How Did I Get Bedbugs?
Used Furniture
Used furniture is the top way to get bed bugs. If you don’t know where it came from, it is not wise to bring it home. Chances are that the used furniture you see at a garbage dumpster is infested with bed bugs! It doesn’t matter if it is a bed frame, a mattress, a box spring, a dresser, a nightstand, or a couch, if bed bugs are present; they are coming home with you.
TIP:Bed bugs can survive up to a year without a blood meal, so don’t make the mistake of trying to wait them out.
Used Clothes
People discard clothes that are infested with bed bugs all the time. If you, or someone you know collects discarding clothes, then chances are that some of your “treasures” will have bed bugs
When you buy used clothes, keep them in a sealed plastic bag until you can wash and dry them. Bed Bug eggs have been known to survive a good washing, but it is a fact that they cannot survive the heat of a modern dryer.
TIP: Drying bed bug infested clothes for at least 25 minutes on high heat in the dryer will kill bed bugs, and their eggs.
Traveling
When you stay in a hotel, or motel, bed bugs can infest your luggage, your clothes and can even come home with you if you are not careful. The best way to prevent being a carrier of cimex lectularius (bed bugs) and avoid an infestation is to inspect the bed and room before you sleep in it. You should also place your luggage on a chrome luggage rack. If you have a hanging bag, keep it hung up and zipped up too. Don’t ever put your clothes in the wood dressers or leave your items on the floor.
TIP: It is always a good idea to inspect the hotel bed before you sleep in it. When you return home, wash and dry all your clothes.
TIP: The Bedbug registry is a great tool to find out if the place you’re staying at has prior reported bed bug outbreaks. Check to see if there are reports by entering the hotel or motels address, you’re staying at. It’s not 100% accurate because anyone can make an entry and it doesn’t always have the most accurate information for a specific location but it can be a good indicator.
House Guests
If a friend or family member comes to stay with you, they could be bringing bed bugs with them and into your home. It’s hard to approach your loved ones to discuss the subject of bed bugs but once you experience the hassle and cost of cleaning up a bedbug infestation, it will get easier to have the conversation first!
TIP: Bed bugs don’t discriminate. They don’t care how clean you are, how dirty you are or how much money you make. Bed Bugs just want your blood so be aware.
Next-Door Neighbors
If you live in a multiunit apartment or house, bed bugs can infest your rooms by traveling on clothes, backpacks, purses, or wiring behind the walls. Apartments with hallways are not ideal. Bed bugs can crawl under the door and across or down the hall to your door. Infested furniture being brought out might drop off some bed bugs in the hall and come to your door.
TIP: You cannot pick your neighbors, so short of moving, keep a watch on your complex’s garbage dumpster to see if any of your neighbors are throwing away mattresses, couches, chairs or other large items that they could probably sell, as a sign that they might have an infestation.
Why Heat Kills Bed Bugs
When applied properly, Heat Extermination is the #1 way to kill bed bugs, because heat waves penetrate and go everywhere. It’s lethal, 100% effective, chemical-free and you get to save your stuff!
“The biggest advantage of heat is that it finds the bed bugs and their eggs wherever they are hiding. It penetrates layers of fabric, upholstered furniture, boxes of household goods, and even mattresses and bedding . . . The heat finds them and “cooks” them all at once”.
Cimex exterminates bed bugs using a heat extermination process. The infested space and surrounding walls are heated to a temperature above 135°F, killing all bed bugs and their eggs. Not only have pesticides become ineffective, Bed bugs have developed a resistance to pesticides. Without direct chemical contact to the bed bugs back, pesticides will fail! Compare this to heat: Bed bugs cannot become resistant to it, and heat waves get everywhere.
Cimex uses specialized equipment that is customized to the needs of each space. Our heating tools are designed specifically to spread, control, and monitor heat – getting it into hard to reach spaces inside your walls, furniture and mattresses.
Cimex heat extermination is based on scientific research.
The Cimex Process
Depending upon the size of your living space, it will take between 5-10 hours to heat the premises. It will be necessary to vacate the space during this time.
