Building Managers and bed bugs?

Bed bugs are small insects that feed on humans and furry pets. Generally, they are attracted to body heat, CO2, and body smell. They are creatures of the night, and they usually carry out their feeding activities at night and rest during the day. They often hide in places that are cool and dark, which makes it challenging to find them.

Protecting yourself from bed bugs

You can protect yourself from bed bugs by learning about them, the signs of their presence and how they look. As soon as you know what to look for, you can utilize the Integrated Pest Management (IPM) method of approach to combat your bed bug infestation. IPM combines both chemical and non-chemical methods to achieve the best results. IPM is a cost-effective method that has little or no impact on human health and the environment at large.

Prevention

Be conscious of where you sit, and keep your items

Wash your clothing, and beddings regularly with hot water

Thoroughly inspect and clean any secondhand furniture or objects before bringing them into your house.

Have a special section in your home where visitors can keep their personal belongings. Thoroughly clean this place after your visitors leave

Monitoring

Inspect bed, mattress, sofa, and furniture visually

Use interceptors on bed legs, and sofa legs and check them regularly for any sign of bed bugs. Clean the interceptors at regular intervals.

Environment Modification

Install interceptors on bed legs and furniture legs

De clutter the house most especially the bedrooms

Keep all clothing and bedding from the floor

Do not allow the bed to come in contact with the wall

Install mattress and box spring encasement

Any infected item should be kept in isolation in a plastic bag

Vacuum the house regularly and adequately dispose of the vacuum bags.

Seal all cracks

Report any bed bug incident to your landlord or property manager.

The combination of Proactive inspection, Early detection, and swift response can help you limit your bed bug problem.

Non-Chemical Controls

Properly dispose of any heavily infested object

Wash clothing and bed sheets with hot water on a regular basis.

Place infested objects in a freezer of a minimum of 4 days

Vacuum clean/steam clean infested furniture

Use heat chambers for non-washable objects

Other non-chemical methods include; containerized heat treatment and whole house heat treatment

Insecticide treatments

Insect foggers’ are ineffective for bed bugs control

Standard insecticides only work when they are applied on bed bugs directly

Diatomaceous Earth dust is very useful for controlling bed bugs. Apply the dust to places where the bed bugs are located

Follow up procedures

Monitor the numbers of bed bugs regularly using step 2. If necessary, employ the treatment methods specified above.

Characteristics of Bed Bugs

They live in clusters

They cannot fly or jump, but they are excellent crawlers and hitchhikers

Adults have a reddish-brown coloration with a flat oval shape

Eggs are tiny and are often in groups

Nymphs start as translucent before becoming rusty red

They can survive without a blood meal for several months.

Signs of bed bugs

Fecal stains, blood stains, skin sheds, dark spots, dead bed bugs, and eggs are usually signs of bed bugs.

Victims of bed bugs bites usually have red bite marks, rashes, welts, and bumps on their skin. It should be noted that bite marks alone are not a clear indication of bed bug infestation

Ensure the bug is a Bed Bug!!

Capture a few of the bugs and show to a professional to identify if the bugs are really bed bugs.

Do not skip the above step as it is very crucial. You don’t want to end up treating for bed bugs when in fact you don’t have the infestation in the first place.

Finding and Recognizing Bed Bugs

Bed bug and their hiding places

Most common hiding places for bed bugs

Headboards and bed frames

Seams and piping of mattresses

Pillows, blankets and bed sheets

Seams and folds of sofas

Box springs

Least familiar hiding places for bed bugs

Cracks, under wood moldings, and crevices

Edges of wall-to-wall carpeting, and rugs

Behind picture frames

Under loose wallpapers

Inside electrical outlets or switch plates

The clutter of dirty laundry.