All it takes is a few females who can lay up to five eggs a day to begin an infestation. It happens startlingly fast. Statistics show a 10-fold increase in bed bug treatments in recent years. Entire buildings, shopping centers, hotels, homes and apartment buildings across North America have been shut down due to bed bug infestations.

The Current Bed Bug Epidemic

Any home, even one that is cleaned daily, can suffer bed bug infestation. After a home has been purged of the blood-sucking insects, at great cost to its owner, it can be attacked again. Prevention and treatment are two of the affordable keys to keeping you and your loved ones from becoming bed bugs’ food while you sleep. With the current explosion of bed bug infestation, it pays to be preventative.

Bed Bug Detection

Correct diagnosis of a bed bug problem is important. Older established infestations are easy to detect; but in the early stages, they can be much more subtle. As people become more aware of this pest, all manner of welts and itches may be attributed to bed bugs though they are often caused by other factors. Because it is hard to diagnose a bed bug bite by merely examining the patient, the pest management industry must play a key role in confirming infestations.

Eliminating bed bugs can be expensive and requires a pest control strategy known as an Integrated Pest Management Plan. A treatment can take weeks to several months. Several treatments may be necessary for complete success.

There is not clear resolution to the growing bed bug epidemic. Many cities and states are just starting to adjust laws that govern landlord/tenant rights to include bed bugs. Others are using education to warn residents regarding bed bug protection methods. Bed bug pest control companies are quickly getting up to speed on the latest chemical and mechanical methods of bed bug removal. Either the future however, is largely based on the ability to come up with an organic or pesticide based method of killing bed bugs that provides lasting protection against these insects.  Until then, the worldwide bed bug epidemic will continue to be a problem.

What Should I Do If I Find Bed Bugs?

For Bed Bug Removal Guarantee, call a bed bug experienced Pest Management Professional IMMEDIATELY to exterminate all the pests, ensuring they will not return! Do not try and treat this problem yourself.

Bed bugs were common in the U.S. before World War II and became rare after widespread use of the pesticide DDT began in the 1940s and 1950s. They remained prevalent in other areas of the world and, in recent years, have been increasingly observed again in the U.S.  Increases in immigration and travel from the developing world as well as restrictions on the use of stronger pesticides may be factors that have led to the relatively recent increase in bed bug infestations. While bed bugs are usually found when sanitation conditions are poor or when birds or mammals (particularly bats) are nesting on or near a home, bed bugs can also live and thrive in clean environments. Crowded living quarters also facilitate the spread of bed bugs.

Bed bugs can live in any area of the home and can reside in tiny cracks in furniture as well as on textiles and upholstered furniture. They tend to be most common in areas where people sleep and generally concentrate in beds, including mattresses, box springs, and bed frames. They do not infest the sleeping surfaces of beds as commonly as cracks and crevices associated with the bed frame and mattress. Other sites where bed bugs often reside include curtains, edges of carpet, corners inside dressers and other furniture, cracks in wallpaper (particularly near the bed), and inside the spaces of wicker furniture.

Since bed bugs can live for months or even longer under favorable conditions without feeding and are also found in vacant homes.

How Bed Bugs Spread?

Bed bugs live in any articles of furniture, clothing, or bedding, so they or their eggs may be present in used furniture or clothing. They spread by crawling and may contaminate multiple rooms in a home or even multiple dwellings in apartment buildings. They may also be present in boxes, suitcases, or other goods moved from residence to residence or from a hotel to home. Bed bugs can live on clothing from infested homes and spread by a person unknowingly wearing infested clothing.

