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Tag: Bedbug

When is it Time to Call a Professional Exterminator?

Posted on by john

Dealing with ridding your home of a pesky spider or cockroach in your home is normal. Handling a small infestation on occasion is simple with retail remedies such as sprays and traps. However, what if you begin to notice an increase in roach sightings or notice small rashes or itchiness during the night as you sleep? When is it time to consider the aid of a professional exterminator? Here are three signs that it may be time to consider getting the help of a professional to protect your home from pests.

The Elderly, Children or Pets are Present in Your Home

Many do-it-yourself remedies and retail treatments for pests such as roaches can pose a danger to family pets, children and the elderly. Small children that crawl on carpeting and floors and pets that are constantly curious about smells are more prone to being exposed to dangerous chemicals. Elderly members of your family with lower immune systems may experience respiratory issues when certain pest control remedies are used in the home or not applied properly. In this case, the use of a professional roach exterminator is highly recommended.

You Notice Pests Other Than Roaches, Ants or Spiders

If you begin to notice small tears in shelved food products or droppings on the floor, this may be a sign of a rodent infestation. The general rule thumb where there is one, there are many, as these creatures can propagate in your home. This often leads to an uncontrollable infestation and exposure to disease and germs they commonly carry.

You Suspect Bed Bugs 

Bed bugs are typically brought into a home undetected via a person’s clothing, luggage exposed to infested areas, or used items such as a sofa or comforter. Bed bugs commonly hide in tiny spaces such as the ribbing on a mattress or a headboard and crawl on floors, walls, and even ceilings. While these bugs are not known to carry disease, they are known to bite the skin of a human typically at night when a person is sleeping. The most common symptom of a bed bug bite is excessive itching and red marks on the skin reminiscent of flea bites. When this occurs, a professional bed bug exterminator is needed.

Why Choose Us? 

The professionals at Exclusive Pest Control are highly trained to assess your home and create a pest control maintenance plan that can be scheduled to suit your needs. Contact us today for an appointment!

Signs of Bed Bugs While Traveling

Posted on by john

It’s every traveler’s nightmare; discovering that the hotel or inn you’re staying in is infested with bed bugs. These stubborn little creatures can hitch a ride in luggage or in clothing and return to infest your home, a very unwelcome souvenir from your trip. Fortunately, there are a few precautions you can take to avoid bringing home insect hitchhikers.

Store Luggage Carefully

When you arrive, store your luggage in the bathroom adjacent to your room. Bed bugs are extremely unlikely to travel across the cold tile floors, preferring to take refuge in the warm crevices and seams of the bed and along trim and in other small cracks. By isolating your luggage, you reduce the risk of picking up bed bugs if they are present. Once you’re positive the room is not infested, keep your luggage on top of the dresser or on another raised surface to minimize your risk of picking up any potential hitchhikers.

Check the Bedding

Once your luggage is safely stashed, examine the bedding closely for any signs of bed bugs. Check the seams of the mattress and underneath. Look particularly for small brownish or blackish spots on the sheets and mattress that resemble flecks of black pepper. Bed bugs exude waste in the form of dried blood after eating, and tend to leave tell-tale spots behind. The bed bugs themselves are about the size and shape of an apple seed. You may find a few adults or exoskeletons in the seams of the mattress. If you find signs of bed bugs, notify the staff immediately, and consider finding another place to stay for the night.

Post-Vacation

Once you get home, as a precaution, wash all your clothing in hot water and run it through the dryer. If you did happen to pick up any bugs, they can’t survive at temperatures above 122 degrees Fahrenheit. Clothes that are too delicate to be washed in hot water should be sent to the cleaners. Enjoy your vacation, bug-free. If you suspect you’ve brought bed bugs home from vacation, contact Exclusive Pest to keep the infestation from taking hold.

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/

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