Keeping Bed Bugs From Invading Your Business

The population of bed bugs rise each year. They are finding their way into the news more frequently in lawsuits, injuries and property loss. Lack of knowledge of these tiny pests and their elimination is a major contributor to the increase in the bed bug population. Education is one of the most powerful tools that a business owner can have against bed bugs. Also, by educating tenants and guests of the dangers of bed bugs and how to detect and avoid them, proactive business owners can protect themselves from the dangers of a bed bug infestation. We have compiled some FAQ’s that will help you and your tenants get more familiar with these pests.

What is a bed bug?
Bed bugs are flat wingless insects that grow to about .2 inches long when full grown. The bed bug body is nearly transparent at the nymph stage, making them that much more difficult to spot. Adult Bed bugs have an oval body and a short, broad head. The body as a whole is broad and flat. Unfed adults are brown in color but after feeding, they swell slightly in size and darken to a blood-red color.

How do bed bugs live?
Bed bugs live by sucking blood from their victims, but have been known to live for weeks, or even months between blood meals. Bed bugs usually bite at night, but also have been known to bite during the day in the right conditions.

Where do you find bed bugs?
Bed bugs are most commonly found in the bedroom. While the bed/mattresses, bed linens, and box springs are the most comfortable places for bed bugs to hide, they can also be found in furniture, in cracks in the walls, inside curtains and even in the carpets and ceilings. There have been many reports of bed bugs findings outside the home as well. The movie theater, businesses, senior living facilities, hotels, motels, and public transportation are all popular bed bug locations. Once bed bugs are located in a room, it is not uncommon for the bugs to venture into other rooms through the walls and doors.

How do bed bugs spread?
Bed bugs are some of the world’s smallest hitch hikers. Usually bed bugs are brought to the home or business in clothing, luggage, or used furniture. Common places to pick up the bugs include hotels, motels, public transportation and used furniture. Safety precautions when traveling can greatly reduce your likelihood to bring home bed bugs.

What are some tips for tenants to avoid getting bed bugs?
1. Don’t take in used furniture or mattresses unless thoroughly cleaned and inspected
2. Always inspect your hotel room when traveling and don’t bring luggage into the home before cleaning.
3. Use hard shell luggage when traveling to reduce the placed the bed bugs can hide.
4. Don’t sit your luggage on the bed or floor when staying in a hotel/motel. Always use the luggage rack or a table/dresser to sit your suitcase and clothes on.
5. When bringing home used clothes from a yard sale or thrift shop, always wash and dry clothes on high heat before placing in your drawers.
6. If you go somewhere with bed bugs, make sure to alert the property manager or owner and take special precautions when returning home.

Heat – The obvious choice for safe and effective bed bug elimination!
With the known fact that bed bugs are rapidly killed when exposed to high heat. Convectex offers bed bug eradication systems designed to heat up a room or structure within temperatures ranges between 113˚ -140˚F. Our convective bed bug heat treatment systems are extremely effective and have advantages such as being able to kill all the entire life cycle of bed bugs, including the eggs all while being 100% non-toxic. Our systems are safely used in many sensitive environments all around the country with fast turnaround times as short as 24 hours. With the proper equipment and training options and you can achieve exact targeting of the treatment area and reach proper kill temperatures fast!
Convectex offers the top of the line heat treatment equipment as an effective solution designed specifically for the needs of pest control professionals and do it your-selfers such as hotels, universities, and property management companies.