Bed Bug Facts:

• Bed bugs are small, oval non-flying insects that feed by sucking blood from humans or animals.
• Bed bugs can live in any area of the home and can reside in tiny cracks in furniture as well as on textiles and upholstered furniture. They tend to be most common in areas where people sleep and generally concentrate in beds, including mattresses, box springs, and bed frames.
• Bed bugs are most active at night and bite any exposed areas of skin while an individual is sleeping. The face, neck, hands, and arms are common sites for bedbug bites.
• A bed bug bite is painless and is usually not noticed. Small, flat, or raised bumps on the skin are the most common sign; redness, swelling, and itching commonly occur.
• Typically, no treatment is required for bed bug bites. If itching is severe, steroid creams or oral antihistamines for symptom relief.
• Fecal stains, egg cases, and exuviae (shed skins) of bed bugs in crevices and cracks on or near beds are suggestive that bed bugs may be present, but only observing the bugs they can confirm an active infestation.
• A professional pest-control company may be required to help identify and remove bedbugs from the home.

What Do Bed Bugs Look Like?

Bed bugs are small, oval non-flying insects that belong to the insect family Cimicidae, which includes three species that bite people. Adult bed bugs reach 5 mm-7 mm in length, while nymphs (juveniles) are as small as 1.5 mm. Bed bugs have flat bodies and are sometimes even mistaken for ticks or small cockroaches. Bed bugs feed by sucking blood from humans or animals. Adult bed bugs are reddish brown in color, appearing more reddish after feeding on a blood meal. Nymphs are clear in color and appear bright red after feeding. The wings of bed bugs are vestigial, so they cannot fly. However, they are able to crawl rapidly. Temperatures among 70⁰ F-80⁰ F are most favorable for bed bugs, allowing them to develop into adults most rapidly and produce up to three generations per year.

What If I have Bed Bugs in My Home?  Hiring A Pest Control Professional

Getting a pest control professional involved as soon as possible rather than taking time to try to treat the problem yourself is very effective at preventing further infestations. Each pest management company should have instructions for residents on how to prepare for a treatment which will include laundering and cleaning. They will inspect your home, take apart furniture if necessary and use vacuums, heat and pesticides to treat the infestation.  Once you have called in professional people, follow their instructions exactly.

Bed bugs have been common in U.S. history. Although bed bug populations dropped dramatically during the mid-20th century, the United States is one of many countries now experiencing an alarming resurgence in the population of bed bugs. Though the exact cause is not known, experts suspect the resurgence is associated with increased resistance of bed bugs to available pesticides, greater international and domestic travel, lack of knowledge regarding control of bed bugs.

You CAN Win The WAR On BED BUGS!

In recent years, public health agencies across the country have been overwhelmed by complaints about bed bugs. They have not been shown to spread disease; but, their health effects include reaction to bites, loss of sleep, anxiety and depression. Although bed bugs have not been shown to spread disease, the researchers say bed bugs at least carry bacteria known to cause these sometimes hard-to-treat infections. However, the researchers say they don’t know if the bacteria originated with the bed bugs or if the bed bugs were infected from the already infected people. Read this to learn more.

Bedbug infestations in the news: a picture of an emerging public health problem in the United States.

Bedbugs With MRSA

Bedbugs as Vectors for Drug-Resistant Bacteria

The CDC’s full report on insecticide-related illness is available here.

They are VERY hard but not impossible to get rid of!

Bed bugs feed on human blood, can hide in the smallest crack or crevice and can live over a year with no food.  Bedbugs are in every zip code. Meanwhile, people afflicted with bedbugs increasingly turn to extreme measures to eradicate the pests.

Bed bugs are THE most difficult pest to treat, more so than cockroaches, ants and termites but it can be done using Thermal Remediation!

Not Sure If It's A Bed Bug?

Hiring A Pest Control Professional

Bed bugs can quickly become a serious pest problem. Correct diagnosis of a bed bug problem is important. Getting a Minnesota pest control professional involved as soon as possible rather than taking time to try to treat the problem yourself is the most effective way of preventing further infestations. Each pest management company should have instructions for residents on how to prepare the unit for a treatment which will include laundering and cleaning. They will inspect your residence, take apart furniture if necessary and use vacuums, and heat to treat the infestation.

