Exterminator - Bed Bugs

[forkiks]

another trick is to iron your mattress - use high heat. After that, wrap the mattress in plastic if possible and put the sheets over the plastic...make sure to wash your linens in hot water, including comforter.

[Treatment]

we just got these as well. My roommates are getting bitten (I dont think I have yet, but I am on the 3rd floor) I can only guess that they came in from a neighbors house. We called Terminex yesterday and they said they would have someone out between 1-3pm... 3pm passed and we called again... it was changed to 3-6pm... 6pm passes and they changed it to 6-9pm at 9pm we call and they say "oh, were closed for the night"

I am totally freaked out by this.

[phoenix]

I've never had problems with bed bugs, hope I never do, but we had a mouse this past winter, and my landlord gave me this #- (215) 467-6731- of the exterminator he uses. I paid the fee for them to come out, but I sense the landlord would have if I didn't.

They were very nice. They still call to check and see if we need any treatments...however, I wouldn't know if they deal with bed bugs.
I can't recall the name, but I have Dan Mallio (?sp) in my phone under the #.

[mirgeekay]

Every apartment in the building needs to be treated by the exterminator, and he will need to return multiple times. Prices for apartments are around $1000. For now, get the mattress cover approved for bed bugs, put all your non clothing items in plastic bags that seal (giant freezer bags, they sell them at acme), wash all your clothes in hot water and dry them on hot, and put them immediately in the same plastic bags. do the same with your bed linens. don't go sleep someplace else, because you can carry them with you on your clothes. get some diatemacious (sp?) earth powder and sprinkle it around the perimeter of your bedroom. this is non-toxic but will create a barrier for the bed bugs. vacuum and steam clean your mattress and furniture. vacuum your whole apartment really well. then get the exterminator in there quick. make sure the downstairs apartment gets exterminated as well, or you will waste time and money.

[macdaire]

We have used Baxter for mice issues and loved him.

re. bed bugs. My friends had them and it is horrible. treatment is expensive and needs to include the entire building. They spent weeks with clothes in plastic bags. They had to throw out mattresses and purchase new ones that they covered (as others noted). You need to be careful not to bring the with you if you sleep elsewhere and also let visitors know of the infestation.

[OutOfContext]

I saw a girl standing on the corner of 15th and Jackson the other day with obvious bed bug bites ALL over her legs. It looked like she had small pox...

[CHIOSSO]

OK I'm starting to itch just reading this.

[R8CHEL]

God that's horrible. Your landlord should absolutely pay for it. Maybe he won't call an exterminator until the other neighbors do the same. It would make more sense if all the houses did it at once, wouldn't it? Otherwise they'd just come back from your neighbors house. Do what phillykev said and send him a letter certified mail.

Also, if you're vacuuming, take the bag out immediately and dispose of it nowhere near your house. I would take my laundry to a laundromat, too.

[CHIOSSO]

The laundromat is a good place to pick up lice and bedbugs.

[R8CHEL]

The laundromat is a good place to pick up lice and bedbugs.

I would rather dispose of dead bugs and their eggs at a laundromat than in my own washing machine. Also, my washer's hot setting isn't really that hot. The water needs to be hot as hell to kill the bugs, doesn't it?

I would think that laundromats would have larger hot water heaters for hotter water.

[solibs]

i dealt with this 2 years ago.

my biggest mistake was tossing my mattress and moving to my guest bedroom. As it turns out most of them were living in the crevices in my bed frame and in my pillow. Don't throw away furniture unless you were going to get rid of it anyway.

Get mattress covers that specifically say that they're bed bug proof and don't take the thing off for at least a year. They're tiny and can fit through almost anything so it has to be the right kind of cover. Your washing machine might not kill them but your dryer on high heat should do the trick.
For the most part, they hang out within a few feet of where you sleep so don't go moving stuff around because they'll follow you to another bedroom and make it harder to isolate and kill them.

The exterminator ran us $900 with a free follow up treatment. I had to remove every outlet cover and switch plate in the house and pull the backing off of the bottom of my couches as well as pull the covers off of all the cushions and take the clothes out of every drawer, all the linens out of the closets then I had to leave the house for 8 hours. He sprayed everything. When i got home there were dead bugs of every kind everywhere. If they smell the stuff they're dead but some of them are hanging out in the walls where the fumes can't get them. They stuff is only effective for 3 months and since they only need to feed every 6 months or so - you can see the need for a second treatment.

3 months after the second treatment I put down a healthy dose of diatomaceous earth in every crack and crevice i could find. It kills any bug that comes in contact with it so i use it as an all-purpose preventive measure . . . but especially in my bedroom. It's especially good for bugs that crawl. Especially when you know what their destination is. Also, where I used to vacuum once a week, now I do it at least twice a week. Those things can lay a lot of eggs.

[goldfish]

I ended up spending a lot of money on ziploc bags and plastic storage containers. I spent a year of my life keeping my shoes, purse and coats in a container by the front door so that I wouldn't spread the bugs.

I kept nothing in my room besides pajamas.

