i live in this old house and we have bed bug problem. last year we had the pest control guy come in and?

Question

spray the house on several occasion. things were fine for bout 6 months. but the bugs are coming back again. what should we do?

Answer 1

it could be that you are bringing them in from elsewhere also bed bugs can get into the creases of clothing and lay dormant until they are worn this could be how they are getting back also if you stay somewhere and they have them you can bring them to your home this happened to a friend of mine who had to have her house sprayed and also because her children stayed at their nans she had to get sprayed too as the kids took them there via clothing

Answer 2

1) When I dusted my cat for fleas, I'd sprinkle some of the Flea Powder on the mattress. Maybe that will help with your problem.

2) Go to HomeDepot or similar store and buy the gallon size of Ortho Max bug killer ($12-15). It has a small hose and sprayer. Around the house, you carry the bottle in one hand and spray with the other - just like an exterminator. The bottle will last at least a year and come in real handy under the sink.

Answer 3

Hi,

Bed bugs is indeed a specialist pest and one that you do in all honesty need both an understanding of their habits and biology to deal with.

The first thing I would advise is that you consult a pest controller with experience of the problem, make sure that they treat at least 3 properties a week if they are in London and check to make sure that they understand the complexities of the problems.

It can sometimes be possible for light or medium infestations to be eradicated by cleaning alone although they usually have to be caught before they start to breed.

Changing the temperature of the room is unlikely to be able to solve the problem, from research I have conducted you need to freeze bed bugs for several days before they are killed off, the damage to your property such as broken pipes would not make this a feasible solution.

The use of store/internet bought products may not be enough, there is a lot of evidence that they are becoming resistant to the basic pesticides and the more advanced ones which will break the life cycle are not available without a certificate in pest control as they are registered poisons.

Bed bugs can survive for up to 18 months without feeding and if a room is vacated but the house remains occupied will usually seek you out in other rooms in about 2 weeks. They are highly developed pests and have amazing senses.

Placing the bed legs in jars will help for a few days but the bed bugs quickly learn to walk up the walls and across the ceiling till they sense the carbon dioxide plume and heat from your body.

If the problem is persistently reoccurring it is usually and indication that you are coming into contact with a source of bed bugs on a regular basis. Remember that 60% of people do not initially respond to the bites so they might not even be aware that they have a problem. I am also going to be a little controversial and point out that they can come into your property through an adjoining party wall. Many pest controllers do not recognise this fact but from personal experience of dealing with entire tower blocks and terraced streets in London I know this to be the case.

Check with your neighbours to make sure that they are treated if required at the same time and ideally by the same professional that does the work for you so that they can make sure the best methods are used and that the true extent of the infestation is dealt with.

Bed bugs have increased in some London boroughs by as much as 900% in the last 12 months and in some cases patterns are starting to emerge that would indicate that some parts of the transport network may be the source. They have nothing to do with the hygiene of your property and can spread as easily as nits. The most common ways that people gets bed bugs are:

Staying in infested properties (hotels/hostels and friends houses)
Having guests who carry infestations on clothes / luggage
Items of infested furniture
Travelling (abroad and in the UK)

There is a lot of information on our web site which I would recommend that you familiarise yourself with, it will help in selecting a local pest control professional if nothing else.

I wish you a swift return to normality, I know from my many clients they are a nuisance pest but the good news is that they are not known to carry any diseases. If you are having problems with the bites though consult you GP and ask for some antihistamines.

Good luck.

David Cain
www.bed-bugs.co.uk

Answer 4

Make sure its bed-bugs you are dealing with:
A mature bed bug is an oval-bodied insect, brown to red-brown in color, wingless and flattened top to bottom. Unfed bugs are 1/4 to 3/8 inch long and the upper surface of the body has a crinkled appearance. A bug that has recently fed is engorged with blood, dull red in color, and the body is elongated and swollen. Eggs are white and are about 1/32 inch long. Newly hatched bugs are nearly colorless.

First make sure pest management professionals know about bed-bugs, its not something the industrial world has had to deal with so.
Pest management professionals should be well-trained in bed bug biology, behavior and control before implementing control plans. Clients, especially those in the hospitality industry and managers of multiple unit dwellings should understand, and take precautions against, the ways in which bed bugs are introduced into new environments. These include the use of leased furniture and the purchase of pre-owned items at garage sales, thrift stores, etc.

Also make sure its not from travels that you are reinfesting your house?
Wash and dry (in a dryer) all bed linens,vacuum mattresses and boxsprings.
Most times nonchemical methods don't work, so use of a chemical maybe needed.
Before application, carefully inspect and verify that the insecticide product is labeled for use on bed bugs in indoor situations. The most effective products include dusts, microencapsulated formulations, and wettable powders. Avoid direct treatment of mattresses and bedding.

Answer 5

Bedbugs are about as ancient as cockroaches, and can survive a month between human blood feedings. They don't live on pets, just people.
The only way to eradicate them is to get rid of the places that harbor them and their eggs, like bedding, carpeting, mattresses, etc. Since some of those things are too expensive to replace, an exterminator can do 3 visits to kill them in things like carpet. Everything else should be either discarded or washed repeatedly in VERY hot soapy water and bleach. If your mattresses are older, bite the bullet and get new ones.
Bedbugs do not carry disease. They are, however, very uncomfortable housepets.

Answer 6

Use the following:
65 drops Tea Tree
50 drops Lemon
20 Drops Eucalyptus
120mls spring water

Combine in a spritzer and spray on the beds, be sure not to spray in you eyes.

Let me know how you got on.

Answer 7

Try this: Get your bedroom sprayed again. Get some tins and half fill them with vinegar! Place the legs of the bed in the vinegar tins. This should stop anything from craeling up the legs of the bed. If, of course, that is the case!

Answer 8

They may be in the inner lining of the mattresses, or walls, etc.
Six months is pretty good lenght of time for the bug spray to work.

Try to get rid if roaches or spiders. The bug man had to come back about every two to three days. I think he was spraying spider food.

Answer 9

Is it because your allergies are acting up? It sounds more like dust mite problems. The only way to really kill dust mites out of linens is to wash them in hot water with bleach.
Then vacuum, vacuum & vacuum like crazy.
Also, don't let dust settle on shelves, tv's etc...
We also use air cleaners, & so far all of this work has made such a huge difference at our house!

Answer 10

Get the house tented and treated, it means you may have to move out for a few days but it appears to be your only option.


By the way how do you know they are bed bugs?
Bed bugs are so small they cannot be seen by the Human eye, so how do you know you have them?

Could you mean Cockroaches?