Homeowners Guide To Bed Bugs

The old nursery rhyme is gaining new relevance as the blood-sucking insects are crawling into households and businesses, and straining the finances of many families.

Exterminators, public housing officials, social service providers and tenant advocacy groups report sharp increases in the number of bedbugs in recent years. Minneapolis Minnesota has been ranked as the 15th most infested city in the nation.

If you live in a city that is suffering from a bed bug epidemic, homeowners should conduct frequent inspections for bed bugs.  A convenient time to do this is when you remove and wash the bed sheets, as mattress markings are a key sign that there is a problem.  Studies show that approximately 50% of bed bugs in a room are in the bed area.

How to Identify Bed Bugs

During the day, bed bugs hide out of site in cracks, crevices and other thin hiding places such as the spaces between bed slats.  They are often found in mattress seams, box springs, inside bed legs and on wood furniture surfaces.  Exterminators said they’ve found bedbugs everywhere, including on coat hangers, inside slippers, and behind photo frames and clocks.  As time goes by, they leave behind bed bug skins from molting, feces and hatched eggs.

The bed bugs themselves change in appearance throughout their life cycle.  They start in eggs that are whitish in color and oval.   The eggs are about the size of a pinhead.  Areas in a bed bugs apartment where bed bugs hide develop a smell given off by bed bugs, which is one of the smells detected by bed bug dogs, in addition to other smells not detectable by humans.

Bed bugs come out of hiding in a bed bugs apartment at night to feed.  They will feed on family members and pets.  A feeding lasts for 10 minutes and is not felt by the person when it is happening due to an anesthetic produced by the bed bug.  A minority of people, but not all, will have an allergic skin reaction to the bite, which is actually a single puncture from a stylet located on the bed bug head.

Bed bugs move through five nymph or baby bed bug life stages starting with a small tannish transparent appearance and then growing into the more familiar brown/red. The sixth life stage is adulthood.  They also change in an appearance after feeding.  An in star or baby bed bug will enlarge and appear red in color because of the ingested blood.  Each stage is pictured below:

Where Do Bed Bugs Hide?
A Pest Control Management study indicated that bed bugs the following places by a group of exterminators:

• Beds
• Bedding
• Baseboards/carpet edges
• Furniture such as nightstands and dressers
• Couches and chairs
• Walls and ceilings
• Clothing

Bed Bug Hiding Spots

Hiring A Pest Control Professional

Getting a pest control professional involved as soon as possible rather than taking time to try to treat the problem yourself is very effective at preventing further infestations. Each pest management company should have instructions for residents on how to prepare the unit for a treatment which will include laundering and cleaning. They will inspect your residence, take apart furniture if necessary and use vacuums, heat and pesticides to treat the infestation.

Do-it-yourselfers should follow product instructions carefully. For more information on the safe use of pesticides, you can download the Environmental Protection Agency’s safety guide here. The CDC’s full report on insecticide-related illness is available here.

Download a copy of Guide To Pest Control and Pesticide Safety

A Romero, MF Potter, DA Potter, KF Haynes (2007). “Insecticide Resistance in the Bed Bug: A Factor in the Pest’s Sudden Resurgence?”

Bed bugs are small wingless parasitic insects that live by feeding on the blood of warm blooded-animals including animals.  They are very elusive and hide during the day, only coming out at night to feed.  This is   why most people find out they have these nasty insects when the wake up and have bites on them.  Their nymphs are tiny, about the size of a poppy seed, while adults can grow to about 1/4 of an inch long. They have flat oval bodies that allow them to hide in very small places such as the folds of a mattress or under baseboards.   When disturbed they will quickly scurry to find a hiding place.

Identifying the Bed Bug

When seen up close they can range from white to a deep brown or burnt orange color.  After feeding, they will appear to have a dark red or black blob within their bodies.  When disturbed they will quickly scurry to find a crack or crevices to hide.  One of the ways to identify and infestation, other than the bites, is that after feeding the will leave droppings that appear as dark brown or black spots on mattresses and sheets. The insects got there name from the favored hiding places within homes: bedding, mattresses, and box springs.

