The 1, 2, 3’s to Bed Bug management.

While canine scent detection is becoming almost routine at the theater, office and in hotels, the use of dogs for residential pest control is definitely a rising trend. What need is there to bring in a scent detection team when you spot a bed bug on your pillow or couch? Three great reasons: Peace of mind, verification, and it’s economical.

1. Confirmation: It is prudent to handle pest control problems with an expert. While it is common to use Google to find answers to basic questions, eventually you will need to talk to an expert in pest control about your bed bug concerns to ensure whatever your plan is to eliminate bed bugs is safe and efficient. Most reputable companies offer a free phone consultation.

2. Peace of Mind: Is what you found crawling on your pillow a bed bug? Are you sure that mosquito bite came from a mosquito? A newcomer battling bed bugs may call for an exterminator right away and fumigate their home. But what if all that time, after packing and waiting for the chemicals to clear out that you never had bed bugs in the beginning? Trained scent detection dogs are proven to have a very high accuracy rate. Even if bed bugs were spotted in one area of the house/office space, a canine bed bug detection service will check the entire living or work space to ensure the area is clean of bed bugs, or not.

3. Economical: What happens after the canine scent detection service is completed? Perhaps you know for certain that an exterminator is needed. If so, you know where the hotspots are. But if you don’t have bed bugs, congratulations, that’s money and hassle saved.

So if you are losing sleep and worrying about the possibilities of a growing bed bug infestation in your home or office, don’t panic! Call in a professional detection service.

Cities with the most bed bugs

The Beagles, The Bed Bugs, and Airport Security

Airport travel can be a bit of a hassle. You have to coordinate getting to and from the airport, where you are staying not to mention getting on the flight itself. So wouldn’t it be nice to have a quality service to help when you lose your wallet or your phone drops without you ever realizing it until it is too late? I’m not talking about airport security putting a GPS on your valuables. I’m talking about KLM’s PR stunt to have a beagle bring travelers’ lost belongings to them wherever you are in the airport. Sadly it was a hoax but the ability of dogs–specifically beagles–to detect and confirm a scent is absolutely scientifically proven. We wouldn’t be able to get our dogs to ride the baggage carousel, but they can check your luggage at the end of a trip to make sure you don’t have any unwelcome hitchhikers inside.

A Bed Bug Stars in Its own Children’s Book.

We here at Bed Bug Detectives and Advisors are a good bunch of New Yorkers, who will help our fellow neighbors with their bed bug concerns. We also are great admirers of art. A couple of weeks ago, the company took an educational trip to see Bed Bug: The Musical (which you should see) and now. We would like to pass the word on a fascinating children’s book called, “The Bedbug Who Wouldn’t Bite” by Melanie Rhodes. We all know the saying: “Sweet dreams, and don’t let the bed bugs bite.” Here we have a twist where as the bed bug is needing a night’s rest and a child is doing plenty of antics to prevent that from happening. It’s cute, and worthy of a moment of fun between parent and child before bed. Good for children and adults who are scared of bed bugs. Be sure to check it out 🙂

“The Bedbug Who Wouldn’t Bite” by Melanie Rhodes

Bed Bug cure?

Exciting New Study Launched to determine the immune response to bed bug bites:

An interesting thing about bed bugs is that they do not transmit any disease to humans, but they do cause a huge amount of fear. Bed bug bites can be uncomfortable, unsightly and even just thinking about them can make it difficult to get to sleep. Currently, we know very little about what causes the allergic reaction in humans but we just heard about an exciting two year study about to start at Case Western Reserve University that might yield useful results. The study, headed up by Dr. Johnathan Sheele, assistant professor and director of research for the Department of Emergency Medicine in collaboration with Dr. Tom McCormick from the Department of Dermatology, hopes to identify which antibodies humans make in response to bed bug bites. When a bed bug feeds, it injects all kinds of things into your body, including proteins. In response, the human body creates antibodies against the bed bug proteins. In his current study, Sheele hopes to identify the antibodies against bed bug saliva in order to develop a diagnostic test to determine if a person has been bitten by a bed bug. Further, identifying the exact antibodies will help chemists develop more effective salves and treatments. Bravo Dr Sheele!