At all times our techs will act with complete discretion.
A walk through will begin once we arrive to ensure that the prep list was completed.
We will note any pre-existing damage.
We will ask you to sign a document permitting us to do the work which will also acknowledge the condition of the space.
Our equipment will be brought in and set up strategically to insure maximum effect.
Cimex Technicians will be moving the equipment throughout the heating process.
The space and surrounding walls will be heated safely to the thermal death point of 135* F.
We will move your furniture appropriately 8 inches from the wall and place your mattresses, box springs and sofas on their sides.
All dresser drawers, night stands and cabinets will be opened to insure the heat penetrates those areas.
Our technician will be onsite at all times during the heat extermination process.
When the heating process is completed, the space will be carefully inspected. Furniture will be somewhat returned to its original place but may be left turned up to speed cooling. It is safe to return and open windows or turn on the A/C. at this point.
Final payment will be due at this time unless payment arrangements have been made prior to the treatment.
Cimex Technologies prides itself on a 85%-90% success rate on the first visit. A large part of that success rate is the quality of the required Prep List that the customer does before treatment. Please follow the link at the top of this page to complete the Prep List.
A return visit may be required if the bed bugs escape the heat or are brought back in. After the heat process is complete there is a 14 day observation period. It’s up to you to let us know if you are still getting bites, or find live bed bugs. If no bed bug sightings occur within that time frame, the need for a return visit is very unlikely. However, if bed bugs and their eggs are not 100% exterminated, we will return and repeat the process, guaranteed. FAILURE IS NOT AN OPTION!
Heat extermination is safe for you and the environment. No pesticides or other chemicals are used during the Cimex process, ensuring that people and pets are safe. The health or our environment is a priority for Cimex and we feel fortunate to be able to help people using such a green technology.
Preventing Bed Bugs
BED BUG EXTERMINATION – USING ALL THE WEAPONS
Bed bugs are getting resistant to pesticides. We have to use things they can’t resist.
“Our results so far, have indicated that two of the products commonly used for bed bug control only killed 50% of them after 10 days of constant exposure. We have also found that products thought to be repellent to bed bugs were not repellent.”
-Dini M Miller, PhD, Dodson Urban Pest Management Laboratory, Virginia Tech
Removing Clutter
Lots of stuff in your place does not cause bed bug infestations, but it does make bed bugs much harder to exterminate. So clean out the clutter!
I’ve found them on wood, metal, plastic surfaces, electronics, electric clocks, laptops, cell phones, stereos, clothing, bathroom tile, grout, cracks in wooden floors, inside chandelier bases, seams of shoes, soles of shoes, etc. – Lou Sorkin, leading bed bug researcher
Puffer and Powder
The puffer tool blows powder into walls – the powder cuts and kills bed bugs but is nontoxic. This is critical for hard to heat places! Find it at: http://www.bedbugsupply.com/
Sealing outlets and other cracks and holes: If you live in an apartment or condo complex the more cracks you seal the better! These must be sealed with outlet plugs and caulk.
Traps
Traps are an evolving technology. There are sticky traps, pheromone traps and climb-ups. They are a monitoring tool but not effective at eradicating bed bugs.
Heat Extermination
Along with prevention, this is the most important step! “The biggest advantage of heat is that it finds the bed bugs and their eggs wherever they are hiding. It penetrates layers of fabric, upholstered furniture, boxes of household goods, and even mattresses and bedding . . . . The heat finds them and “cooks” them all at once.”
– Pest Management Professional Magazine, November 23, 2009
Guarding
After all this you still must be vigilant. Avoid bring in used furniture and clothes. Inspect hotel beds before you go to sleep and don’t totally unpack when you get home. Wash and dry what you unpack and store your suit case in a trash bag until it’s time to go on the next trip.
A bed bug egg looks like a speck of salt.
A first stage larva looks like a speck of pepper. An adult bed bug can look like a small tick. Bed bug colors can be blonde to dark red.
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