[phillybedbugdog]

The Following Appeared in the NJAA's AIM Magazine May 2010
Bed Bug Control and the Effective Use of Bed Bug Dogs to Maximize Results

By Michael Russell

VP of Sales

Action Termite and Pest Control
Servicing Philadelphia, NYC and New Jersey

Bed Bug Control and Bed Bug Dogs, New Jersey, New York, Philadelphia Bed Bug, Pest Control and Termite Control Company, NJ, Philly, NYC Bed Bug Control, Bed Bug Dogs, Jersey Termite, Commercial and Residential Pest Control and Exterminators Services or call 800-920-0906 with any questions.


The resurgence of bed bugs over the last 3 years has been widely reported and many property managers are affected by this infestation.

Unhappy tenants, the loss of income and the expenditure of Bed Bug Control are on the rise for Property Managers.

When researching the most effective way to combat bed bugs, it is evident that everyone seems to have a different approach. Some companies use dogs for inspections, some don't, some companies use steam or cryonite, some don't. This inconsistency leaves a property manager to make the right choice. But what is the right choice when it comes to curtailing the rise of infestation?

The most effective bed bug control programs always seem to have several things in common; the use of bed bug dogs to properly detect an infestation, the application of steam to ensure the killing of the bed bug's egg stage, the proper application of chemicals in a variety of forms (fogging, dusting, and crack and crevice,) and perhaps the most important step is the preparations made by tenants prior to treatment.

The effective use of bed bug dogs.

There is no absolute method in the detection of Bed Bugs to date. The closest to an absolute can be found in the arrival of the bed bug inspection dog. At a proven detection accuracy rate of 98%, Bed Bug Dogs can inspect an average one bedroom apartment in about 2 minutes.

Human technicians are about 35% accurate and would take over an hour to do a thorough inspection of the same one bedroom unit. Bed Bug Dogs can sweep around 25 to 30 units in an hour, as opposed to the human inspector of one per hour.

Now imagine you have 100 units in an apartment complex, the bed bug dog can inspect the entire complex in about 4 hours. A proper human inspection would take about 100 hours. Bed bug dog inspections are about $300 per hour and the average human inspector is about $100 per hour. In this scenario of 100 units to be inspected, the average cost for a bed bug dog inspection would be $1,200 with a 98% accuracy rate, where as, a human inspector price would be $10,000 with only a 35% accuracy rate.

Bed Bug Dogs help save property managers money on the treatment process.

No longer does a property manager have to treat units adjacent, above and below a unit that has been found to have an infestation. That means for every one unit that has bed bugs, property managers were paying for

4 additional treatments and exposing more tenants to treatments needlessly. By using a bed bug dog for inspection, only units that have been found to have bed bugs actually has to be treated.

Bed Bug Dogs have been trained by the best trainers to be hard workers and friends to man. Nevertheless, a truly effective Bed Bug Dog must be trained daily, kept active and healthy, and be constantly aware of his/her objectives. Bed Bug Dogs are not pets, they are an invaluable part of a bed bug control strategy, and as such are treated with the love and respect they deserve. Amazingly, they seem unerringly eager to do their jobs, finding an obvious sense of gratification in what they do, all the while needing only the praise and love of the handlers to fuel them forward.

Steam vs. Cryonite

Currently, there is no effective chemical that is being manufactured for pest control companies to kill the egg stage of the bed bug. That means if your bed bug program does not include either steam or cryonite (a freezing

method) you may be wasting your money, as the remaining bed bug eggs are sure to hatch and re-infest your building.

Pest Control Companies with the greatest track record of success utilize steam treatments or a cryonite treatment to complement their chemical treatments. Moreover, in the past few years, there has been a distinct division between companies that use steam versus those that use cryonite.

Either method, when generating a direct contact hit against the bed bug, will kill all stages of the insect including the egg stage, however, it has been shown that cryonite is not nearly as effective as steam. A recent study has shown that placing a live bed bug under a sheet of ordinary copy paper and spraying the paper with cryonite will not kill the bed bug.

However, doing the same experiment with steam, shows different results in that the bed bug can not survive a steam treatment even without having a direct hit.

How to Prepare For Treatment

To maximize the effectiveness of a Bed Bug Treatment, it is vitally important for tenants receiving treatment to prepare in advance. Each tenant should be required to complete the following before any bed bug control treatment proceeds:

1. REDUCE CLUTTER. Now is the time to get rid of things that have been lying about for years, items the tenants have always intended to get rid of but haven't. Make sure tenants bag and seal all items they are removing.

This will help seal and protect from bugs or eggs dropping throughout the apartment complex.

2. All beds must be stripped. All linens must be removed and washed on the hottest setting and dried on high heat. If you are taking your clothing/linens to a laundry-mat for cleaning, make sure to use new bags after you launder. Do not use the same bag you took to the laundry unless it has been washed/dried on high heat.

