LET'S TALK ABOUT BED BUGS
BLOG & NEWS
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Bed Bug Identification Guide
Jan 25, 2017Bed bugs go through 5 stages of development after hatching from their tiny eggs. At some stages, they are so small they can be difficult to see and identify. Properly identifying bed bugs is one of the most important steps in their elimination. Once bed bugs have been properly identified and their locations noted, a successful heat treatment can be performed. The Bed Bug Life Cycle Eggs: The eggs are nearly microscopic and are virtually clear. Eggs are often found in groups hidden inside furniture where they cannot be easily disturbed. Once the bug emerges from the egg a translucent shell is left behind. Nymphs: Once the bed bugs hatch the young nymph’s body is nearly transparent. These small bed bugs will feed and turn red (the blood shows through its body). Once they have fed they will molt and shed their outer shell. Each stage ends with the bug shedding their outer shell and having a blood meal. Growing from a Nymph to an Adult: There are 4 more stages that bed bugs must go through before becoming an adult. At each stage the bugs become bigger and darker in color. During these stages, they also leave behind...Read More » -
Negligent Business Owners Sued in GIANT Bed Bug Lawsuit
Dec 19, 2016Every year we see HUGE settlements awarded in bed bug related cases around the country. The risk of bed bug lawsuits isn’t reserved for hotels and motels either, we have seen cases won against public transport, theaters, apartments, and retail businesses. Here are a few examples of large bed bug settlements awarded in the past 10 years: Furniture Stores A jury awards Adarien Jackson $225,000 after the bunk beds she purchased for her child was found to be infested with bed bugs. Jackson only sought $150,000 in damages, but the jury raised the stakes for the final judgement. This is a very rare occurrence in county juries, where damage compensation is awarded conservatively. In 2008 a couple sued a JC Penny after their new furniture was delivered infested with bed bugs. The couple won a settlement of $49,000! Apartments and Rental Homes A tenant in Baltimore was awarded $40,000 when he sued his negligent landlord after he waited over 40 days to schedule a treatment for a bed bug infestation. This was the first successful bed bug lawsuit won in Baltimore at the time. Residents in Des Moines, Iowa were awarded $2.45 million in a settlement for damages caused by...Read More » -
DIY Bed Bug Treatment That Actually Works!
Nov 28, 2016Of the countless DIY treatments for bed bugs, there are very few that are actually effective in exterminating an entire infestation. Many of the popular methods don’t kill the entire bed bug life cycle or they simply mask the problem by causing the bed bugs to move to another room. The best DIY treatment for bed bugs is the same process that pest professionals are using throughout the USA – HEAT! Here we have a list of 4 popular methods to kill bed bugs and why they don’t work, PLUS how you can get started killing bed bugs with heat. Mattress Encasements This is one of the most popular treatments that can be found online. There are many brands of encasements that claim to kill bed bugs. The treatments work by suffocating the bed bugs by covering your infested mattress in plastic. However, there is a major flaw in this treatment; bed bugs don’t just live in your mattress. Bed bugs are commonly found in the bed frame, inside bedroom furniture, under carpets, inside walls, and in/behind drapes and wall decorations. By encasing your mattress, you may be killing some of the bugs, but certainly not all of them. Diatomaceous...Read More » -
2016 Bed Bug News Update
Nov 2, 2016This year has been a big year for bed bugs in the news. We have seen stories from around the world of bed bugs taking over, causing major damage, and costing business owners thousands of dollars in treatments and even lawsuits. Here are some of the things bed bugs have been up to this year. First we visit Lincoln, VA where a café had to be shut down and evacuated after fumes from a bed bug treatment seeped through the flooring and walls into the eating area. Several people reported irritation from the fumes and the local fire department was even called to the scene to investigate the issue. The restaurant was forced to close and be inspected for hazardous materials before they could re-open. Unfortunately, we see these type of issues regularly with traditional bed bug treatments. Fumigation is a common treatment for bed bugs, but it doesn’t fit well for most businesses and can leave a dangerous residue behind. With heat treatments this entire incident could have been avoided and the guests in the café never would have known of the bed bug treatment taking place downstairs. In Fluvanna County two soon-to-be- newlyweds moved into temporary housing and...Read More » -
Why Your Pest Control Business Needs Bed Bug Detection K-9’s
Oct 5, 2016As a pest professional you know that accurate detection and treatment of bed bugs is critical to the success of any treatment. The first step in any bed bug treatment is the proper identification. Due to their small size and nearly translucent color, nymphs and bed bug eggs can be nearly impossible for the human eye to detect. Convectex is here to solve your detection problems with some of the most highly trained bed bug K-9’s available. With the right handler these dogs can be extremely accurate at detecting and alerting the handler to any bed bug sighting. The Best Detection Available Because of their accuracy, bed bug dogs are one of the best ways to find bed bugs. Whether you are doing a preliminary inspection or a follow up after a heat treatment, you need a detection dog by your side. The Convectex dogs are trained to be 95% accurate when detecting bed bugs. Because of the human sight limitations, even the best trained technicians are only about 30% accurate. Our dogs can also sniff out bugs hiding in hard to see areas like inside walls, under carpets, or inside furniture where a human isn’t likely to look....Read More » -
The True Bed Bug Treatment Costs for Your Business?
Aug 25, 2016Bed bugs are a serious financial problem to businesses around the country. Infestations are causing businesses to lose clients and valuable business hours due to prolonged and ineffective treatments. With traditional extermination methods an infestation could last for months, cost thousands of dollars and still result in a damaged reputation or lawsuit. Here are 4 main ways that bed bugs cost businesses money: Lost business: Depending on the type of business that has been infested with bed bugs there can be significant loss of customers. Hotels and motels are most known for having bed bugs issues and can suffer from many room that are un-rentable during a bed bug infestation. Exterminators, using traditional chemical extermination methods, can take weeks or even months before the problem has been solved. This means that those infected rooms can’t be rented during that time. A recent study by the Steritech Group found that out of 700 hotels nearly 25% of them had a bed bug issue in the 3 years under study. [1] Bed bugs infestations could be limited to a single room, but often spread to adjoining rooms resulting in blocks of rooms that are unable to be rented. The cost to your...Read More »