Tag Archives: bed bug removal

10 Nightmare-ish Facts About Bed Bugs

Bed Bugs / February 18, 2021

Looking for some bed bug facts to keep you up at night? Keep reading.

Canada is known to be a country that gets very, very cold winters in many of its provinces and territories. Naturally, these harsh conditions turn our beds into fortresses of solitude. We bundle ourselves in warm and toasty blankets, shielded from the frigid Fahrenheit plaguing the winter months.

Sadly, we have some bad news for our bed-loving brethren. Winter doesn’t slow bed bugs down. They actually like cozying up in your bed as much as you do, and your one safe space may not be so safe after all.

Here’s what you need to know about the foul beasts who dare to sully our sleep.

Bed Bug Fact #1 – They Are Worthy Of Night Terrors

There’s a reason why your parents told you not to let the bed bugs bite. It wasn’t simply platitude, but a genuine cry of concern. These harbingers of horror love the darkness, and are mostly active during the night time, feeding fruitfully whilst you slumber.

Bed Bug Fact #2 – They Have A Keen Fashion Sense

Bed bugs will happily harbour in your Hilfiger jeans and Helly Hansen jacket. Most bed bug infestations occur after people come back from vacation, having picked up an unwanted passenger in their clothing or in your luggage during their trip. This is how bed bugs are capable of traveling such long distances!

Bed Bug Fact #3 – They Fear Nothing

There’s an ongoing myth that bed bugs are scared of light, but it’s completely unfounded. It’s true that they prefer the dark, but they will still bite when the lights are on. The heat and carbon dioxide emitted from our bodies are far too appetizing for bed bugs to resist.

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Bed Bug Fact #4 – They Feed Off Chaos

One of the best bed bug prevention methods is decluttering. If your house belongs on Hoarders, you are primed for a bed bug infestation. They love using clutter as hiding spots.

So, it’s time to let go of your 25-year-old collection of 2L pop bottles. Come on, you weren’t going to reuse them!

Bed Bug Fact #5 – They Wouldn’t Thrive In The Arctic

While bed bugs can adapt under duress, there’s a limit to their durability. Scientists discovered that adult bed bugs can’t survive below -25°C. Having said that, we still can’t suggest taking your infested mattress on a scenic drive up north on any given January afternoon. We love the creativity though.

Bed Bug Fact #6 – They Wouldn’t Do Well In The Desert Either

Extremely cold temperatures are proven to kill bed bugs, but they also can’t survive on the opposite side of the thermometer.  Bed bugs that are exposed to 48°C or higher will die in a mere 20 minutes.  Don’t pack your bags moving to the hottest parts of the world just yet.  There are easier ways utilizing heat to prevent bed bugs besides setting up a shack in Death Valley.  The use of steam is a tried and proven method to roast away both bed bugs and their eggs.

Bed Bug Fact #7 – They Have A Culinary Curiosity

Bed bugs are low maintenance when it comes to living accommodations, not limiting themselves to your mattress, clothing, or other furniture. They’ll happily inhabit your kitchen appliances as well. Given their preference of heat and darkness, a recently turned-off oven is as luxurious as a stay at the Ritz Carlton.

Bed Bug Fact #8 – They Are (Disgusting) Creatures Of Habit

The feeding patterns of bed bugs are about as predictable as your life has become in lockdown. And their choice to live under our mattress is a mere crime of convenience. These creatures will nest as near to food sources (e.g. humans) as possible, feasting on their blood for up to 10 minutes at a time.

Bed Bug Fact #9 – They Are Dedicated To The Cause

Bed bugs have a passion for feeding, and they’ll slog it out just for one bite if they have to. While their preference is to live under a mattress in the name of limited effort, these menaces will travel up to 30 metres to feed. When your average height is 5-6mm, 30 meters is quite the commute‚ especially in this weather!

Bed Bug Fact #10 – They Have Child-Bearing Hips

Of all the bed bug facts on the list, this might be the most disturbing of them all. A female bed bug lays about 200 to 500 eggs over her lifetime, which results in 1 to 5 new bed bugs a day. If you don’t keep a watch on cracks and crevices where bed bugs and their eggs could hide, you might find yourself sucked dry in the middle of the night!

Think about those stats and then apply it to your hypothetically infested mattress and bed frame. This should be enough motivation keep an eye out for any warning signs of bed bug infestations!

If you’ve had enough of these terrifying bed bug facts, it’s time to call in the experts to take care of the problem.

