Category Archives: Bed Bugs California

Bed bugs have become the USAs national catastrophe. This is quite an unpleasant phenomenon although it seems untypical of developed countries, and has affected hundreds of thousands of American citizens. The scientists keep on experimenting and inventing new ways of trapping these bloodsuckers. Today, well describe all the known bed bug traps. How effective are homemade methods? Is an interceptor or a sticky trap better? Does life imprisonment for the bed bugs that have already infested your bed exist?

Professional bed bug traps, or monitors, as they are often called in a scientific setting, are relatively new inventions, and are recommended as the first line of defense in bed bug management and prevention.

As of now, there are three types of bed bug traps available on the market and its important to discern the difference between them. Here, well talk about passive and active traps, and well cover the basic differences between those two traps and interceptors.

An active trap uses a certain chemical lure, whether its the heat, carbon dioxide, or a feromone, to attract bed bugs to the trap. These need to be used continuously for several days to detect the size of the infestation and take other necessary steps to control the bed bug population. Also, many active traps would require the use of electricity, which can become a limiting factor and is certainly a disadvantage. Another detracting aspect is the sometimes exorbitant prices of these, which can go way up to 600 dollars.

A passive one, on the contrary, does not use any type of bait, or lure, to bring bed bugs towards it. They usually come with a glue or pitfall design. The passive traps certainly are much better than visual inspections, which can be pretty inefficient; require less skill and money to purchase and use them; reduces the amount of immediate bed bug bites that would have happened if not for the trap. However, they are quite inefficient if you have a large bug infestation.

Basically, interceptors are two cups, one inside the other, that can be easily placed underneath a bedpost. They will not work by themselves but require the presence of the human body on top of the bed that would work as an attractant to bed bugs (giving off the necessary body heat, feromones, and carbon dioxide, in short, everything the bed bugs love). And since bed bugs are pretty bad at climbing slippery surfaces, they would not tackle this climbing quest and would get trapped inside the interceptor. Interceptors are also considered passive traps because they do not contain any chemicals, look like pitfalls, and can be used as a part of DIY bed bag management.

Several types are available today: sticky, interceptors attached under bed legs and electronic ones which attract their victims with the heat of a lamp.

This is a simple and cheap glue trap. A pack contains four sticky cardboards to be placed under furniture, bed and anywhere else. Leave them under your beds legs so that the bed bugs stick to it if they approach your bed. The products rating is not very high. Many customers have given negative feedback. Dont expect Harris to deal with your issue on its own as it should be used for monitoring purposes only. The trap is accessible and safe, so why not give it a chance?

Last update on 2020-10-29 / Affiliate links / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API

Glue trap: Check the current price

Aspectek has improved a regular sticky trap and added a heat-exuding lamp to it. This increases the attraction rate of bed bugs, fleas and other blood-suckers. They are trapped in a sticky snare once they crawl or fly under the lamp.

The product is rated highly. The trap is used not only against bed bugs, but also flies, mosquitoes and any other insects which prefer heat or light. The device is safe, but any cat owners must bear in mind the fact that their pets might take a fancy to this heated toy and warm up near it. Read over 1200 customer reviews to learn more about Aspectek use.

Last update on 2020-10-29 / Affiliate links / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API

Sticky + light trap: Check the current price

Here is the most popular and best-selling bed bug trap. At the moment, it is not only a hit but a method to trap blood suckers that has been approved by the majority of entomologists. Almost all of them recommend using these traps. The University of California specialists, for instance, confirm the effectiveness of these devices: Interceptor monitors are a hybrid between active and passive (pitfall) monitors in that they rely on the presence of a host (a sleeping human) to attract hungry bugs and then trap the parasites on route to their meal. These small double-cupped monitors are easily installed under the legs of beds and other furniture items. Research has demonstrated that such interceptors trapped six times more bed bugs than were found from human visual searches alone.

Let us add that putting in some talc will complicate the insects attempts to escape. Use ClimbUp until all your domestic parasites have been completely eradicated. If they have managed to breed in multiple rooms, opt for a 12-pack set.

Last update on 2020-10-29 / Affiliate links / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API

Interceptor: Check the current price

This is a classic active bed bug trap that uses feromones and glue to attract and trap bed bugs. Its lightweight and easy to carry around, in case you want to take it with you while you travel. To start using the trap, youll need to remove the paper from a glue card, attach it to the bottom of the trap, click on a button to activate a feromone, and place it near the bed. Its pretty cheap, but youll need a lot of these since everytime the thing catches the bugs, youll need to throw it in a trash, as they are not reusable. Unfortunately, the customers response was somewhat discouraging, with many saying that it didnt catch bed bugs but rather mosquitos and other little insects.