3. All clothing should follow the same procedure as linens. Once taken from a hot dryer, seal clothes in contractor type bags or large Ziploc bags until further notice. A sealable Rubbermaid container may also make life a little easier for access to clean clothing throughout the process. All linens and clothing should remain sealed until after the final bed bug control treatment. If clothing is already clean, just putting the items through a cycle in a high heat dryer will be fine.

(It's the heat from the dryer that will kill bed bugs. Don't over stuff the dryer.)

4. All dresser drawers, night stands, vanity and armoire drawers must be emptied or cleared for treatment. All items from said drawers should remain in the same room if possible. Personal items can be placed in bags or boxes until after the first treatment is complete. All closets must be emptied for crack and crevice treatments.

5. Dry Clean/Delicates. Dry cleaning items works, however most dry clean only items can go through a dryer cycle on high heat as long as the items were not wet. For all questionable items, we strongly recommend using a Packtite unit. PackTite

6. Vacuum each room including the edges of the baseboard molding. A crevice tool is the best option while vacuuming. This is a very important step for the effectiveness of your treatment. Be sure to vacuum under beds and furniture. After each time you vacuum, remove the bag and place it in a sealed trash bag for disposal outside the home.

If using a canister vacuum, empty the debris into the trash for immediate disposal outdoors and wash canister in very hot water.

7. All open food must be removed or placed inside of a refrigerator. Place all drinking vessels, plates and eating utensils in a kitchen cabinet.

After Treatment Procedures

1. Tenant should open any windows (weather permitting) to allow ventilation

2. Wipe down any surfaces such as counters, kitchen tables, and bed side tables.

3. All furniture should be vacuumed thoroughly.

4. All floors and along baseboards should be vacuumed thoroughly.

5. Cover your mattress and box spring with approved bed bug encasement covers.

What should tenants do with their pets?

Dogs, Cats, Hamsters, etc: Animals must be removed from apartment during a bed bug control treatment and may return at designated safe return time.

The following preparations are only needed when a fogging treatment is done:

Fish: Remove 4 inches of water level, turn off pump/filter and seal top with plastic and tape.

Birds and Snakes: Birds and snakes are highly sensitive to airborne agents and it is strongly recommended that they are taken out of the area of any treatments and not to return for 24 hours. Because of building ventilation, both vents in your apt should be covered while treatment is taking place and a damp towel should be placed by front door.

[albertmartino]

ugggh, bed bugs are awful! we had them, seemingly forever, because we couldnt find the source....so frustrating! no clue where or when they came for certain, which i guess is common after reading through this thread. the house was kept spotlessly clean, clothes frequently washed, furniture removed, etc. buuut, we finally found them and got rid of the little suckers

what was even more frustrating was the money spent on bed bug removal services that DIDNT work! we called a few companies, paid them, and still had bed bugs - but an acuaintence of mine recommended Prodigy Pest Solutions in philly, who i think are the best bed bug removal in philadelphia, and were FINALLY able to get rid of the bed bugs! if i could, i would add them to my christmas gift shopping list for eternity lol

[sharkey]

TO ALL THE SELF-APPOINTED "LANDLORD-TENANT LAWYERS" ON HERE GIVING BAD ADVICE. In the case of the OP, yes, the LL is responsible for exterminating because from the post it seems to be a multi-family building (tenant downstairs.) HOWEVER, in Phila. the code does NOT require LL's of single family residences to be responsible for exterminating. So, in a single family house, the LL would only be responsible if he took on that duty by a clause in the lease.

To the OP. Bedbugs are murder to get rid of; the eggs are protective and even if you kill the adults you have to come back and get the new hatchlings. They can't fly or jump, so make sure your blankets don't touch the floor or walls and put glue traps under the bedposts. Wash your sheets and dry them for at least 25 minutes on high heat. Put your mattress in a bag.

[Tenthplanet]

The key to successful bed bug control is to thoroughly treat all of the cracks and crevices where bed bugs hide. You should be spending at least 1-2 hours inspecting and treating each infested room. Adult bed bugs are about 3/16-inch long and reddish-brown, with oval, flattened bodies. Immature bed bugs are smaller and lighter in color, making them difficult to see. Bed bugs feed at night, but during the day their tiny flattened bodies allow them to hide in very tight cracks and crevices, along the tufts and seams of mattresses, and in the cracks of bed frames and other areas. Initial infestations tend to be around beds, but the bed bugs may eventually become scattered throughout a room, occupying any crevice or protected location. They can even move under walls to adjacent rooms. Treating all of the hiding areas and cracks is the key to getting rid of bed bugs. Look for dark fecal spots (digested human blood), light brown skin moltings, tiny white eggs and egg shells, or even the bed bugs themselves in all of the following areas:

Pictures and wall hangings
Wall fixtures, lamps and table-top lamps
Electrical faceplates
Drawers and furniture
Headboard
Mattress
Box spring and bed frame
Upholstered furniture
Bed and furniture legs
Wall-to-wall carpets
Baseboards
Curtains

more a more comprehensive look, take a gander at this guide:
How to Get Rid of Bed Bugs Yourself - How to Kill Bed Bugs