Your home could be a breeding ground for pests such as bed bugs during the winter months, and you must remain vigilant, keeping an eye out for any warning signs of a bed bug problem. Or you can always hire a professional pest control company, such as Terminix Canada, for expert bed bug detection and extermination

If your home has been overrun by a bed bug infestation, Terminix Canada provides environmentally friendly pest and bed bug removal, control, and prevention services throughout Canada. With over 90 years of experience, our team of pest control experts know best how to efficiently and effectively eliminates bed bug infestations and prevents them from coming back.

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Is A Bed Bug Infestation Getting Harder To Eliminate?

Bed Bugs / February 10, 2021

If you’ve had the unfortunate experience of dealing with a bed bug infestation in your home, you know how difficult those buggers are to eradicate for good.

And according to a study in the Journal of Economic Entomology, the bed bug battle isn’t going to get any easier.

Researchers from Purdue University have learned today’s bed bugs are developing strong resistances to two of the most common insecticides used in pest management.

Bed bugs, who’ve been around since the days of dinosaurs, had already been showing exceptional forbearance to several other insecticides. This includes the regularly used, and usually effective, deltamethrin. The limited success of the chemical is one of the key factors to the rise of bed bug infestations over the past decade, particularly in large metropolitans.

Now, they’re rapidly building immunities to deltamethrin’s next best alternatives, bifenthrin and chlorfenapyr.

The Study On Bed Bug Infestations And Immunity

In 2015, the University of Kentucky conducted a survey which found that 68% of pest management professionals consider bed bugs the most difficult pest to control.

Some think it’s because bed bugs are wily, small and harbor in the dark spaces of your home. However, that’s not what makes a bed bug infestation so difficult to kill. Their insecticide resistances are.

The concerns of their growing immunities aren’t new, says lead author of this new study, Ameya Gondhalekar, research assistant professor at Purdue’s Center for Urban and Industrial Pest Management.

The longer you use any product for the control of a particular pest, the more resistance issues you are going to have, he says.

For Gondhalekar’s study, his Purdue University research team collected 10 unique bed bug populations from across America. These populations came from Indiana, New Jersey, Ohio, Tennessee, Virginia, and Washington, DC. These populations were exposed to different chemicals for a week.

In this study the researchers discovered a reduced susceptibility to bifenthrin in half of the bed bugs groups. As a result, over 25% of the bed bugs survived. Three of the populations displayed reduced susceptibility to chlorfenapyr.

Using Bifenthrin And Chlorfenapyr On Bed Bug Infestations

Similar to deltamethrin, bifenthrin is a pyrethroid (an organic compound common in today’s pest control tactics) that targets a bug’s nervous system. Chlorfenapyr is more sci-fi, attacking the mitochondria of cells. The latter is regularly employed by pest control professionals and exterminators. The former is an over-the-counter product that comes in sprays, granules, and aerosols.

Gondhalekar does note that these two chemicals still have relative effectiveness in combatting some bed bug populations. In order to keep these chemicals useful and not allow bed bugs to gain immunity, we must use these insecticides sparingly.

Pairing bifenthrin or chlorfenapyr with non-chemical pest control techniques, for example, will keep the powerful insecticides relevant for years. They can be coupled with heat, steam, or silica gels, for example.

Utilizing pesticides for pest management, however, is easy and cheap. And it’s that accessibility that’s created overuse of chemicals like bifenthrin and chlorfenapyr. This is what has allowed beg bug generations to slowly become impervious to them.

People from academia have been promoting the use of integrative approaches for years, but the cost of non-chemical methods can be prohibitive, Gondhalekar explained.

Additionally, there is a ton of research that proves using integrated control measures along with insecticides effectively controls bed bug infestations. These additional measures are vacuuming, steam or heat, mattress encasements, traps and desiccant dusts.

The Problem With Bed Bug Infestations

While these household pests aren’t dangerous or life-threatening, they are annoying. Their bites can cause itching, allergic reactions, and restless nights. Large bed bug infestations are extremely difficult to fully eradicate. This often leads to additional expenses, stress and social isolation.

Perhaps the best form of pest control against the little bloodsuckers is prevention. There are many things you can do to help keep your home a bed bug-free space. Such things include vacuuming often, springing for an insect-proof mattress casing and being cautious with your luggage when travelling.

If you’re frequently monitoring for bed bugs, then you won’t have the issue of them multiplying into large numbers, Gondhalekar says. It’s much easier to manage the problem early, when it’s just 5 or 10 bed bugs, rather than hundreds.

Are you currently losing the battle on your home turf?

Wondering the best way to get rid of a bed bug infestation? Terminix Canada can help. We utilizes the best bed bug heat treatments to effectively control & exterminate bed bug populations of any size and severity. It’s the superior solution to getting rid of bed bugs. We use safe, non-toxic products to penetrate wall cavities, mattresses, and other hard to reach places.

