Category Archives: Bed Bugs Alabama

Are you concerned that your property may be infested with bed bugs?

If you've discovered small crawling insects in your property or insect bites on your body, it is important to not immediately assume you are faced with a bed bug infestation. There are various insects that bed bugs are often confused with and many insect species are known to bite humans.

While we encourage property owners to contact Rentokil straightaway at the first sign of concern, there are a few common sense steps you can take to help determine if you have bed bugs.

Bites are one of the most common bed bug infestation signs that property owners will notice. Bed bug bites will often go unnoticed as the parasitic insects inject chemicals into their host while feeding so that the host does not feel the bite.

Bed bug bites often appear as red marks that can either be raised or flat and in a line unlike mosquito bites which often appear randomly.

However, bed bug bites are not a clear indicator of a bed bug infestation by themselves. Bed bug bites cannot be 100% distinguished from other types of insect bites.

Check areas on your body near blood vessels, including arms, legs, torso, neck, face, neck and hands.

People's sensitivity to insect bites can vary with some individuals developing itchy welts.

It is impossible to identify a bed bug infestation solely by bites. Looking for other signs of bed bugs along with identifying any bites will help you to confirm the presence of bed bugs.

The best way to confirm if you have bed bugs is finding live or dead bed bugs on your property. However, accurately identifying bed bugs versus other types of insects can prove difficult without professional training.

Bed bugs are roughly the size of an apple seed making them hard to spot. Featuring a flattened, oval body and a reddish-brown color, bed bugs are 5 mm in length and have no wings.

The nocturnal creatures are rarely active during the day which is why it is recommended to request a pest control professional to carry out a bed bug inspection.

Common insects that are often confused with bed bugs include:

While the confirmation of live and dead bed bugs is the most accurate way of determining if a property is infested with bed bugs, there are other signs of bed bugs one can look for.

Fecal Spotting - The fecal stains left behind bed bugs is one of the most commonly encountered signs of bed bugs. On fabric, the stains will look like black sharpie marks while on hard surfaces fecal stains will look more like small bubbles.

Cast Skins - You may encounter bed bug exoskeletons from previous molts when inspecting for bed bugs. Bed bug nymphs will molt and shed their exoskeletons five times before reaching full adulthood.

Blood Smears - When bed bugs are crushed they can leave behind blood stains on a surface. However, it is difficult to determine if blood smears are caused by bed bugs or not.

Originally posted here:
Do I Have Bed Bugs? | Rentokil

Tiny, unwelcome guests could be setting up house and climbing into bed with unsuspecting Alabama residents.

Bedbugs are back.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency released a joint statement in August confirming what some travelers and pest control companies already knew -- the blood-sucking ectoparasites are causing problems across the country, with the number of reported cases reaching hundreds of thousands.

"For years and years you didn't hear of anybody with bedbug issues," said Sallie Lee, a Jefferson County urban extension agent for the Alabama Cooperative Extension System. "With an increase in international travel, we are seeing many of the problems center on cities with international airports."

Source: Joint Statement on Bed Bug Control in the United States from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.

Bedbugs can live for months without a meal, Lee said. They can hide in suitcases and make their way across the country, even into Alabama.

"We do not know of any outbreaks here," Lee said. "However, that does not mean they are not here. When you bring your suitcase back from anywhere, you have the opportunity of bringing home uninvited little critters."

Lee gets about 18 calls about possible bedbugs from Jefferson County residents each year, about half of which are legitimate bedbug problems.

Professional pest control companies have noticed a sharp increase in bedbug infestations for the past nine years, with the number of cases increasing each year, said Martha Craft, spokeswoman for Rollins, Inc., the parent company for Orkin and other pest control companies.

She said an increase in travel and a lack of bedbug knowledge play roles.

"People don't know what bedbugs are anymore," Craft said. "Back in the '30s and '40s everybody knew what a bedbug looked like. Everybody knew bedbugs were great hitchhikers. They love seams of mattresses, seams of clothes, anywhere seams occur. They can hitchhike not only on clothes, but suitcases, camera bags, purses ..."

Hotels are an obvious risk, she said.

