Sometimes people assume it's bed bugs and start throwing things away and spraying. And spending money.
The VERY FIRST thing you do is verify activity. I can usually ask some questions and make sense of what's going on.
First, a bathtub would be an abnormal place for someone to find their first bed bug.
What floor is this bathtub ? 2nd. Is there an attic above ? Yes. Do you have a bat issue or have had a bat issue. Yes - I had bats removed 2 months ago by a company. Has anyone had bites ? No. Save this specimen, but it's most likely a bat bug. She sent it in a ziploc to me and it is a bat bug for sure. I had to magnify it because they resemble bed bugs very much. The longer hairs gave it away. That's one of the differences between the 2. They feed on bats and when the bats are removed they wander aimlessly looking for them. But they don't behave like bed bugs.
Here's our Deal.
There are plenty of real bed bug issues for us to deal with. We don't want anyone to make bad decisions.
We've been doing this a long time and we can correct even the ugliest of situations.
As they say, let's keep it real !
In the beginning when bed bugs are brought in, they can be very hard to locate. For instance - say some bugs are brought in and the suitcase is put in the closet. Let's say there's 4 bed bugs in the suitcase. Those bugs will want a blood meal fairly soon. Within a few days if not sooner they escape the suitcase and start looking. There you are sleeping in the bed about 10 Ft away. Pumping CO2. To a bed bug that's like a big lighted sign for a Food Place. They will slowly climb and make their way to you. And then feed. You will probably not feel it. A tiny prick feeling but you're asleep. They never return to the suitcase. They nest close to the food place. Lay eggs
The pic above is typical of a scenario we find.
When people tell me they have bites but haven't seen evidence of bed bugs I tell them to not spray and behave like they have bed bugs until we have more evidence. But let's get evidence if it's there. We suggest our K9 service which some have not seen or unaware of the accuracy.
Our dogs can find even small amounts of activity quickly and accurately. When we finish we KNOW what's going on.
If a treatment is needed, we use Thermal Remediation Electric Heat. Bed Bugs die at about 118 degrees. The eggs need to be exposed to the heat longer than the live bugs to render them unviable. It's a long process, usually 5-6 hours or longer.
We park outside close and use our generator in the truck to power the heaters. We heat up to 135 degrees and hold the temps for 3-4 hours or more.. We use some sprays and dusts also mainly for containment.
After treatment we can monitor to make sure the treatment is effective. We rarely have an issue, but we will back our treatments and take care of the issue.
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