Category Archives: Bed Bugs Quebec

Updated 8/23/2016

Want to kill bed bugs on your own, or supplement your pest control firms work?

Steam works well.

This FAQ explains how a steamer can be a useful and cost-effective tool in helping you get rid of bed bugs in your home.

Steam can be used to kill bed bugs on contact. Many professionals use it, often before applying residual pesticides and dusts, and sometimes in lieu of pesticides (where necessary). You can also use a steamer yourself, but we recommend doing your research. This FAQ provides information, links to further information, and examples of steamers and other tools.

WARNING:

Essential information on technique for killing bed bugs with steam can be found in the following articles:

Overview of advice culled from professional articles and forum discussions on killing bed bugs with a steamer:

As with all equipment, the steamer must be properly maintained and the operating temperatures should be regularly checked with the aid of an infrared thermometer. Immediately after steam treatment the surface should be recording at least a temperature of 70 to 80 degrees C (=158 to 176 degrees F)

Key things to look for in a steamer:

The most economical dry vapor steam cleaner we know of is in the $300 price range: Vapamore MR-100 Dry Vapor Steamer from USBedbugs. A number of Forum users have reported positively on the Vapamore MR-100, and the specifications look good. As a bonus, US Bed Bugs sells it for under $300 with free shipping. Mangycur used the Vapamore for several years, and had some frustrating experiences detailed here.

You can also get the Vapamore MR-100 Primo Steam Cleaning System with Lifetime Warranty from Amazon.comif you prefer.

If youre able to go up to the next price range, KillerQueen recommends the Vapor Clean Pro5 (formerly TR5)for consumers and uses aPro6 himself (formerly TR6 see this post). The main difference between the two is that the TR6 (designed for heavy duty use) offers continuous fill. The Vapamore Pro5 or TR5, selling forabout$599 as of April 2014, is about $200-300 less than the Pro6/ TR6, and will steam continuously for 1.5-2 hours. You can view Vapor Clean TR Pro5 and Pro6 Steamers at USBedBugs.com or Bed Bug Supply.

Bedbugger experts Franco Casini in Italy and David Cain in the UK have long used and praised the Cimex Eradicator, a Polti steamer designed to kill bed bugs. Its extremely hot and efficient at doing so. It became available in the US as of 3/2015, and is state of the art, if pricy ($1495 as of this update). Heres a video of Franco demonstrating the Polti Cimex Eradicator.

Bed Bug Supply writes,

With a maximum tip temperature of 356 degrees Fahrenheit, this is easily the hottest steamer we have ever tested. There is also significantly less water vapor emitted by the Eradicator than by any other steamer weve seen, which means more heat penetration ability and less cleanup after the job is done.

This is the hottest tip temperature were aware of at this price point or lower, and that makes for more efficient and thorough bed bug killing. Although it doesnt have continuous fill like some other models do, the 2L capacity means you can steam for up to two hours without stopping.

The Cimex Eradicator may see some stiff competition from another Italian steamer newly available in North America: the Armato 9000 Commercial Bed Bug Steamer, which offers a tip temperature of 284F, 90-PSI steam pressure capability, a tank capacity of 1.1 gallons, and continuous fill which means you can keep working and topping up the water. This steamer retails for just under $1000 from Bed Bug Supply.

Other user recommendations:

S mentioned using the WhiteWing Steamer in this thread; needtosleep also used it. The WhiteWing is not widely available now. The LadyBug TANCS has also been used with success by some forum users, including Collette, and you can find itat BedbugSupply.com. (Though for that price, you probably want to go for the Cimex Eradicator, which wasnt available in 2008.)

One pro recommended Amerivap steamers (specifically the Amerivap Steamax, which is available from Do My Own Pest Control for about $900.

Readers often ask about dry vapor steamer rentals. In the past, the firm Simplex in Qubec rented the Polti VAP 2000, a dry vapor steamer, for $46 CAN per weekend the link to this offer no longer works and has been deleted, but readers inQubec may wish to try calling the company.wchicago reports that Clark-Devon Hardware in Chicago rents out the White Wing Steamer.

