Bedbugs-Back From the Dead

It was only a brief ten years ago when the calls started coming in. It wasn't the normal ants or roaches, it wasn't termites or fleas, we haven't had those kinds of calls in forever. It was strange. What people were describing almost sounded like the bugs the old timers used to joke about. The bugs that were on the verge of taking over the country before the introductions of that super substance DDT.

It couldn't be though. Bedbugs? These bugs have been extinct since the 50's. Were they mistaken? Time would tell. Time would tell the story of how in a few short years, these bugs would become one of the most feared bugs the United States of America has faced in a long time, and one of the most loved bugs in the eyes of pest control companies country wide.

Today, one out of five Americans has been affected by bed bugs or knows someone who has. They can be in every nook and cranny of every movie theater, plane, train, or bus across the country,  five star hotels, cruise ships, hospitals, and any place in between The bed bugs do not discriminate. they are virtually unstoppable. The can not be treated by you or me. At the very best, you will need a professional, and you better hope he or she is trained and well versed in the elimination or the bed bug.

Why are bed bugs so hard to get rid of? One reason is due to the fact that they have built an immunity or resistance to the insecticides used to treat them. Another reason is the fact that they are prolific multipliers. They reproduce like crazy. In the matter of six months untreated you can expect tens of thousand of these buggers living in your home and feeding on your blood. The last reason I will touch on is the fact that they spread easily and hide like nothing you've ever seen. They are hitch hikers. You can sit on a bus in a seat where someone who is battling bed bugs have sat, a bug has fallen off of that person, and has latched onto your cloths. This bug was gravid or pregnant. Guess what. Now ya got them.

So now what? I have bed bugs. What do I do? Good questions and no easy way to answer them. First thing to do is hire a professional and do exactly what they ask you to do. They are going to show up at your door with a list of preparations that would make Santa's eyes bleed. Read it and do it. Next is decide how you want to approach the problem. This will be determined by what you can afford. You can fumigate if you are rich and you can have the bug guy spray if you are not so rich. If they fumigate you will have total elimination overnight, if they spray get ready for a battle. It will take a long time to get rid of them, and I say that statement with hesitation, because don't forget, they have a high resistance level to the sprays.

Another option is to heat. Heat treatments are in the middle when it comes to cost. The costs range from $1,600 dollars on up to $6,000 dollars or more. You get a decent knock down and I dare say elimination when using heat. Heating will still come with a healthy prep list and it must be followed.

So to sum it all out, bed bugs are in fact back from the dead, they are hear to stay, and it will only get worse, much worse, before it gets any better. Yes...we are going to need a bigger boat.