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The Best Way To Get Rid Of Household Pests – 4 Common Household Pests To Fend Off This Winter

Bed Bugs / January 15, 2021

When the temperature drops below zero and the earth is veiled in white, we can all agree that nothing quite beats the feeling of basking in the warmth of your sanctuary. Unfortunately, we’re probably not the only ones who feel that way. It just so happens that your sanctuary also happens to be a sanctuary for household pests.

Prepare yourself for uninvited guests, because wintertime isn’t a pest-free time. If you thought the cold would send the pests away to some distant land far beyond your home, like say, Mexico, think again. They don’t just fly south during the winter, nor do they all just drop dead and magically re-appear again during the summer. Pests need shelter too, you know! And your home probably looks awfully inviting when everywhere else looks and feels cold and unappealing.

Here are some of the common pests that could be eyeing up your home in the cold months, followed by the best ways to prevent rodents and insects from invading.

Household Pest #1: House Mice

House mice absolutely love moving into your humble abode during the winter. These household pests tend to nest in dark, secluded areas of your residence, such as your attic or your basement. The warmth, shelter from the snow, and abundance of food your home provides makes it their number one getaway spot for the cold season.

House mice may be cute and tiny, but they can deliver some serious property damage. They’re capable of chewing through drywall and wires with ease. They’re also potential carriers of several diseases like Salmonella and tape worms, so you probably don’t want to be sharing your space and food with these pipsqueaks.

Keep an eye out for tiny droppings, gnaw marks, and rummaged food. Also, try to seal any cracks and openings on the outside of your home with caulk or steel wool.

And while this may be easier said than done, do your best to keep your basement and attic clutter-free! Playing hide n’ seek with these annoying little rodents is no way to spend your cozy time indoors!

Household Pest #2: Cockroaches

Come on now, let’s be honest – did you really think a bit of snow would stop these creepy crawlies from scuttling into your home? We mean, they HAVE existed for approximately 350 million years, fending off the worst that Mother Nature (and humans) could throw at them! These household pests have survived the Ice Age, and all kinds of other catastrophic disasters. In essence, they’re one of the most common pests found throughout the world, and there’s very little that can shake them away.

Cockroaches can squirm through the smallest openings and crawl through impossibly tiny gaps around doors and windows. Being the wily hitch-hikers that they are, cockroaches will most likely be entering your sanctuary by latching onto second-hand items and groceries you bring in from outside. And since they love small areas that are within an antenna-reach of food and moisture, once they’ve settled in, they’re in it for the long haul.

Pay close attention to activities around your kitchen and bathroom, because that’s likely where they’ll be. Keep your counters and floors clean, and free of food scraps – especially under your sinks and appliances!

Household Pest #3: Bed Bugs

Speaking of hitch-hikers…

During the winter months, it’s common for people to travel around more often. This especially holds true in Canada, where winters can be quite cold and unbearable for many.

Unfortunately, that means bed bugs will be cashing in on those frequent flyer miles as well. They’re world-class hitch-hikers that spread by latching onto clothing, luggage, purses, and people.

Check under the sheets and mattresses for bed bugs and dark blood spots. And when you get back from a trip, make sure you clean your clothes and luggage very thoroughly. Before you even bring them into the house, clean and sanitize your luggage and belongings in the garage, otherwise you just might wake up to some unwanted guests in your bed.

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Household Pest #4: Box Elder Bugs

These overwintering pests probably won’t find your home to be an ideal living environment. But even so, it’s a thousand times better than being outside in the freezing cold where they’d turn into popsicles!

Box elder bugs tend to gather on exterior walls of dwellings, attics, or wall voids during the fall, where they’ll congregate and multiply their numbers. And once winter comes, the warm and cozy atmosphere of your home makes it hard for them to resist scuttling into your living space. That’s why the winter season’s the prime infestation time for these annoying pests!

In order to prevent them from breaching your fortress of solitude, try to seal any exterior cracks and crevices. Look out for any nearby box elder or maple trees, which they tend to reside in. And try to keep tree branches trimmed so that they don’t touch or come near the structure of your home.

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The Best Pest Control Comes From The Experts

Once you spot any of these household pests within your humble abode, don’t rely on do-it-yourself sprays and traps to get rid of them. While you may be able to get rid of a large number of them using Band-Aid solutions, there’s a strong chance they’ll return in droves if proper, precautionary measures aren’t taken to keep them out for good.

Your best bet is getting the professionals involved for a truly permanent and effective extermination!

Terminix Canada has provided superior pest management services all over Canada for over 90 years. If you’re having an issue with these winter household pests, or any other pest control problems, we specialize in fast and environmentally-friendly pest control services. For more information regarding our pest management and control services, or how to prevent bed bugs, get in touch today!

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