Wed welcome tips on other sources of professional dry vapor steamer rentals worldwide.

Mangycur used an AO R95 paint / pesticide respirator mask from her hardware store.These are some similar Paint/Pesticide respirators from Amazon.com:

Collette, a reader, shared her success story about using steam to kill bed bugs in her home. You can read it here.

Many thanks to Mangycur who wrote most of this FAQ, providing the helpful and succinct overview, suggestions about shopping for a steamer, and information about respirator use above.

Thanks also to everyone else who contributed information to this FAQ, including hopelessnomo, needtosleep, bugbasher, pleasehelp, Winston O. Buggy, Lieutenantdan, and S.

Please add additional links, suggestions, corrections in the comments below.

Heres a video from Bed Bug Centrals Jeff White on using steam to kill bed bugs:

And heres a second video from Jeff White, about how to determine if your steamer is effective in killing bed bugs:

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How to kill bed bugs using steam (FAQs) - Bedbugger.com

Are There Bed Bugs in Quebec City?

Visitors from all over the world travel to Quebec City to experience its old-world charm and historical roots. Unfortunately, bed bugs also make frequent appearances in the provinces capital. About 6 mm in length and ranging in colour from brown to red, these pests are hard to keep away. While they are wingless and unable to jump, bed bugs often hitchhike into homes and businesses by clinging onto luggage, used furniture, and second-hand clothing.

One bed bug is enough to disgust most people, but it is unlikely to find these pests living alone. Since they breed prolifically, bed bugs can be difficult to control. They often hide in large numbers around bedrooms, waiting until nighttime to feed on human blood. Their meals only take minutes, but the bite marks left behind may be red and itchy for days. Though reactions vary, bed bugs are not known to transmit any diseases. Anxiety and insomnia are some of the most common conditions to result from infestations.

Bed bugs in Quebec City can infest any home or business, regardless of how clean it is. However, homeowners can take some steps to prevent them from spreading. Carefully inspect all used items before bringing them indoors. If bed bugs are already inside, vacuuming around baseboards and trim can help remove the pests. Though these measures may help, they are not enough to avoid or eliminate the problem. When the pests become apparent, contact the licensed professionals at Orkin Canada, who are trained to manage all bed bug issues.

Go here to see the original:
Quebec City Bed Bug Issues: Bed Bugs in Quebec City, QC

Because of the maddening effects of bed bugs, homeowners are often tempted to try removing bed bugs on their own. Not only can this lead to frustration, but incorrect use of insecticides can pose health risks and may also help bed bugs develop a resistance to the insecticides used.

While waiting for a professional treatment, residents can try DIY bed bug control. None of these methods alone will solve a bed bug problem completely, but they can provide some short-term relief.

There are some DIY bed bug control products available over-the-counter. These may contain or lessen the severity of an infestation, but they are most effective when used along with a professional treatment plan.

BarriersEncasements work by completely enclosing mattresses to keep bed bugs out, while bed leg protectors keep pests on the floor from climbing onto beds. Without a professional whole-home treatment, either product may simply drive the insects into other areas of the house.

ChemicalsThere are many insecticide products that are available over the counter and registered with the Federal government for domestic use. They can be used for DIY bed bug control. Those who decide to use such insecticides should always follow the label directions exactly. Improper use can harm the environment, the user, and others in the building. Violation of the label or misuse of the product is an offence punishable under the Federal Pest Control Products Act.

There is no substitute for professional pest management. Choose the licensed experts at Orkin Canada for the safest and most effective solutions to bed bug problems.

Visit link:
Home Remedies for Bed Bugs: Learn About DIY Treatments

Bedbugs in apartments are a problem that is more and more frequent in Montreal. Anyone can have them, even without knowing! When a bedbug problem emerges, both landlords and tenants have obligations.