Last update on 2020-10-29 / Affiliate links / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API

Ortho bed bug trap: Check the current price

The Raid trap falls into the same price range but for the price, youre actually getting 4 of them, which is a pretty good deal. To start using them, break the traps apart, so you end up with separate small traps, place them under the bed spots of your bed and near the top of the mattress between the head of the mattress and the wall (as recommended by the manufacturer). The customers had more success with these detectors than with the previously described Ortho, but many testers still complained that it was hard to see the trapped bed bugs through dark trap exterior, even with a flashlight.

Last update on 2020-10-29 / Affiliate links / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API

Raid Bed Bug Detector & Trap: Check the current price

The main drawback of all these traps is that they provide monitoring only. When using them, make sure there are no bugs in your bed. If they have already infested your sleeping area, it is pointless for them to get off the bed. So, what should you do if it is already infected?

There is a product that can be unequivocally called bed bugs life imprisonment. There is no escape from it and no blood-sucker will be ever set free from there. We are talking about a special mattress cover.

According to the entomologists, 70% of the bed bugs in the house settle in the mattress,box spring and bed frame during a typical infestation. That is one of the priority tasks is to treat the infected bed and mattress and to protect the new one by using protective encasements

It is basically the bigger version of a trap. All parasites living in your mattress will be forever trapped and will starve to death given that youve bought a decent mattress made of dense fabric with a proper zipper that wont ever let any parasite out. Another condition is that you shouldnt remove the cover for 12 months as this is the time it takes these tenacious creatures to die of depletion

There are many mattress cover manufacturers, the most popular brands are SafeRest, LinenSpa, and Utopia Bedding. Their ratings are more or less the same, and the covers themselves practically do not differ from each other. The main requirement concerning this product is a Bed Bug Proof label. Most of them are waterproof and will protect you from dust mites.

You can also move to the living room and sleep on the sofa hoping that the starving blood-suckers will be forced to finally crawl down the bed legs in search of food But we believe buying a mattress cover and having a sound sleep in your own comfy bed is simpler and faster.

Last update on 2020-10-29 / Affiliate links / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API

Unfortunately, they wont. The only 100% effective control product is a mattress cover which will only rid you of the parasites that have settled inside it. You will have to deal with other insects hiding in the wall cracks, behind the skirting boards and wallpapers and even on the ceiling for a long period of time. Refer to our guide How to get rid of bed bugs to learn about all the methods, mistakes and proper treatment.

If youve chosen to use interceptors, then place them under the bedposts. Its important to move your bed away from the wall, so the bed bugs would be left with no choice but climb into an interceptor.

Remember that if youre not currently sleeping on the bed, then interceptors wouldnt work, because they require the presence of a sleeping human body. Also, youd need as many interceptors as possible to successfully detect and trap the active portion of the bed bug population. Researchers from Texas A&M AgriLife Extension advise using at least 12 interceptors per each bedroom that you believe is infested.

Any other passive trap should be just as well placed under the bed, or any other furniture that serves as a living habitat for bed bugs.

Active traps, again, should be placed anywhere near the infested furniture. If an active trap of your choice uses carbon dioxide as an active attractant, then you should be aware that each CO2 cylinder would operate for about 10 hours and youll need a new cylinder for each night of operation. More sophisticated options would include a larger receptacle for CO2 that would last up to five nights.

One of the main concerns when using bed bug traps is what to do when the bugs have been trapped or collected. One of the popular methods is exposing the bugs to a very cold temperature, but it might just as well prove inefficient. Scientists from the Texas A&M AgriLife Extension recommend to dump the caught bugs into a plastic tub with vertical sides, fill it with soapy water, place the content of the closed tub into a plastic bag and throw it in a trash outside your house. Another method (which is obviously preferable) is to spray the bugs with a contact spray so they would die immediately. And only then trash them outside.

Another precaution is not to use bed bug traps alone. They might be okay to detect early or small infestations but wont work for larger populations. Also, the bugs cannot necessarily travel to the host but can reside as close to the body as possible, in the nooks of the bed frame or mattress, rendering your traps useless.

According to Dr. Wang, an Extension Specialist in Urban Entomology, using active traps proved to be at least as effective as a thorough visual inspection, but not as effective as a seven-day deployment of insect interceptors. Also, the results of his research indicated that the homemade dry ice trap was the most effective monitor both in apartments with heavy and light bed bug infestations. Its important to note here that we are talking about detection and initial steps in the management of bed bug population. The interceptors or active traps alone wont eliminate the bed bugs but would serve as a great starting point in bed bug control.

A few years ago, a National Geographic article devoted to a sugar, water, and yeast-based $1 trap invented in the Rutgers University, New Jersey was discussed actively on the internet. This yeast homemade bed bug trap recipe was contentedly promoted by bloggers.

