[Proudcdn]

Bed Bug Treatment:

Definitions:

Pesticide - anything used to kill a pest. This is usually chemical in nature. Technically by definition a fly swatter is a pesticide.

Residual - This means that the application remains potent for "X" amount of time after it is applied. Each product will have a different amount of residual effect.

Non Residual - This type of product does not leave behind any pesticide after it is applied. Essentially these are contact killers and usually come in an aerosol.

Contact Killer - Essentially the substance must come in direct contact with the pest in order to kill it.

1) Bed Bugs are not a pest that the general public should attempt to treat on their own. These are hardy insects that the professionals have a difficult time treating. A mistreatment could cause a population to migrate, split into small populations, or even result in pesticide resistance.

a) In many Provinces and States throughout North America it is illegal to use pesticides of any kind outside of your own personal living space. This means that an apartment landlord is likely not legally able to treat someone else's suite. Please check your local legislation for more details.

2) I do not recommend PCOs because:

i) I work for a North America wide company and should not recommend the competition. If I am only recommending my company then the information that I provide here loses its credibility.

ii) Bed bug work comes down to the individual technician doing the work, not the company that they work for. Yes some companies do offer up better training programs than others and may have an edge in that regard. But the bottom line is that even within the same company there could be really good BB techs and some not so great within the same office. Base your decision on their individual experience level, not the company they work for.

Not all pest control companies are equal. The decision to choose one pest control company over another should not be based solely on the price they charge. The old saying; "You get what you pay for" holds true in most cases. Some things to look for:

a) How reputable is the company?
b) Are they a member of the National Pest Management Association (NPMA) or the Canadian Pest Management Association (CPMA)?
c) How experienced are they with bed bug treatments?
d) Is there a contract involved?
e) Is there a guarantee offered?
f) How many treatments does the price include? Most bed bug jobs will require a minimum of two treatments (spaced roughly 2 weeks apart).
g) Does the company have insurance?
h) Do they use a canine for detecting bed bugs?

You can visit the NPMA or CPMA websites to find member PCOs.

3) There are many products on the market that claim to kill bed bugs or repel them. I challenge any of these companies to provide conclusive scientific data to support their claims. There are many PhD entomologists and professional pest control people on this site that will support that these products do not work.

a) If the product does not have a PCP# (Canada) you can not legally use it to kill bed bugs.
b) If the product does not have an EPA# (US) you can not legally use it to kill bed bugs.
c) If it seems too good to be true; It probably is. There is no "magic wand" for treating these insects.

4) Home remedies do not rid a bed bug population. They may let you know of their presence, but they will not eliminate them.

5) Vacuuming with a HIGH POWERED vacuum cleaner MIGHT eliminate a bed bug problem in its earliest stages (ie a few were introduced to a room) but it will not work to rid of an established population.

a) If one female bed bug has laid eggs it is next to impossible to rid them entirely with only the use of a vacuum alone.

6) Steam treatments can be very effective in eliminating bed bugs. However; it has its limitations. If the bed bugs are tucked up in an area that the steam can not reach (ie in a wall void) it will not kill them. It is a contact killer only.

a) Often steam treatments are followed up with a residual pesticide application.

[IHATEBBs]

[jeffm2009]

Great information and tips. Bedbugs are becoming more and more widespread and they are a huge problem. The first thing I think you should do if you found them is protect your mattress. If they are not in there yet, make sure they can not get in. You will need one of those mattress protectors to put over your mattress. The bugs will not be able to get through it so there will be no chance of them living in your mattress. After you do that, there are a lot of other things you can do to try to get rid of them in other places in your house, like some of the methods you had described. You definitely don't want them to get out of control.

Moderator: Link to website removed as advertising is not permitted.

[JudyK1]

I am not sure exactly how to do this -- I have an environmentally friendly, non-toxic, 100% effective product that I want to share with the world, but I understand that advertising is not allowed here. If people are coming here to get info about how to deal with bedbugs, how am I to get the info to them? My product is classified as 25B by the US EPA, which means you do not need a license to apply it. Please advise!

[Proudcdn]

You can begin by sending me information about the product. Testimonials from pest control operators, entomologists, or bed bug researchers would also be helpful.

You can email me at bedbug@telus.net.

Once I have more information I can go from there.

Sincerely,

Sean.