Bed bugs are brownish insects that can be seen with the naked eye since they are about 4 millimetres long. They are active and visible mostly at night, usually along the seams of mattresses. They feed on sleepers blood and so are generally found in bedrooms. During the day, bed bugs stay in dark, dry places such as cracks in walls, curtains, clothing, behind peeling wallpaper, baseboards or pictures, etc. However, when the infestation is large, they can be found elsewhere (dishes, cupboards, toys, etc.).

Bed bugs dont jump or fly. They crawl at about the speed of ants. They usually are transported on fabrics, furniture and suitcases.

They are sensitive to extreme temperatures. They feed on human blood but can go without food for over a year, given the right temperature.

Bed bugs presence is detected by direct observation (on a person or mattress) or indirect observation (blood, excrement, bites). Bites itch, often seen in groups of three; they are red bumps with a tiny red point at the centre. The excrement is easy to see: black speckles on mattress or sofa seams. Their dead skin is often found on the bed during the moulting season, along with small bloodstains from the bites.

Bed bugs dont transmit diseases and their presence does not have to be reported to the public health authorities. Their bites are usually harmless, although in serious cases they can cause skin problems and allergic reactions. The collateral damage, however, can be considerable: embarrassment, guilt, sleep loss, isolation.

It is advisable for tenants to quickly notify their landlord or the municipal housing bureau for the latter to arrange and pay for an exterminator to come to the dwelling as soon as possible and see to it that the bed bugs are eliminated. Landlords cannot criticize tenants for having bed bugs, but tenants can be reproached for not having informed them of the situation. In most cases the rental board will order the landlord to pay the extermination costs.

Important: Dont try to solve the problem without an exterminator

Most insecticides are ineffective and will just drive the bed bugs into other dwellings. They will also excite the bugs and hasten their reproduction, thereby causing the infestation to propagate faster.

Source: Clinique communautaire de Pointe-Saint-Charles

What you need to know about bedbugs

Recently, bedbugs have made a comeback in Montral, like in most large cities on the planet.

Where do they live?

Bedbugs live mostly in bedrooms, where they feed on the blood of people who are sleeping.Bedbugs avoid light and hide mostly in the following places:

A crack wide enough to fit the edge of a credit card can harbour bedbugs.

Bedbugs can take up residence in rich or poor, clean or dirty homes.

Unlike lice or other parasites, bedbugs don't live on humans.

How do bedbugs move around?

Bedbugs are often transported from place to place in objects in which they are hiding. Bedbugs can use bags, backpacks, clothing, mattresses, furniture, bedding, laptop computers or even wheelchairs as means of transportation.

What are the health effects of bedbugs?

Bedbugs do not transmit diseases to humans.

Bites on the skin are the first clue that there are bedbugs in your home. Bedbugs bite especially the arms but all body parts exposed during the night are likely to get bitten.

Bedbug bites or lesions look like mosquito bites. They usually disappear within a few days. The bites can be very itchy. Scratching the bites can result in skin infections.

The main health problems caused by bedbugs are

Notify the building owner or manager

An occupant must inform the owner or person in charge of pest control as soon as possible that there are bedbugs in the apartment.

Act quickly

Building owners or administrators are responsible for contacting qualified pest controllers (exterminator having a government-issued license) to find solutions to the problem.

Use effective control methods that are not harmful to health

Several control methods should be considered, not only the use of insecticides. Pest controllers should only use insecticides that have been approved for use against bedbugs. To limit health impacts on occupants, the use of insecticides should be kept to the minimum required. Treatments must be repeated until bedbugs have completely disappeared.

Cooperate

Without the cooperation of all parties concerned (occupants, building owners or administrators, and qualified pest controllers), it is difficult to effectively eliminate bedbugs in an apartment or building.

Source: Ville de Montral, Agence de la sant et des Services Sociaux de Montral.

