Finding a bed bug infestation as soon as possible is key in being able to perform a QUICK and EFFECTIVE heat treatment. Treating a minor infestation requires less time and is easier to treat then after the infestation becomes more widespread. Therefore, professional exterminators highly encourage proactive inspections for all hospitality, multifamily and commercial clients.
As a continuation of our series on “Tips For Your Tenants” we have compiled a list of ways for your tenants to avoid bed bugs from invading their units. This is extremely valuable as it could save time and money treating infestations that could have been avoided with a few precautions. The lists below outlines some of the places where bed bugs are most often found, how to avoid bringing them home, and a few tools that can help you identify and avoid bed bugs.
The multi housing industry is one of the most susceptible industries for bed bugs. Due to the high volume of traffic, bed bugs easily hitch rides from one room to the next or from building to building. It’s uncommon to see a housing complex with multiple rooms infested with bed bugs. The infestation can start in one room and spread through the walls, ceilings and floors. One step that all proactive property owners and managers should take is to educate their tenants about the dangers of bed bugs and how to avoid spreading them.
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.
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.