“The common bed bug is without a doubt the most universally detested of the various domesticated insects that have become unwelcome guests in the dwellings of mankind”
John Joy (1935)
Most people have never seen a bed bug and only heard of them through the old nursery rhyme Good night sleep tight. Until the last 5 years, even pest control professionals were not getting calls. Bedbugs are a huge problem in Toronto and the GTA. We are specialists at how to get rid of bed bugs. Do you have a question about bedbugs? Please read the information below. Please see our bedbug FAQ. Do you still have questions?
When fighting a bedbug infestation the most important thing to consider is that you are dealing with a bug that has a lifecycle. The most crucial step in eliminating these bugs is diligence and persistent treatment until elimination is complete. Treatment must be completed within every 2-3 weeks in order to treat the newly hatched bedbugs.
Bed bug infestations were common before World War II. But with improvements in hygiene, and especially the widespread use of DDT during the 1940s and ‘50s, the bugs all but vanished. The pests remained fairly prevalent, in other regions of the world including Asia, Africa, and Eastern Europe. In recent years, bed bugs have also made a comeback in the North America, this is partially due to the increase in world travel as well as Intergrated Pest Management strategies and pest-targeted treatment. As treatments have moved away from spraying large amounts of insecticide and towards pest-targeted treatments such as baits. Bedbugs are increasingly being encountered in homes, apartments, hotels, motels, health care facilities, dormitories, shelters, schools, and modes of transport. Other places where bed bugs sometimes appear include movie theaters, laundries/dry cleaners, furniture rental outlets and office buildings..
They are sometimes mistaken for ticks or cockroaches. The immature (nymphs) resemble the adults, but are smaller and lighter in color. Bed bugs do not fly, but can move rapidly over floors, walls, ceilings and other surfaces. Female bed bugs lay their eggs in secluded areas, depositing 1, 2 or more eggs per day and hundreds during a lifetime. The eggs are tiny, whitish, and hard to see on most surfaces without magnification (individual eggs are about the size of a dust speck). When first laid, the eggs are sticky, causing them to adhere to surfaces. Newly hatched nymphs are straw-colored and no bigger than a pinhead. As they grow, they molt (shed their skin) five times before reaching maturity. A blood meal is needed between each successive molt. Under favorable conditions (70-80°F), the bugs can complete development in as little as a month, producing three or more generations per year. Cooler temperatures or limited access to blood extends the development time. Bed bugs are resilient. Nymphs can survive months without feeding and the adults for more than a year. Infestations therefore are unlikely to diminish by leaving premises unoccupied. They prefer feeding on humans, it will also bite other warm-blooded animals, including dogs, cats, birds and rodents.
Bed bugs can live in almost any crevice or protected location. The most common place to find them is the bed and the baseboards. Bed bugs often hide within seams, tufts and crevices of the mattress, box spring, bed frame and headboard.
Bed bugs are tiny reddish and brown insects that cause discomfort and anxiety to some people. The most common bed bug symptom that indicates the presence of bed bugs more than the other symptom is the bites themselves; usually appearing as red marks on the skin. Their bites are generally itchy; causing a red irriation on the skin. Localized swellings of the skin as well as blisters around red marks are also some of the symptoms. There is no known health problems assosiated with bed bug bites. However the uneasiness they bring to peoples live causes them great stress.
Bed bug bites are not known to be harmful to the body and they usually fade after few days. However, if they fail to fade for weeks, then, please seek a doctor’s help to ensure that no problems would occur. You can experience certain allergic reactions such as anaphylactic shocks to bed bug bites you should also go to the doctor and seek the necessary help. This would be very helpful in ensuring your health and avoidance of further health problems as well.
Bed bugs are not so easy to find in your home and are very tiny about 3/8 inches long and move quickly. If you do a proper inspection and you happen to find larvae and eggs, then, you probably have bed bugs in your home.
Bed bugs are active mainly at night between 3.00 and 5.00 am. During the daytime, they prefer to hide close to where people sleep. Their flattened bodies enable them to fit into tiny crevices — especially those associated with mattresses, box springs, bed frames and headboards. Bed bugs do not have nests like ants or bees, but do tend to congregate in habitual hiding places. Characteristically, these areas are marked by dark spotting and staining, which is the dried excrement of the bugs. Also present will be eggs and eggshells, the brownish molted skins of maturing nymphs and the bugs themselves. Another telltale though less frequent sign is rusty or reddish blood smears on bed sheets or mattresses from crushing an engorged bed bug.
Bed bugs prefer to hide close to where they feed usually about 10-15 feet from their next meal. Initial infestations tend to be around beds, but the bugs eventually may become scattered throughout the bedroom, occupying any crevice or protected location. They also may spread to adjacent rooms or apartments.
Bed bugs usually bite people at night while they are sleeping. They feed by piercing the skin which they withdraw blood. Engorgement takes about three to 10 minutes, yet the person rarely knows it’s happening.
Conventional insect repellents, like those used to deter ticks and mosquitoes, do not appear to be effective against bed bugs. Attempting to avoid being bitten by applying insect repellent at bedtime is not recommended. Sleeping with the lights on is not likely to deter hungry bed bugs either.
Do I Have to Throw Out the Bed?
Eliminating bed bugs from beds can be challenging. If there are holes or tears in the fabric, the bugs and eggs may be inside, as well as outside. There also are restrictions on how beds can be treated with pesticides. For these reasons, companies sometimes recommend that beds be discarded, especially when heavily infested or in poor condition. Another option is to encase both the mattress and box spring in a protective cover like those used for allergy relief. Encasements specifically designed to help protect against bed bugs are available through The Allergy Guy or Rest Assured MC. Once the cover is installed and zipped shut, any bugs which happen to be inside are entombed and eventually will die. Encasements also help protect newly purchased beds, and make it easier to spot and destroy any bugs residing on the outer surface during subsequent examination. Keeping the cover on for more than 12 months will ensure that they do not survive and you can get a peaceful sleep Encasements will not, however, keep bed bugs from crawling onto a bed and biting a sleeping person.
Remember to hire a trained professional to combat the problem and encase your mattress.
of the infestation. Catching the probelm at its earliest incidence is key to putting the bed bugs behind you. This product comes in sets of 4 and a bulk package of 12. Products claiming to do the same thing have been released on the market but as the test results show (and our own use of different products have shown) the Bed Bug Defender is not comparable to other Bed Bug monitors. This product works well consistantly, it traps the bed bugs in its wells and they cannot escape. Please see the release from the manufacturer below:
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