The rest is here:
What we need to know about bed bugs | ccpsc.qc.ca

Photos Jean-Franois Desgagns Children in shared custody, residences of elderly, restaurants, cinemas, banks, airline or transport, the conditions of spread of the bed bug are endless, according to experts. This is why, at Abat Extermination, we offer the tents of the thermal to deal with the luggage and killing any bed bugs caught during a stay abroad. On the photo, Samuel Genest, DG chez Abat Extermination, is working on a suitcase.

Elisa Cloutier

Wednesday, August 9, 2017 00:00

UPDATE Wednesday, August 9, 2017 00:00

Look at this article

The growing popularity of rented apartments on sites like Airbnb exploded with the proliferation of bed bugs, so much so that some holiday makers do take not only photos and souvenirs of their stay

According to information collected by The Log, the exterminateurs of the region are at work in nearly 300 apartments, condos or homes, mostly located in Old Quebec, popular area with tourists. It is also the most important period of the year for the companies of annihilation, struggling with the after-move and the massive arrival of the tourists come from the four corners of the globe, which trimbalent sometimes these unwanted in their suitcases.

Often, on AirBnb, people can stay longer in a hotel, and it is even worse, said Samuel Genest, general manager at Abat Extermination, indicating that individuals who rent their home do not necessarily have the same cleaning steps as the hotel and do not use the same cleaning products.

Rising from the 400th

Bed bugs do not make any discrimination. Thus, the cleanliness and the price of the places may not be good indicators for these little beasts that feed exclusively on human blood. We often find in large hotels, they are conveyed a lot by international tourism, said his side Jean-Philippe Tremblay, director at Maheu & Maheu.

A problem that is far improve to Quebec for a few years, according to the different companies of extermination. Since the 400th [anniversary of the city of Qubec], we have seen a huge increase, says the expert, who recommends that travellers to inspect the premises thoroughly, especially the beds, before undoing the suitcases. It is necessary to look at the seams, the head of the bed, the couches. Often it is their droppings that are found in the first. These are small black spots that do not fade in the wash, says-t it.

After the move

The weeks following the period of residential moves also provide the trouble exterminateurs, while some have dragged the insects with them, while others are installed in a home infested. We have at least 40 % more cases of bed bugs than the rest of the year, said for his part Jean-Franois Moreau, exterminator at the Extermination More. It takes a few weeks and even times of up to three months before people realize they have bed bugs , he adds.

The infestation of bed bugs can quickly become exponential. And the reputation of these small critters that can sometimes be detrimental to the work of exterminateurs. If, for example, we have a housing infested in a building with 16 apartments, it can quickly become a 16 problem. But we cant always go and check the other houses, because the owners do not want this to be known, for fear of losing their tenants, says Mr. Genest.

Critters that bite

Photo Jean-Franois Desgagns

The bed bug bite often on the fore-arm, near the armpit, or in the lower back. They are looking for the heat and where the skin is a little thinner. For example, if one sleeps with the arms under the pillow case, they run the risk of poking the arm, says the exterminator of Abat Extermination, indicating that the bites are often grouped together and straight line .

How to avoid them

Made to order. The bugs will be more easily spotted.

Vacuum often, including under the beds and behind the head of the bed.

Install a protective cover antipunaise on the mattress/box spring, available in several companies of extermination.

Wash at 65 C minimum sheets, pillows, clothing that may have come in contact with bed bugs.

Bed bugs die at -20 C (for four consecutive days) and to over 65 C. In the winter, leave your suitcase outside for a few days, during cold weather, before undoing it.

Install traps bed bugs. Some are very subtle and hide now in power strips electric.

Rapid Reproduction

Bed bugs reproduce at a high speed :

The bed bug (below) can lay between 200 and 500 eggs during its 10 to 12 months of life.

In 6 months, a bed bug can produce 30 000 other.

In 9 months, we spent hundreds of thousands. A male may mate with one or more females, and this several times per day.

Continue reading here:
Bed bugs that proliferate - The Sherbrooke Times