Observations of bed bugs on lace curtains
We were treating a heavily infested suite today and noticed bed bugs up on the top edge of the lace curtains by the window. We carefully took the curtains down and I showed the tenant the bugs by opening the folds and pleats. As I exposed an adult bed bug I noticed that it immediately […]
Moving bed bug free is an exercise in deciding how much risk is acceptable
One of my specialties is helping people move from an infested home to an uninfested home without bugs. To help these folks be successful in the endeavour I spend a fair bit of time educating on the various risk factors. For example if the infestation is very small and there has been no self treatment […]
Bed bug friendly furniture
Exterminators dread certain types of furniture because it is so difficult to treat them. For example, the cheap wood/fabric integrated folding futons are terrible. The difficulty with these particular pieces of furniture is that there is very little good harbourage on the exterior of the piece. Often the units have smooth steel legs that create […]
Checking furniture for evidence of bed bugs
One of the hallmarks of bed bugs are the little black dots of excrement that bed bugs leave behind on furniture. In fact, when searching for bed bugs, the little black dots will likely be the first evidence found. Sometimes the infestation is so small that finding the actual bug in a crack or crevice […]
Bed bug laundry and heating garbage bags. Sometimes ok and sometimes not
One of the standard protocols for getting rid of bed bugs is to bag all cloth items in the home in plastic bags and take them to the laundomat. Once the bags have been emptied into the machines they should then be discarded as they may have bugs in them. This can be a considerable […]
Bed bug prevention and treatment in the construction of new multi family buildings
It has been known for a number of years that bed bugs are becoming more resistant to pyrethroid chemical treatments. As chemical treatments became less effective other methods have been devised such as whole home heat treatments. But these heat treatments have limitations in that it is extraordinarily difficult to heat concrete walls and floors […]
New washing machines and bed bugs
The washing machine in my home recently broke down and I purchased and new one. I went down to the store and bought the brand that my repair man recommended. Unfortunately this brand recently converted all their machines to conserve water and energy with water, load, and temperature sensors. The result is that the machines […]
Changing attitudes toward bed bugs
Seven years ago in Winnipeg’s inner city bed bugs were, except for Manitoba Housing, still rare. When inner city folks noticed a case of bed bugs there was a lot of fear and shame associated with that event. Massive amounts of furniture ended up in the alley as the tenants attempted to rid themselves of […]
Plastic wrapped mattresses do more harm than good
New mattresses and box springs are often encased in plastic from the factory. Sometimes the people who purchase these beds leave the plastic on them as a cheap mattress encasement. But if you inspect the plastic you will often find a multitude of holes. The problem with this plastic are many: they allow bed bugs […]
“climb up interceptor” versus “climb up defender” which one is better?
Back in 2007 I was experimenting with making my own bed bug pit fall traps. I glued a 4 inch round bowl into a small teflon baking pan and surrounded the outside of the teflon pan with tape so that the bugs would be able to climb to the top. I then filled the moat […]