Dr. Johnathan Sheele and Katirina Coppolino, lead research assistant, study the immune response to bed bugs. Andrew Hodowanec/Observer – See more at: http://observer.case.edu/when-bed-bugs-bite/#sthash.xJphVYmR.dpuf

…Read the rest of this article »

THE CASE OF THE ITCH: THE PEOPLE OF NEW YORK CITY VS. BED BUGS

If case you locked yourself inside your apartment for the past few months and refuse to enjoy all forms of media, you may have heard of our subway trains being infested by bed bugs. What are bed bugs?:

The creepy crawlers that suck your blood when you least expect it.

That is just an unnecessary issue on top of train delays, obnoxious pop-up entertainers, and crowded trains.

Since last Wednesday, Sept. 3, the Metropolitan Transportation Authority has taken three R trains out of service after receiving reports of bedbugs on board.
In addition to the R line, the bloodsuckers have been spotted on the A, L, N, Q, and 3,4,5 and 6 lines.

What the MTA is doing now, spokesman Kevin Ortiz says the agency would not change its course. “We continue to follow the same protocol,” Ortiz said. “Once we receive a report of a sighting, the train is taken out of service and inspected. In most cases, the car is then treated, even in cases where no bugs are found.”

The MTA confirmed that it fumigated 16 trains after bedbugs were found on board last month. “Regular fumigation of cars would be a waste of time and resources considering we have not discovered an infestation anywhere in the system, and fumigating would only be as good as the next time a person walks into the system carrying a bug,” Ortiz said.

The MTA does some checks are done visually, but the MTA brings sometimes in a pest control service that uses a bug-detecting dog.

Bed bugs are a thing that shouldn’t be taking likely. If you feel there may be bed bugs, Call an inspector and get it sorted out.

Report cited for blog from Peter Donohue/ New York Daily Times

Bed bug: The Musical review

Cimex and Carly
Bed Bug: The Musical

Good Day True Believers

Good day New York,

The summer air is hitting its last leg. Humidity is here. And while we live in this awesome city, we must not forget how simple it is to contract weird bumps/ bites on our skin in the morning. Before we hit another year of our lives, be mindful of DIY tips to prevent unexpected visitors from your trip back home; your home that you are subletting for the summer, kids coming home from school, and of course, shopping for clothes.

Traveling is one way of coming to contact with bed bugs. It is hard to determine where bed bugs like to live. They could be on the cushions in the doctor’s office, hiding under the seats in the trains, maybe in the people we come into contact on any given day. Hotels are a big concern since bed bugs can live off months without feeding, they will not go away because their current nest is not providing meals consistently. Warm temperatures of about 70-80 Fahrenheit are best for them add humidity to the mix, and it’s paradise.

Homes can be immediate in the lives of bed bugs to flourish; the biggest concern in case of infestation. Their bites are usually in a pattern on a small area on part{s} of the body. Bed bugs commonly reside in cracks in the wallpaper, cracks and crevices associated with the bed frame and mattress. Other sites where bedbugs often reside include curtains, edges of carpet, corners inside dressers and other furniture. and inside the spaces of wicker furniture. Much like mosquitoes, they love to chomp down when you are sleeping. Evidence of this may be blood trails on the sheets, particles of their skin that have been shed on the sheets, the bite itself causes a raised bump.

Clothing can be trickier to determine if they is a bed bug hiding in the seams. It may seem a hassle to drop in the dryer on high heat for forty minutes, but that is what it takes to eliminate possible bed bug bites. There’s no place where bed bugs won’t go: department stores, thrift shops, vintage and high-end stores. Better to be safe than sorry.

Living in New York City is a preferred space for bed bugs; small-enclosed spaces are perfect for them to transfer from place to place, person to person. Remember to do these following steps to ensure you a fighting chance against the bed bug army.

1. Set dryer to the highest setting for forty minutes to burn off any bugs/larva/eggs.
2. Vacuum mattresses; couch cushions, and areas where bites are happening.
3. Avoid infested areas, best way to not get bed bugs—don’t be an easy target. Stay away from areas that may look dirty and damp.
4. Invest in a mattress protector and box spring encasement.

In the event you feel you have bed bugs, call an inspector to verify your claims. No use getting an exterminator for a false alarm.