Just a decade ago, no one heard about or worried about getting bed bugs. They have made a huge come back across the US due to the restrictions that have been placed on the use of pesticides inside the residential buildings.  That along with their nasty habit of hitchhiking on luggage, purses, and clothing has allowed them to find their way into many homes, motels, hotels, and retail stores across the US.

Do-it-yourselfers should follow product instructions carefully. For more information on the safe use of pesticides, you can download the Environmental Protection Agency’s safety guide here. The CDC’s full report on insecticide-related illness is available here.

Download a copy of Guide To Pest Control and Pesticide Safety

A Romero, MF Potter, DA Potter, KF Haynes (2007). “Insecticide Resistance in the Bed Bug: A Factor in the Pest’s Sudden Resurgence?”

Hiring A Pest Control Professional

Getting a pest control professional involved as soon as possible rather than taking time to try to treat the problem yourself is very effective at preventing further infestations. Each pest management company should have instructions for residents on how to prepare for a treatment which will include laundering and cleaning. They will inspect your residence, take apart furniture if necessary and use vacuums, heat and pesticides to treat the infestation.

As you may know, bed bug infestations are challenging people in all kinds of residences. Besides, sucking blood from their victims, they leave unsightly fecal matters and shed skins in bed-associated parts, cracks, crevices, voids, folded places, as well as in every imaginable place of their hidden spaces. Furthermore, they are known to cause extreme anxiety to vulnerable individuals by turning their lives into nightmares.

Due to the cryptic nature of bed bugs, many people have become paranoid and afraid of bed bugs to the extent that they are experienced anxiety and a poor quality of life. This leads to the development of unnecessary phobia, which makes them spend lots of money on unneeded measures. Sometimes people buy unproven pesticides, especially via the Internet and treat their mattresses and beds assuming that this action will eliminate bed bugs for good and at all. Guess what is going to happen. Well, they will develop allergic rashes from exposure to pesticide/ chemicals, which they will blame it on the bed bugs. However, do not panic, but do not chill out either.

The best way to manage bed bugs is by education. Learn from credible resources about these bloodsuckers. Try to know what bed bugs look like (all life stages), their behaviors, habits and biology. Be informed that not every bite is related to bed bugs, other bugs, such as fleas, ticks, spiders, etc may also bite humans or their pets. Additionally, food allergic reactions can be also mistaken for bed bug bites. Still, never ignore any bite. Remember, the sooner you deal with bed bugs the better off overall bed bug control would be.

One of the major concerns of bed bug infestations is their capability to spread. As you may have heard, bed bugs are skilled hitchhikes on clothing, furniture, suitcases, seats of public transportation means, etc. Again, knowing about bed bugs and their habits will minimize the risk of their spread from one area to another, which is key to a successful bed bug management/eradication.

Finally, follow up treatment evaluation is highly recommended to ensure that the bed bugs have been eliminated. Be alert by raising awareness via means of education on prevention of bed bugs.

If you are concerned about bed bugs becoming a problem in your home, it is recommended that you contact a professional pest control company as soon as possible for inspection and control measures.

Joint Statement on Bed Bug Control in the CDC and the EPA

Printable PDF  [PDF - 170 KB]

The home buying process can be confusing and stressful. Not only do you need to consider things such as price and location, you also have to worry about whether the house itself has any problems that could become costly surprises down the road.

The Home Inspection is an unbiased, professional assessment of the condition of the house. It provides you an expert opinion and professional report on the condition of the physical structure and various systems within a house. Giving you peace of mind on what is likely the largest purchase you’ll ever make.

Inspecting the physical condition of your house is an important part of the home-buying process and should be included in your purchase contract as a condition of closing the sale. One or more professional inspectors should look for defects or malfunctions in the building’s structure, such as the roof, plumbing, or foundation, and detect pest infestations or dry rot and similar damage. Even if the seller provides you an inspection report, it’s best not to rely on this alone — the seller may have chosen an inspector who’s not known for rooting out problems.

