugs in 2010 - Dr. Dini Miller

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Dr. Dini Miller is currently on deck and again one of my favorite topics...Bed Bugs. 

Are Bed Bugs related to fleas? No, although it is closely related to the plant pest the Aphid. Bed Bugs originated from caves and have been transported all over the world. In the 40-50's Bed Bugs were essentially eradicated due to the use of DDT, later Bed Bugs developed a resistance to DDT. 

So why are Bed Bugs back? People! International travel is a the biggest reason for the comeback. The hands down reason is most likely increased pressure of resistant population.

Poultry Farming...birds raised for meat cannot be treated with pesticides, therefor Bed Bug infestations are all more then common.

Bed Bugs after their feeds leave the host due to the heat, this is where Non-Chemical heat applications come into play. During the day they cluster together in cracks and crevices.

Eggs hatch between 8-9 days, newly hatched Bed Bugs will need their first blood meal within 3 days.

Evidence...

Most inspect for blood spots (red), this is incorrect, you are looking for black spots (dried blood), but most common is the actual bite. 

Thank you Dr. Dini Miller for your insight! 

"Bed Bug Treatments" - Victoria Fickle

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By far my personal favorite for the day was Victoria Finckle's lecture. Victoria is a true entomologist with focused studies on Bed Bugs. Victoria's topics included: 

Bed Bug Biology

Mating and reproduction

Feeding habits

Signs and symptoms 

Variations of bites

Infestations 

Controlling Bed Bugs 

K9 scent detection

Conventional Bed Bug Treatment

Mechanical Control - Vacuuming

Steam Treatment

Mattress and Box spring encasement

Discarding infested items

We publish and republish alot on Bed Bugs so this was a treat! It would be very beneficial if others took this topic a little more serious. Some older posts I have made focus on what to look for when traveling, its worth a look. 

As a personal note: 

I thought I was the biggest insect geek, I have met my match! great lecture, kept me itching the entire time! 

Beware of bed bugs

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Dr. Victoria Mogilner went to New York City earlier this year. She stayed with her friend in New Jersey. Shortly after, she realized she had what she thought was a scratch on her arm. It wasn't that simple, in fact, it was a bed bug bite. Pretty soon, that one "scratch" became a lot more, " I looked like I had the plague," says Mogilner, her whole upper body was covered with red bites. And they itched.

Lisa Miller, owner of the environmentally friendly Ladybug Pest Control, is familiar with bed bug bites. She didn't used to be. Several years ago she never got a call about them. Today she deals with at least a few big, bad cases every month. What are bed bugs? They looks like ticks, but are smaller. About half the size of an eraser head. And they feed on human blood. They come out when people are sleeping, typically live in the crack and crevices of beds and bite people. They bite, then bite and bite again. They'll feed all night so often times people will wake up the next morning and have a rash looking thing. And bed bugs have struck.

The only way to protect oneself from bed bug bites, is not to have them. So, first Miller recommends people do everything they can to avoid them. She says inspect beds when in a hotel. Look under the mattress, in the cracks and crevices, peer behind frames on the walls, generally inspect. Then place luggage on a rack. Don't put clothes in drawers. And to go really extreme, turn up the heat on high when gone. Heat kills bed bugs. Then when home after a trip take all clothing and put immediately in a plastic bag (if it's summer) and leave outside. That heat will kill any possibilities of bringing buggars in the house. Or put everything immediately in the wash.

Click here to read the entire article

Bed Bugs - Learn About The Horrors You Can Bring Home

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Here are two common bugs that cause rashes that can be picked up during one's travel from hotels.

Scabies:

Scabies are microscopic and are mites that burrow under the skin. The allergic reaction to them can result in extreme itching sensations and a marked rash. It may not show up for weeks after your trip. They can be treated with a prescription pesticide lotion you get from your physician. The mites are contagious so everyone in the home should also be treated, even if no symptoms are showing yet once one person in the home is positively diagnosed with scabies.

Wash everything worn as well as the sheets and towels in very hot water and dry on high heat. If there are items you can't wash, then put them in a plastic bag in order to suffocate them over the course of a week or two. These are parasites so it's important to stop their reproduction. It can be very frustrating as they can't be seen and are insanely itchy.

Bed Bugs:

A bed bug has to do is crawl out from its dark hiding spot, and bite you while you are asleep.
Once bitten, the bed bugs transfer blood out, and their saliva in. The reason why is because it as an anesthetic compound in its saliva that allows it to feed without notice. However, anywhere from a day to a couple of weeks later these welts will start to form that are very itchy, and out of instinct you will begin to scratch.

Once this rash develops it will look like a tiny pimple or even a mosquito bite, will become very red, and be very itchy. Well, I am sorry to say, but you now of a bed bug rash. Scratching it will not help, but will allow it to become worse by way of potential infection.

Click here to read the entire article

Bed Bugs - Edge of Nature: Bedbugs are night stalkers

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December 15th, 2009, 7:30 am
posted by Pat Brennan, green living, environment editor

Bedbugs are not as rare as they once were in Orange County; while there are no major outbreaks in the area, the past five years have seen more reports of the blood-sucking creatures than in previous years. And by all accounts, they are terrible house guests: they bite, they smell bad, and they won't leave. Experts say getting rid of bedbugs from a building with an entrenched infestation is extremely difficult. That might be because common bedbugs are human specialists, adapted to thrive in our dwellings and batten on our blood. They attack at night, while we sleep, and though some people feel a prick of pain from the bite itself, many don't realize they have bedbugs until the bites, especially around the face, grow itchy and swollen - or until they see staining on bed sheets from bedbug waste.

Photo by: The Orange County Register

Roasting bedbugs exterminates them

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The latest technique to eliminate a stubborn pest has bedbugs feeling the heat -- and dying.

A Michigan-based pest-control company used heat to treat a Cincinnati apartment infested with bedbugs Friday.

As it turns out, bedbugs are fairly resistant to cold temperatures. But unlike many insects, they don't like it hot, said Mark "Shep" Sheperdigian, an urban entomologist and vice president of technical services for Rose Pest Solutions of Troy, Mich.

Temperatures of 113 degrees will kill bedbugs, but it can take hours, Sheperdigian said. Crank the thermostat up to 120 degrees or higher, and the little bloodsuckers dry up and die in minutes, he said.

Kevin Stacy, special-service manager for Rose, and two co-workers set up four large electric heaters in the three-bedroom apartment, then set up fans to help circulate the heat.

Click here to read the entire article