Ontario Bed Bugs

1. Most people find bed bugs (Cimex lectularius) a most disagreeable houseguest. These parasites are usually no more than a ¼ inch in length in their adult state and can engorge themselves with human blood in less than 15 minutes causing their bodies to fill to as much as three times its usual size. Fully engorged bed bugs bear little resemblance to their original state and are often thought to be a different insect all together.
2. Bedbugs can lay between one and five eggs per day with an incubation period of 10 days in warm weather (slightly longer when cool). These newly hatched bedbugs will require five significant blood feedings to reach adult size. They will molt in between feedings by shedding their exoskeleton. Once mature they will begin the process of laying new eggs.
3. Adult female bedbugs can lay more than 200 eggs during their lifetime and the new generation of bedbugs will immediately seek a blood meal and they might be looking at you through hungry compound eyes. When they are finished eating they leave tiny sores to remind you of their midnight binge.
4. There are other types of bedbugs including the bat bug, the chimney swift bug and the swallow bug. All of these relatives survive on blood feeding, however these secondary parasites thrive on either bats or birds as their primary victims.
5. Bedbugs feed on the blood of human beings but can suck blood from other animals as well. Birds and mice are the most common animals. Bedbugs most often feed at nighttime when people are asleep. When they feed, they inject a salivary secretion into the wound to prevent coagulation. The fluid can cause a person’s skin to itch and even become swollen. Scratching can cause sores which often become infected. Bedbugs are not known to transmit any human blood-borne pathogens.
6. An adult bedbug is about 1/5 inch long, oval in shape and flat. They’re generally brown except after sucking blood. Their body then becomes swollen and the colour changes to a dark red.

I may be aging myself but I have been in the pest control business for over 30 years and can still remember the problem we had dealing with bed bugs in the late 1970′s. However back then all pest control operators had a secret weapon we used. It was insecticides from the family of chemicals called Chlorinated Hydrocarbons. They had interesting names such as DDT, Lindane and Chlordane. They smelled awful but did they work. They worked so well in fact that bedbugs became almost a non issue and were mostly forgotten. Something else that we forgotten were the Chlorinated insecticides, as they were deemed too dangerous because they took an extremely long time to break down and had very serious side effects on humans and animals. They were replaced with safer insecticides from the family known as Organo Phosphates. We used products such as Diazanon  Chlopyrofos, and others which also worked incredibly well and they did not pose the same health risks as DDT as they broke down quicker. If used properly by licensed technicians they were very effective and safe to the customers we treated.
However with governments jumping on the the green bandwagon, in their infinite wisdom they decided to discontinue registering these pesticides  for use in Ontario and other parts.  these were replaced with a different class of insecticides that are either a pyrethrum base or a synthetic version called a pyrethroid. They come in liquid or powder form. Used properly they can be very effective but they have one major caveat…..there is virtually no residual effect like their predecessors. Hence bedbugs can hide in cracks in the wall and other tight paces until the residual effect of the insecticide has passed. This is the reason most pest control companies are doing two to three service treatments to eliminate and to guarantee the work. Ten years ago we rarely needed a second. Boy how times have changed…..

1. Bedbugs were once known as bat bugs as they mainly began feeding off bats..
2. Females can lay well over 200 eggs in her lifetime….
3. Other than humans the most common blood source is mice and birds
4. Case studies have shown some children became anemic after multiple feedings on them by a bedbug…..
5. Use calamine lotion on bites to relieve itching……
6. A scientist with Rollins Corporation in the U.S. kept a bedbug alive for almost 15 months….

1. Vacuuming is very important. Do a thorough vacuum job of all affected mattress and box-springs and any carpeting and also the baseboards.

2. Remove bedding and clothing from the affected room and either wash and dry or just put them through a hot dryer cycle for 30 minutes.

3. Inspect mattress and box spring for either insects or blood staining like dots.

4. Put certified bed bug proof mattress covers on mattress and box spring.

5. Call the professionals and get it treated properly. Bedbugs are difficult to see and treat on your own. Licensed technicians will treat all affected areas as well as hidden spots such as wall voids and cracks and crevices where the elusive bedbug likes to hide in between blood meals. Also if you are not sure, then hire a company that has bed bug detection dogs. We use them a lot and they have been proven to be exceptionally effective every single time.