Get a Pest Report

In addition to the general inspector, it’s wise to hire a licensed pest control expert, who will create a special pest report on the property (unless the seller has already commissioned one — pest inspectors, unlike general inspectors, traditionally accept work on properties they’ve inspected, so they have every interest in finding problems). The pest inspector will look for infestation by wood-boring insects such as termites and flying beetles, as well as evidence of dry rot and other fungal conditions.

Household Pest Threats

Pests are more than annoying; they can pose serious risks to your health and property. Certificate’s extensive training and advanced technology focus on attacking any pests already in your home and breaking the pest life cycle to help control unwanted invaders in the future.

COMMON PESTS

• Ants

On the hunt for food, a single ant can lead the way for the entire colony to invade your home. The best to control the problem is to find the nest and remove the queen.

• Cockroaches

Cockroaches can spread germs, make allergies worse and multiply at a record-breaking speed.

• Termites

More homes are damaged by termites each year than by fire.

• Flies Find out how flies carry more than 100 pathogens that can cause dangerous diseases in humans and animals, such as typhoid, polio and tuberculosis–and how to control these pests
• Mice and Rodents Because rodents multiply so quickly, just a few can lead to an out-of-control infestation before you know it.
• Spiders~Not only are their webs a nuisance around the house, but spiders can inflict painful, sometimes dangerous bites.
• Mosquitoes~The threat of mosquito-borne diseases could affect your family and pets.
• Silverfish~Found in areas of high humidity, silverfish eat through paper and other items with high starch content.
• Fleas~Fleas feed on human blood through small bites in the skin. They can jump from your carpet up to your ankles and calves, and a female flea can produce up to 800 eggs during her lifetime.
• Ticks~Ticks carry many serious diseases, including Lyme disease, encephalitis and typhus. They can live for over 500 days without a meal.
• Carpenter Bee~The Carpenter Bee is a wood destroying insect usually seen in the spring time. They make holes the size of a dime in facia  boards and wood around the home. The real damage is unseen inside the wood members.
• Crickets~House crickets can damage silk, woolens, paper, fruits and vegetables. They can eat almost anything available.
• Moths~Female moths can lay up to 200 eggs, and moth larvae feed on wool fabric and fur, doing damage to valuable clothing items.
• Carpenter Ants~Carpenter ants cut “galleries” into the wood in your home. Colonies can contain up to 50,000 workers, and infestations are very difficult to control. Carpenter ants may also be mistaken for termites.
• Other~Depending on where you live, pests such as pill bugs, centipedes and scorpions can invade your home.
• Roaches 
• Seeing one Roach often means there are many more you are not seeing. If you are seeing a Roach during the day, this could mean there is an overcrowding and that is the reason you saw the one or few.

With the dramatic increase in bed bug cases over the last few years (up a reported 500%), the need for effective bed bug information regarding identification, prevention and treatments have come crashing to the forefront.   In no small part, getting the facts about these pests has become critical. If you are among the fortunate, a few prudent steps of prevention will allow you to avoid the bed bug problem. But, statistically, that seems to be moving less in your favor and more into the bed bug’s column.

The National Pest Management Association Inc., along with the University of Kentucky, conducted a Comprehensive Global Bed Bug Study in 2010. The study focused on responses from pest management companies.

Some of the survey results included:

1. Companies reported remarkable increases in the amount of calls about bed bug infestations; in the last five years, calls have been up 57%.

2. Urban and suburban areas, with more and more populations of people living closer together, experience a greater bed bug problem. Companies made bed bug treatments in 80% of suburban areas and in 71% of urban areas compared to 52% in rural areas.