The scientists suggest that you pour ten tablespoons of sugar, two tablespoons of yeast and one and a half liters of room temperature water in a cup, then place said cup on top of a flipped over dog bowl and leave for the night.

The idea is that it is carbon dioxide exuded by humans which is the main focus of all blood-suckers. All mosquito carbon dioxide traps act in this way. However, we have not encountered any commercially successful bed bug traps like this yet. Lets figure if they are indeed free, convenient and effective?

As the University of Rutgers, New Jersey expert Narinderpal Singh states, the yeast ferments the sugar to release carbon dioxidethe gas that bedbugs use to track down sleeping human hosts. This irresistible vapor lures insects toward the trap from long distances, and in experiments, more than doubled the number that were captured.

The blood-sucking insects focus on the secreted carbon dioxide. As the scientists plan, any bed bugs in the house are supposed to gather near the sources of carbon dioxide fermented by yeast. The result will let you decide whether domestic pest control is a necessity or an expensive luxury.

The magazine article claims that this handmade trap attracts three times as many bed bugs as others and is therefore more effective than the Climbup insect interceptor available in stores.

A cup full of yeast, on the other hand, doesnt guarantee that it will attract bed bugs better than a human sleeping in the same room, as humans also exude both heat and carbon dioxide. In addition, when half asleep, you can forget about the slurry trap left in the darkness and step straight into it. Its action also lasts for only eight hours, so you will have to refill the yeast mixture daily.

The second homemade recipe has been invented in Rutgers University as well. This time, dry ice will serve as a source of carbon dioxide. The experimenters suggest placing the ice in an open 1/3 of a gallon (1.5 liters) thermos on top of a flipped over cat bowl. The outer walls of the bowl should be taped and covered in a thin layer of talc. Once trapped, the bed bugs wont be able to detach from this talc and the dry ice will continue releasing gas for up to twelve hours.

A pound of dry ice is not sold without restrictions. You will have to place an order with special suppliers. Remember that dry ice will also slowly turn into gas even when kept in a freezer. Dont store it in the freezer for over four days. Dry ice being a free trap is a contingent term as the transactional costs will involve you having to spend much time ordering ice whenever necessary.

Such measures are for preventive purposes only. They protect your bed from bed bugs crawling up from the floor. Carbon dioxide secreted by various objects wont make them leave your warm beds. But are commercial devices better than homemade ones?

The development of carbon dioxide-based methods of bed bug treatment is explained by the fact that they consume blood only. A new type of trap using the insects own odor is now being tested.

A team of Canadian scientists has radically decided to identify the substance that is responsible for grouping the bed bugs together. Back in the 1970s, the scientists learned that feces and chitinous covers left behind serve as attracting markers for these insects, as Wired cites Gerhard Gries and other researchers from the Simon Fraser University, Vancouver, Canada.

Wired also specifies that the last component is sensed by bed bugs only upon contact. Histamine, the same chemical produced by our white blood cells as part of the human immune response, acts as an arrestant in combination with the other chemical blend. It makes the bed bugs stop walking and nestle in.

The scientists have demonstrated great courage by letting the insects feed on their blood. However, the bitten researchers have given the world hope for creating a new bed bug attractant that is more effective than any source of carbon dioxide. The future will show whether this ambition will be realized.

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TOP-5 Best Bed Bug Traps [UPDATED 2020] Buyer's Guide ...

It may surprise you to know that a landlord can sue a tenant who brings bedbugs onto the landlords property in California. This applies to both residential and commercial tenants.

Tenants have a legal duty under California law to keep premises they rent clean and sanitary. Breaching this duty is considered negligence.

But even if the tenant breaches this duty, it does not prove that the tenant was responsible for the bedbugs. Bedbug infestations often go undetected. This can make it hard to prove when and how the bedbugs got there.

In order to win a lawsuit against a tenant who causes a bedbug infestation, the landlord must prove:

1. That the defendant was the landlords tenant; 2. That the defendant negligently brought bedbugs onto property owned or controlled by the landlord; 3. That the defendants negligence was a substantial factor in causing the plaintiff harm (causation); and 4. That, as a result, the defendant suffered damages.

Proving causation is the hardest part of a bedbug lawsuit in California. But the landlord only needs to convince a jury (or judge) by a preponderance of the evidence. This legal standard means that it was more likely than not that the tenant caused the infestation.

Ways the landlord might be able to show this include introducing evidence that:

The unit was clean and free of bedbugs when it was rented out.

This might be shown with photos and/or an inspection report from a reputable extermination company.

The tenant did not keep the premises in a clean and sanitary condition.

