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Category: Bed bugs

Bed Bug Treatment – Charleston, SC

Posted on by john

[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]Bed bugs are one of the most dreaded infestations, and one of the most difficult to remove. Professional treatment is often the only way to completely eradicate the problem and to prevent a recurrence. There are steps you can take to protect your home from bed bug infestation, and to get rid of the parasitic little pests if they do invade your space. Additionally, Exclusive Pest Control is the premiere pest control company in Charleston, SC and can provide you with top notch bed bug treatment.

Bed Bugs: What You Should Know

Bed bugs take just over a month to fully mature. Adults can survive between seven and twelve months. They use the body heat and carbon dioxide in exhaled breath to find their evening meals- sleeping humans, and will inflict a painless bite in order to feed for about 10 minutes at a time on blood. Once a bed bug bites, it can go days or weeks without another meal, making it difficult to detect an infestation until it’s well established with a large number of bugs. Since they can go so long between meals, bed bugs can easily “hitchhike” in the cracks and crevices of luggage, furniture, and other human belongings. This is why it is important to not wait on getting bed bug treatment!

When To Get Bed Bug Treatment

The most annoying and obvious sign of a bed bug infestation is the multitude of bites. The bites may be raised and reddish, and resemble a flea or mosquito bite. Multiple bites in a straight line, a localized rash, or a burning, itching sensation at the site of the bites are  bed bug giveaways. If you suspect an infestation, inspect your bedding and mattress for shed exoskeletons, small spots of fresh blood, and excrement which will resemble dried flecks of blood. Adult bugs may be found hiding in the cracks of a bed frame, or in the seams of the mattress. If you find physical bed bugs it is definitely time to call in the professionals for bed bug treatment!

Avoid Picking up Hitchhikers

When traveling, check reviews and avoid places with reported infestations. When you arrive at a hotel, check the mattress seams, and headboard and bed frame for any signs of infestation. Store your luggage above the floor, and hang your clothes rather than using drawers.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row]

Bed Bugs Go To College

Posted on by john

The day finally came! Your family has waited patiently, yet excitedly for eighteen years. It is the day you move your precious child into their dorm. It was so exciting to decorate the dorm, meet the suite mates, get class schedules, go through Rush…only to have the thrill overshadowed by the fear of those pesky bed bugs! Can you avoid them? How do you avoid them? What do you do if you get them? No, you don’t drop out of school or set the dorm on fire. There are preventative measures you can take to keep them from sucking the fun out of your college experience!

We now know that bedbugs do not discriminate among race, gender, or socio-economic levels. The only requirement is a host. College dorms have become a great place for bedbugs to live and spread quickly. Students in dorms live in close proximity to each other, provide a lot of clutter, and have a transient population giving bedbugs the perfect breeding grounds! Recently universities have had some of the highest percentages of bedbug reports in the nation.

So, what do you do?

  • Assess your environment– Look for bedbugs or signs of bedbugs on the mattress
  • Keep it clean– Bedbugs love a cluttered, warm environment. This will allow them to remain incognito and continue to reproduce for weeks before you notice them
  • Hot water laundry– Bedbugs cannot survive heat. Wash and dry your laundry in hot temperatures
  • If it’s free, let it be! – While you may be the poor, starving college kid, Refrain from picking up used furniture off of the street, be wary of second hand stores, and yard sales too. They are a great place to pick up the unwanted creatures!
  • Come bearing gifts– Encase your mattress in a bedbug mattress encasement. Bring your suitemates one as well. You may be glad did!

http://www.pestnet.com/bed-bugs/bed-bugs-on-campus/

I’ve Got Bed Bugs, Heat Treatment Vs Chemical

Posted on by john

So you just discovered you have bed bugs. After the emotional meltdown you just had, what do you do now? You have combed the internet, read EVERY SINGLE ARTICLE. But really, what do you do? You have options, so what is right for your family- heat treatment or chemical treatment?

First, call John at Exclusive Pest Control. He is going to come out and do an initial bed bug inspection. You may feel like you have a TOTAL infestation, when you may only have them in one room.

Next, you have to decide if you prefer chemical or heat treatment. So chemical vs. heat…

Chemicals

  • Linked to at least 81 poisonings
  • Chemicals known to cause nerve damage, skin irritation, endocrine disorders, cancer, and more
  • Over the past 10 years bed bugs have become 1000 times more resistant to chemicals
  • 98% of chemicals are contaminating the environment and untargeted species
  • Chemical treatment is less effective

Heat Treatment

  • Bed bugs can’t survive temperatures above 120 degrees
  • Heat treatment utilizes heaters and fans. Not chemicals and toxins with lasting residue
  • Requires 1 initial visit and 2 follow ups
  • All stages of bed bug life will die once the space reaches 120 degrees

Still confused? Call John at Exclusive Pest Control. He will help you determine which method best suits you and your family.

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