3. “Bed bugs are THE most difficult pest to treat, according to 76% of survey respondents, more so than cockroaches, ants, and termites.” Where exactly has pest management companies treated for beg bugs? According to survey respondents,

• 89% have treated apartments & condos for beg bugs,
• 88% have treated single-family homes
• 67% have treated hotels/motels
• 35% have treated college dormitories
• 9% have treated various transportation modes
• 5% have treated laundry facilities
• 4% have treated move theaters

Bed bugs are a parasite, needing to feed on the blood of a human or other warm-blooded host to grow and reproduce. The creatures only feed for about 5 to 10 minutes; bed bugs then hide for 5 to 10 days to mate and lay eggs. Although they are nocturnal, bed bugs will feed during the day in a heavily infested area. Looking for bare skin, bed bugs typically bite the head and neck region, but will also feed on exposed hands, arms, and legs. Bed bug bites often occur in a linear pattern of three to four bites, which is referred to as the “Breakfast, lunch, dinner” pattern.

Are your wanting to run home to check your sheets? Wondering what you can do to prevent a bed bug infestation? All homes are vulnerable to bed bug infestation. An ounce of prevention can save thousands of dollars and six months of lost sleep. Protect your home now, before it is too late!

Signs of Bed Bug Infestation

Today bed bugs have become an epidemic with new cases having increased 500% over the past few years. International travel hubs such as New York, Miami and Los Angeles are having major issues controlling new bed bug populations. Hotel rooms, cruise ships, airplanes and shelters are now breading places where bed bugs can hitch a ride home with you.

Many people with infestations are completely unaware that their home has these uninvited guests. This is because bed bugs are nocturnal nesting parasites in that they emerge 1-2 hours before dawn, feed for 5-15 minutes and then return back to their hiding place.

Due to the fact that bed bugs are great at hiding, many cases rely on investigating your bedroom for signs of these blood sucking insects. Most bed bugs reside within 10-15 feed of your bed, which makes that a good place to start looking. Below are some tell-tale indicators that you may have these unwanted pests.

• Burning Bed Bug Bite Marks ~ Waking up in the morning with a row of red welts that burn and itch could be bed bugs. The burning and itching sensation can be reduced by running hot water over the infected area, using hydrocortisone or taking an antihistamine.
• Blood Stains on Sheets and Furniture ~  Bed bugs often expel some of their blood meal, which is a great indicator that they may be present. This could be found anywhere on your sheets, on the walls, curtains, carpeting, etc.
• Black Feces Droppings ~ Feces droppings are normally left behind by bed bugs, which look little black or brown large grains of salt. This can be found in places where they like to hide including by the seams of a mattress, between the box spring and mattress and even on your sheets. Bed bugs shed or molt their waxy skins as they move through the five stages of development. This clear skin with a tint of brown can be easily seen by the naked eye. This is another great indicator that they may be present.
• Visually Identifying Actual Bed Bugs ~ Knowing what bed bugs look like can help diagnose an infestation. Please see our picture to the left.

Bed Bugs Pest Control Treatments MN

Bed bugs can quickly become a serious pest problem. Chances are if you have bed bugs, you brought them into your home while traveling. These pests do not travel on humans or animals, but on luggage, clothing, pillows, and other items you bring when you leave home.

For Guaranteed Bed Bug Removal MN, contact a Minnesota pest control expert as soon as possible!

As bedbugs have made a comeback, aided by resistance to pesticidesand spread by worldwide travel, scientists have found that panic over the blood-sucking pests may be more dangerous than their bite. Some people are misusing poisonous chemicals in a desperate bid to eradicate the pests.

With the rapid rise in bed bug infestation, bed time is now filled with anxiety. People even suffer sleep-loss and anxiety long after the bed bug infestation has been dealt with.  A good night’s rest can no longer be taken for granted!

Chemicals Used To Combat Bed Bugs Are Making Some People Ill

As more people in the United States are feeling the bed bug’s bite, there has been a spike in illnesses from pesticides used to kill the insects, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention CDC  reported.

From 2003 to 2010, 111 people were sickened and one died from bed bug insecticide, the government agency reported in a study that is the first of its kind in the country.