"When is the last time you checked into a hotel and then pulled back the sheets and checked for bedbugs?" Craft said. "I do it everywhere I go."

Blood meal

Bedbugs are small, flat insects that feed on the blood of sleeping people and animals, according to information from the CDC and EPA. They are reddish-brown, wingless and about the size of an apple seed.

One of the easiest ways to identify a bedbug infestation is by bite marks that appear on the face, neck, arms, hands and any other body part. These marks may take as long as 14 days to develop in some people.

When bedbugs bite down, they inject an anesthetic and an anticoagulant that usually prevents a person from feeling the bite, according to the CDC and EPA.

Bedbugs can cause a variety of health issues, although they are not known to carry disease. The most common reaction to a bedbug bite is a slightly swollen area that itches like a flea or mosquito bite. Some people may develop a mild to severe allergic reaction to the bite, or a secondary infection such as impetigo. Infestations also can cause anxiety and insomnia, according to the CDC.

The Alabama Department of Public Health does not keep track of bedbug infestations in the state. They refer all bedbug cases and calls to the Cooperative Extension System.

Lee said she recommends a combination of professional treatment, house cleaning and a new mattress, in many cases.

Many professional pest control companies advise against people buying and using pesticides on their own, especially since some bedbugs are known to be resistant to almost all pesticides registered to treat them.

Craft said the companies can use heat treatments, raising the temperatures in a room to 120 to 130. "That kills live insects and eggs and larva," she said.

Both Lee and Craft said controlling a bedbug infestation will not be easy, but it is best to catch the problem early.

"We suggest that people get rid of the clutter, vacuum and throw out the bag. It doesn't work to vacuum a room and then leave the vacuum cleaner full of bedbugs in the closet. They will just crawl back out," Craft said.

Join the conversation by clicking to comment or e-mail Osburn at losburn@bhamnews.com.

See the original post:
Alabama officials warn: Don't let the bedbugs bite | AL.com

Parasitic bed bugs bite humans to suck their blood while they sleep, and then burrow back into the mattress until the next feeding. Learn how to get rid of bed bugs and keep your mattress parasite free!

Bed bugs feed at night, causing unsightly and infected wounds to be found in the morning. Using a mattress cover is one method on getting rid of bed bugs. Contact a pest control service professional today to eliminate your homes bed bug infestation.

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Read this article:
How To Get Rid of Bed Bugs Birmingham, Alabama

Cimex lectularius, AKA- BedBugs, are cryptic, nocturnal, blood-sucking pests that are very difficult to control with Do-It-Yourself measures. They are skilled hitchhikers and are easily picked up from just about any public place.

Bed bugs are found today in hotels, apartments, dorm rooms, delivery vehicles, dry cleaners, jails, hospitals, churches, cruise ships, furniture rental stores and private homes.

These tiny creatures wreak havoc on homeowners and facility managers when an infestation has set in. Although they do not transmit disease victims report:

Red, itchy, raised welts on the skin

Sleeplessness

Emotional stress and anxiety

Bama Exterminating Thermal Remediation For Getting Rid Of BedBugs

Thermal Remediation (Heat Treatment) is a superior solution to eliminate bed bug infestations in both commercial and residential buildings. This non-chemical, non-toxic approach penetrates wall cavities, mattresses and other hard to reach locations to kill bed bugs.

By applying heat evenly throughout a structure, we are able to kill bedbugs wherever they are hiding, something many other pest controlservice providerscannot achieve in a single treatment. Professional Thermal Remediation from Bama Exterminating will kill all of the growth stages of the bed bug including the eggs. This is an important fact given that not all current pesticide control methodologies kill bedbug eggs. This means that oftentimes Thermal Remediation can eradicate the entire bedbug population in a single treatment.

Bama Exterminating also provides conventionalextermination options such as liquid application and fumigationfor getting rid of bed bugs for areas where thermal remediation is not ideal.

