The effectiveness of heat treatments against bed bugs has been proven time and time again by countless pest professionals and apartment / hotel owners around the country.  Heat is quickly becoming the go-to method for killing bed bugs due to its high accuracy and speed.  While pest professionals use Convectex heaters to kill bed bugs regularly many are not aware of the other uses that the heaters can be used for.  Complete Bug Eradication The chart below shows how Convectex heat can be used to treat various bugs that destroy your home or bite you when you sleep.  And as an added bonus, heat kills the eggs and other stages of these insects life-cycles as well…which means no more re-occurring infestations. Heat treatments can be used in entire structures, confined areas or for spot treatments.  There is no odor, and after a cooling period the area is safe for people and pets to re-enter and resume business as usual. Temp °F German Cockroach Bed Bug Drywood Termite Argentine Ant 115°F 58 min 14 min 265 min 8 min 120°F 27 min 7 min 30 min 4 min 125°F 16 min 3 min 10 min 2.5 min 130°F 7 min 1...

Historically, pest professionals have relied on the use of chemicals to reduce and control bed bug infestations.  Recently, these pesticides have been proven to be ineffective in managing infestations due to bed bugs newly developed resistance.  An informal survey of pest control professionals conducted by the University of Massachusetts found that 68% of bed bug infestations require 3 or more treatments, 26% require two treatments and just 6% of cases were solved with just one chemical application.  Bed bugs have shown increased resistance to many widely-used pesticides since the discovery of the problem in 1957, when the bugs resistance to DDT was so widespread that the control method was changed to Malathion. Current research at the University of Kentucky shows that bed bugs have become resistant to any products containing pyrethroids as an active ingredient.  Further use of these substances and new chemical pesticide solutions may result in the bed bug population developing greater resistances, resulting in harder to kill bugs.  This result would likely trigger an overcompensation by pest professionals to increase the amounts of chemicals used during bed bug extermination methods.  This can be an extremely dangerous practice for the health of the pest control technicians and the...

Is your landlord responsible for getting rid of bed bugs?  Imagine moving into a brand new apartment, and with-in a few days or weeks your whole family is complaining about tiny bites and lots of itching.  At first you probably wonder, is it fleas from the dog?  Then you realize that the new apartment you are renting was infested with bed bugs when you moved in! What responsibility does the landlord have to remedy the problem? As a landlord there is a well-established legal duty to provide habitable premises, and obviously a bed bug infestation greatly effects the habitability.  If you find yourself in a situation like the one above your first step should be to review your rental agreement for any pertinent provisions as to your rights and obligations, as well as those of the landlord. In addition, you should always report the problem to the landlord or property manager as soon as you suspect a problem.  Always submit the report in writing and ask him to deal with the problem immediately.  If the infestation is extremely bad you may be entitled to an offset on rent and reimbursement if you have any out-of-pocket expenses.   One of my tenants...

Bed bug infestations are on the rise!  In the past 3-5 years we have seen a huge rise in the number of pest professionals that offer bed bug treatments.  99.6% of pest professionals have treated bed bugs in the past year.  The top 3 places that we see infestation occur (not including homes and apartments) are hotels/motels, college dorms, and nursing homes. Bed bugs are seemingly everywhere and are also commonly found in offices, schools and daycare centers, hospitals, public transportation, theaters and more.  In addition to these environments, pest professionals also have reported treating bed bugs in very unusual places, such as a vent above a bathtub, dance clubs, 911 call centers, and on boats.  While more and more pest professionals are being called to treat bed bugs, they still remain one of the most challenging pests to exterminate for many professionals that rely on traditional extermination methods.  So why are bed bugs so hard to treat, you ask?  Bed bugs are extremely hearty insects and are experts at hiding and “hitching rides” on unsuspecting people.  Over the past 10 years scientists have been studying bed bugs and their ability to evolve resistances to many of the traditional chemical...