Nearly three quarters of the illnesses occurred from 2008 to 2010 as the bed bug population in the United States increased.

Pesticide-related illnesses occurred in seven states: California, Florida, Michigan, North Carolina, New York, Texas and Washington. Some 81 percent of cases were not severe.

New York City, where there were increasing reports of bed bug infestations, had the largest number of cases at 58 percent. Nationwide, 93 percent of the cases were in private homes, the study found.

Although the CDC said there have not been enough cases of serious illness to suggest a large public health burden, the numbers might continue to increase as bed bugs become more resistant to common pesticides.

Bed bugs are wingless, reddish-brown insects that suck blood from humans and other mammals and birds. They do not carry disease but, according to the CDC, “can reduce quality of life by causing anxiety, discomfort and sleeplessness.”

Illness can result from misusing pesticides to kill the bugs. Two of the most common causes of illness were excessive insecticide application and failing to wash or change pesticide-treated bedding. Common symptoms included headaches, dizziness, nausea and vomiting.

The lone fatality was in North Carolina in 2010, and the 65-year-old victim had a long list of health problems including diabetes and renal failure, the CDC said.

Her husband applied pesticides in the home that were not registered for use on bed bugs. The woman also applied a bed bug and flea insecticide to her arms, sores on her chest, and on her hair.

The CDC recommends using both nonchemical and chemical approaches to fight bed bugs, including Hiring a Pest Control Expert to to kill the bugs.

The agency also advises against buying used mattresses and box springs and urges anyone with a bed bug problem to hire only certified insecticide applicators.

Insecticide labels that are easy to read and understand also can help prevent illnesses associated with bed bug control.

Illnesses Linked To Bed Bug Insecticides

CDC reports 1 Death, More Than 100 Illnesses Due to Excessive Exposure to Insecticides for Bedbugs

According to a new CDC report, exposure to insecticides used to control bedbugs led to one death and more than 100 illnesses between 2003 and 2010.

Eliminate Infestations

The report is published in the CDC’s Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report.

The report states that the most common causes of illness were due to overuse of insecticides, failure to wash or change bedding that had been treated with insecticide, and failing to adequately warn others that insecticide had been used.

Excessive use of insecticides or use of insecticides contrary to label directions can raise the potential for human toxicity.

The 111 illnesses were reported in seven states:  California, Florida, Michigan, North Carolina, New York, Texas, and Washington. More than half of the illnesses occurred in New York. Nearly three quarters of the cases occurred between 2008 and 2010 and were considered to be of low severity.

The report does note that the number of reported insecticide-related illnesses “does not suggest a large public health burden.” But the authors express concern that the problem could escalate if bed bugs are not adequately and properly controlled.  Because these chemicals are so harsh and if miss-used can be deadly, it is strongly advised you leave the handling of them to professionals.

Is Your Pest Control Product Scarier Than The Pests

Bed Bug Pesticide Warning

• Never use a pesticide indoors that is intended for outdoor use. It is very dangerous and won’t solve your bed bug problem.
• Using the wrong pesticide or using it incorrectly to treat for bed bugs can make you sick, may not solve the problem, and could even make it worse by causing the bed bugs to hide where the pesticide won’t reach them.
• Check if the product is effective against bedbugs — if a pest isn’t listed on the product label, the pesticide has not been tested on that pest and it may not be effective. Don’t use a product or allow a pest control operator to treat your home unless bed bugs are named on the product label.
• Before using any pesticide product, READ THE LABEL FIRST, then follow the directions for use.
• Keep in mind that any pesticide product without an EPA registration number has not been reviewed by EPA, so we haven’t determined how well the product works.

From www.epa.gov

A change in guidelines from the Department of Human Services will help disabled, elderly residents in Minnesota with the high costs of dealing with bed bugs.The Department of Human Services in Minnesota made the decision to allow funding to be used for bed bug removal for low-income, high-risk elderly individuals.  The cost of extermination and disposal of household furniture will now be included in expenses covered in waiver programs.