Testimonials

The technicians at Bama Exterminating did a thorough home inspection, then educated us on the pest control options available to us. After trying numerous do-it-yourself bed bug removal treatments and professional chemical treatments by other extermination companies that didnt work, we ended up calling them and using their new Heat Treatment system to get rid of bed bugs in our condo. We havent seen a bed bug since and wish we would have called them first! Highly recommend using Bama. ~ Cheryl Collins, Birmingham, Al

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I would like to commend and make know to those who are looking for a great exterminating company BAMA is the one. On time, weekly service, truthfulness concerning service to be provided and courteous technicians. Thanks BAMA! ~ R. Jones, Greensboro, AL

The rest is here:
Getting Rid Of Bed Bugs - bedbugcontrolbirmingham.com

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Christopher Michael, Demand Media

Bedbugs can cause rash and allergic reactions. (Photo: SolomonPhotos/iStock/Getty Images )

From 2000 to 2013, the National Pest Management Association found a significant increase in bedbug infestations across the country. And while there are very few laws specifically addressing the bedbug epidemic, hotels have a responsibility to keep you safe under common law. But even the cleanest, most expensive hotels may have bedbugs. Your best bet is to educate and protect yourself.

No federal bedbug law exists, but some states have passed legislation concerning hotels and their obligations to keep you safe from these pests. Alabama, California, Kansas, Minnesota, Nevada, Ohio, South Dakota and West Virginia enforce some form of bedbug-specific law, but most of them lack teeth; merely setting down in writing that hotels must take cleanliness measures to prevent pests. Only Kansas, Nevada and West Virginia require hotels to stop using the room and exterminate the bedbugs before another guest stays the night.

Under common law, the hotel manager has a responsibility to use reasonable care to promote your safety as a guest. Bedbugs pose a well-known hazard to personal safety; bites can cause rash, allergic reactions and permanent scars. It is reasonable to expect hotel staff to clean, fumigate, disinfect and exterminate any known infestation of bedbugs. But common law does not require the hotel staff ensure your safety, only to take reasonable measures to promote it. If the infestation is new and unknown to the hotel manager, then the common law protection does not apply as long as the room is reasonably clean. It is unreasonable to expect hotel staff to know about an infestation before it starts.

The law can view bedbug bites and infestations as serious injuries, not unlike those suffered in a car crash. The bites themselves can have lasting psychological effects, cause embarrassing rashes, fierce itching and in some cases, permanent scarring. Gather evidence if you become the victim of hotel bedbugs, including pictures of the bedbugs and your bites. Contact the local health department, ask it to inspect your room and get a copy of the report. File a formal complaint with hotel management, getting the manager's name, phone number and email address. You may seek medical attention and get a record of your doctor's visit. Evidence can help you with civil litigation if your injuries are serious enough.

Look for signs of bedbugs in your room immediately after check-in. Look all around and under your mattress for small dots of rusty or reddish blood stains left by crushed bedbugs. Bedbug excrement appears as tiny black dots that may bleed into fabric like the point of a marker. Look for tiny, 1-millimeter eggs that are pale yellow in color, or look for the apple-seed-sized, reddish-brown bedbugs themselves. Bugs commonly hide in the seams of chairs and beds, between the folds of curtains, in electrical sockets, between cushions and even under tacks or loose screws. Bedbug bites produce a raised, red, swollen area with a dark-red center. Bites often come in clusters or make a line across the skin. If you see or feel any sign of bedbugs, leave the room and immediately notify hotel staff.

Bedbugs cling and hide inside clothing and luggage, where you can take them home to start a new infestation. If you come in contact with bedbugs at a hotel, ask for a garbage bag and tightly seal all of your belongings. Transfer all of your washable clothes to a different garbage bag outside of your home and take the clothes to the washer inside of the new bag. Wash the clothes on the hot cycle and dry the clothes on the highest temperature setting for at least 30 minutes to kill any bugs or eggs. Leave the rest of your belongings inside the garbage bag in the sun, where the internal temperature will reach 120 degrees or higher. Or you can place the garbage bag in a freezer overnight to kill the bedbugs. You may hire a pest-management professional to disinfect your non-washable items.

Christopher Michael began writing in 2010 for Break.com. He received a Bachelor of Arts in English from the University of Massachusetts, Amherst. Writing sports and travel articles helps support his professional baseball career, which has taken him to 49 states, five continents and four oceans.

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Read more:
Hotel Obligations for Bed Bugs | USA Today