How do I prepare for a bedbug treatment?

Here are some of the basic preparations needed prior to Bed Bug treatments with insecticides, so the technician can safely and effectively exterminate the bedbugs.

Preparing your home for bedbug treatments will vary from company to company. Some will ask you to turn your entire hosehold upside down and discard all bed bug infested items.

This is not always necessary. The amount of preparation should be determined by the pest control technician upon inspection of the premises and discussion of the present situation with the occupants.

Obviously the more severe the bed bug infestation is, will determine a more serious preparation procedure. Bed Bugs are serious invaders and need to be taken seriously.

Half a bed bug preparation just will not do it for you. That’s expecting to get 100% results from 50% effort, it just doesn’t work. The bedbugs will defeat you if you don’t go all out against them.

Of all the jobs I have been out on, here is the minimum treatment preparations I would ask for. And most of my work takes place in Richmond, Delta and Surrey, BC. (Canada)

Treatment Preparations For The Bed Bug Program

1. Clean and vacuum your suite before treatment. Good housekeeping and sanitation is important to the success of this program. Reports are written up and deficiencies will be noted.

2. Pull furniture, beds, area rugs, appliances and wiring at least 6 inches from walls. Pick up clothes or toys, etc. from the 6-inch space along all walls.

3. Remove any items being stored under the beds, do not place items on beds. Bedbugs love to get into your personal belongings under beds.

4. Empty bedroom dressers, night tables, and closet bottoms. Bag the bed linen and clothes and launder properly on treatment day. If your clothes are already clean, then just running them through the hot dryer cycle will bring them up to temperature to kill bedbugs or eggs.

5. Remove coverings from furniture and beds. Wood bed or waterbed frames may need to be dismantled for treatment, and some mattresses or furniture may have to be discarded. Bedbugs love wooden frame beds because of the many joints, screw holes and slats to hide in. It can double or triple the treatment points necessary to eliminate the infestation.

6. Disconnect filtration units on fish tanks, and cover them. Restart on return.

7. Health Regulations state that occupants and pets must be out before treatment starts. Please be prepared and ready to leave when our technician arrives, he will not wait for you to complete preparations for treatment. The company will expect you to stick to the schedule or additional charges may be incurred.

8. Evacuation for 6 hours is fine for most people and pets.

9. Evacuation for 12 hours is required for pregnant women, infants under 1 year of age, and for people suffering from respiratory ailments. I would advise you check with your doctor if these conditions describe you.

10. Upon returning, open doors and windows and allow ventilation for fresh air. Put fresh linens over mattresses and covers on furniture before using them. Address any recommendations or concerns that the technician may have discussed with you prior to the bed bug treatment.

** Conflicting Programs — Do Not use store bought spray insecticides which may interfere with your program once the technician has completed the initial bed bug treatment, unless recommended by the technician.

There will need to be two treatments or more to exterminate the bed bug infestation because of hidden eggs and/or inaccessible stages. Eggs usually hatch out within 5-12 days and inaccessible insects will need to feed during the two weeks in between treatments.

Yes, I know that bed bugs can survive without eating for months, some say 18 months, but as long as someone is staying and sleeping in the home, they will still move around and try to feed, and then contact the residual insecticide applied.

Bedbugs will not go dormant as long as conditions exist for them to thrive. It is when the occupant leaves the home and wants to stay somewhere else during the treatment period is where we run into problems with bedbugs remaining in hiding.

After two weeks, another treatment will be applied and a monitoring period will be discussed to determine if another treatment is necessary to complete the program.

** Laws And Legislation — Since legislation is different in every area, I suggest that you always seek out local guidelines and laws governing the area you live in before purchasing pest control services or using any pesticides.
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To Real Estate Companies and Property Managers: If you own or manage multi unit residential properties in Richmond, Delta, or Surrey, BC – feel free to call or email me for quotations on pest control services in your neighborhood. If you have a Bedbug problem, Call me.

Al Smith – 604-723-9722
alsmith@metro-pest-control.com

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