In order to help combat a growing bed bug problem, the department decided recently to allow the costs of exterminating bed bugs and properly disposing of household furniture to be included in expenses covered in waiver programs for low-income, high-risk elderly individuals who receive state services.

The additional funds are being added to a “chore service” program for individuals with low incomes, who are disabled, over 65 years old, on Medical Assistance and are at the highest risk for nursing home care.  State funding will help offset some of the out-of-pocket expenses for a group of high-risk people that would otherwise not be able to pay the costs.

Some cases of bed bugs in the county have been reported in multi-unit dwellings where the annoying, biting critters can travel along heat ducts from one apartment to another.

The presence of bed bugs has nothing to do with the cleanliness of an individual. Some of the cleanest individuals have had it (bed bugs) twice. They’ve done everything right.  An extermination process will be used to get rid of the hard-to-kill bed bugs.

Prevent The Spread Of Bed Bugs

Prevention. People usually bring bed bugs into their homes, in luggage or on clothes, after visiting an infested dwelling or hotel. If you travel frequently, watch for signs of bed bugs in your hotel room by checking under sheets and inspecting mattresses, especially if you have been bitten. If you suspect bed bugs, check your luggage before leaving and wash all your clothes as soon as you get home.

You also can bring bed bugs into your home on bedding or furniture. If you purchase second-hand furniture, especially beds or mattresses, thoroughly inspect the item before bringing it into your home. If you remove infested mattresses or furniture from your home, do not leave it on the curb or porch. Take it immediately to the dump. Furniture, like mattresses and couches, may need to be wrapped and properly disposed of so no one takes it off the curb or out of a dumpster.  It’s the appropriate way of doing it to ensure that we reduce this issue for the community as a whole.

Managers of hotels, furnished apartments, dormitories, homeless shelters, and other facilities that house transient populations need to train staff to recognize signs of bed bug activity and take action as soon as they find an infestation. One proactive step a manager can take is to regularly replace beds, mattress, and bedding materials. Frequent laundering of bedding and placing items that could be infested in walk-in freezers during tenant change and turnover can help prevent the spread of bed bugs.

It is much easier to control a population when the infestation is small. Keep clutter down, so it is easier to inspect and bed bugs have fewer hiding places. Also, seal up cracks, crevices, and holes in bedding or furniture and other potential hiding sites.  Most clients don’t have the money or wherewithal to take that action by themselves.

The Department of Human Services made the funding change so that communities had options to take care of this quickly. The program is a positive move for communities around the state.

The commissioners approved contracts with Divine House Inc. and Central Minnesota Senior Care to coordinate the extermination and furniture removal and disposal for eligible clients. Those entities will be reimbursed by the state.  Clients will still have to pay to replace any furniture that is removed.  The elderly individuals will only be financially responsible for replacing furniture that is removed.

For home infestations, the EPA recommends reducing clutter, sealing cracks and crevices, vacuuming often, drying infested clothes at high heat and using a special mattress cover so you can sleep tight without letting the bed bugs bite. Travelers should inspect hotel mattresses, box springs and headboards for the pests and the inklike streaks of their droppings.

In other words, a dose of vigilance — if not outright paranoia — is the best preventive.

We are looking at what we did a hundred years ago.  We need to develop an individual consciousness, like we had then. You should think twice about leaving your purse on a seat in the movie theater and storing your kids’ college furniture in the basement when they come home. We need to be conscious that anybody from a group-living situation may come back with bed bugs.

Contact a Professional

The complete elimination of bed bugs requires highly trained and licensed Pest Control Expert knowledgeable in bed bug biology, behavior, and the proper use of pesticides. There is little chance that you will be able to eliminate the problem on your own. Most commercially available pesticides are not designed for bed bugs and the use of these products (while they may kill some bed bugs) may only spread the bed bugs to remote areas and make the problem much more difficult to solve.