Bed Bugs

The word in the seminars is that these bugs are hard to kill, take a long time to get control, and you can never be sure you got them all. We take a different approach to killing them, and, having tweaked our system of treatment, usually get elimination on the first visit now.  If your bug guy is having difficulty killing them, call us.  We’ll make you happy.  If you need to know how we do that, look through the photos below, and at the bottom we discuss how we treat.

Meanwhile, Please, Please, Please, do not spray, fog or “bomb”.

That’s a bed bug on the left, and a bat bug on the right.  It makes a difference.   If you have bat bugs, get rid of the bats, and treat as appropriate for bat bugs.  If you have bed bugs, treat for bed bugs.  They are different.

They tend to bunch up in the cracks.  If your chairs look like this, consider throwing them out.

This couch was thrown out before treatment and a homeless man took the cushions to sleep on in a friends apartment.  They got bed bugs in the apartment.

The little white things in the knot are eggs, and yes, you can see them
without a microscope.  This board is a bed slat under a box spring.

We treat in a three-phase system, in which we aggressively attack the accessible bed bugs, killing them with a non-residual material which is labeled for use on beds and bedding, as well as most anywhere else.  We then treat with a slower, long residual material also labeled for use most anywhere, boosted by a material which speeds up the effect of the second material, establishing a defense against invasion, transportation, and bugs which are hiding for a while.  This second material takes about four hours to kill a bug, so they may be seen while dying, which can lead some to think that the material is not working.  It is working, and they will die.

We don’t usually move furniture for you.  Redecorating is your job.  Bed bug infestations make for an exception.  We frequently bring two men to the initial service for bed bugs  because we need to turn over mattresses and box springs, and move the headboard, and some other furniture.  The “team” in Swat Team Pest Control is most evident with this pest.

Do us, and you, a favor.  Do not use “bed bug bombs” or other sprays before we get there.  They don’t work, and they usually make the job harder, take longer, and cost more.