RETURN OF THE BEDBUGS
By
Nicholas Holland
Over the last two years, bed bugs have made a remarkable comeback. Multi-dwelling locations are fast becoming the home for bed bugs, and bed bug issues in Calgary are now classified as medium-to-medium high with an expected increase in 2005. In today’s world, with people traveling frequently, bed bugs are hitching rides all over the globe. In this most recent comeback, bedbugs were first noticed in tourist resorts and hotels. Now they are being found in people’s homes. In this article, I will discuss the tell-tale signs of a bed bug problem and the red flags to watch for.
Typically, the “victim” would wake up in the morning with a few small bites on them and would think nothing of it. When the linen is changed, they notice small blood spots on the sheets. A closer inspection reveals bed bugs in the seams of the mattress, in cracks and crevices of the furniture and on fixtures in the room.
Bed bugs are 3/16 inch long, oval, flat, and rusty red in colour. The female lays between 200-500 eggs in her lifetime and lives for approximately one year. The development time from egg to adult is twenty-one days. Bed bugs feed at night on a variety of hosts, which can include humans and their pets.
A professional pest management strategy is required, both short and long term. In the short term bed bugs in the room are eliminated using a chemical application and in many instances, the bedding and mattress are disposed of. Long term treatment involves applying a chemical barrier into voids of the structure (behind baseboards, electrical outlets, light fixtures etc.). This will control bed bugs as they appear out from deep harbourage areas that are not accessible, such as within walls and ceilings. It is not unusual for a number of chemical applications before the issue is resolved.
The treatment of bed bugs is not straightforward. This is a job for a professional. The misapplication of chemicals can drive bed bugs into deeper harbourage areas. In addition, the misapplication of chemicals can lead to health problems for inhabitants of the premises they infest.
Bed bugs are labelled as an internal pest. Some other internal pests would be pharaoh ants and German cockroaches. Many pest programs are set up to deal with dooryard pests such as mice, ants, spiders, beetles etc. As individuals we all have different threshold limits -the tenant who has a high threshold limit for insects is the person who is most likely to wait until the situation is out of control before raising the red flag. The best prevention of structural damage is regular visual inspections of all areas, including tenant areas. In the long run this will save the property manager money and time.
Whenever you have a bed bug problem call a professional. Don’t wait – act before the situation gets out of hand. A pest management professional will identify the harbourage areas, the size of the population, and will take care of the problem using the safest chemicals on the market.
Nicholas Holland is Branch Account Manager for PCO Services Inc. and you can contact him at 236-2700 for more information about bed bugs and other solutions for creating a pest free environment.