Again, photos might be helpful as might prior written communications about unsanitary conditions from:

An extermination companys report after an infestation.

A professional bedbug exterminator might be able to shed some light on where an infestation came from.

While not conclusive, when added to other evidence it might show that the tenant did not use reasonable care in preventing bedbugs.

The best prevention against bedbugs is to keep property clean and sanitary. But even this is not foolproof. Bed bugs can be brought onto property in luggage, on new furniture, and even on someones clothing.

Landlords (especially those in highly bedbug infested areas such as Los Angeles) can protect themselves by taking the following steps:

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When Can A Landlord Sue A Tenant For Bed Bugs In California?

At night, these parasites crawl onto your bed, bite you and suck your blood. Then they find a nearby hideout where they leave disgusting telltale signs. But these pests have an Achilles heel that stops them cold.

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Adult bed bugs are about the size and color of an apple seed. After biting, they hide in a nearby cranny, like the seam of the mattress.

At the University of California, Irvine, biologist and engineer Catherine Loudon is working to create synthetic surfaces that could trap bed bugs. She was inspired by the tiny hooked hairs that grow from the leaves of some varieties of beans, such as kidney and green beans. In nature, these hairs, called trichomes, pierce through the feet of the aphids and leafhoppers that like to feed on the plants.

Researchers have found that these pointy hairs are just as effective against bed bugs, even though the bloodsucking parasites dont feed on leaves. Loudons goal is to mimic a bean leafs mechanism to create an inexpensive, portable bed bug trap.

You could imagine a strip that would act as a barrier that could be placed virtually anywhere: across the portal to a room, behind the headboard, on subway seats, an airplane, Loudon said. They have six legs, so thats six opportunities to get trapped.

--- Where do bed bugs come from? Bed bugs dont fly or jump or come in from the garden. They crawl very quickly and hide in travelers luggage. They also move around on secondhand furniture, or from apartment to apartment.

--- How can I avoid bringing bed bugs home? It would probably be a prudent thing to do a quick bed check if youre sleeping in a strange bed, said Potter. His recommendation goes for hotel rooms, as well as dorms and summer camp bunk beds. He suggests pulling back the sheet at the head of the bed and checking the seams on the top and bottom of the mattress and the box spring.

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Watch Bed Bugs Get Stopped in Their Tracks | Deep Look ...

Bed bugsjust the thought of them makes you itchy, doesnt it? These tiny critters feed on human blood and love to hide in and around the cracks and corners of our beds. And even though they dont carry disease, they do cause a red, itchy rash.

These bugs have been around for thousands of years. Scientists have fossilized bugs that are more than 3,500 years old. Its believed they originated in the Middle East, in caves that were used by both humans and bats, and in the ancient world they were often used as a home remedy. The Egyptians used to drink them to cure snake bites!

Bed bugs can be found all over the world, but perhaps surprisingly, the worst infestation problems tend to occur in developed countries where people use bed frames and soft bedding. Between 1930 and 1980, they were almost eliminated because chemicals like DDT were used to tackle infestations, but since DDT was banned, theres been a huge increase. Many are now immune to todays pest control chemicals. And increased levels of international travel are helping fuel the problem, as bedbugs can travel on clothing and in suitcases and bags.

The U.S. cities with the most frequent recorded outbreaks are: New York City, Baltimore, Chicago and Cleveland. The states with the worst record for infestations are: New York, California, Florida, Ohio, New Jersey and Maryland.

Bed bugs are very difficult to eradicate, especially the eggs, so first its important to try and prevent an infestation in the first place. Follow the steps in this detailed guide. But once theyre established, they breed rapidly. An adult will lay around 250 eggs in their life cycle and they only take 6 to 10 days to hatch.

It is possible to treat your home yourself? Heres our DIY guide to getting rid of bedbugs. If youve tried and still have a problem, professional help will be needed to eliminate them completely.

Cant get enough bed-bug talk? Check out this comparison: bed bugs vs. dust mites.

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Where Do Bed Bugs Come From? | Family Handyman

"Imagine yourself on a cruise at sea with your stateroom infested with bed bugs," said Connie Flores, who had a small part as an "arguing woman" in Netflix's Oscar-nominated film "Marriage Story," in a statement from her attorney, Brian Virag.

The lawsuit, filed in US District Court in the Central District of California, seeks general damages of at least $75,000 on multiple counts under both maritime and California law, including negligence, intentional infliction of emotional distress and battery, among others. The lawsuit claims the cruise line either knew or should have known about the alleged infestation and failed to treat it.

In a statement, Princess Cruise Lines said it was "very sorry" to hear about Flores' allegations and said it was "committed to following and often exceed stringent sanitation and health guidelines."

"Given that this is an open lawsuit, we are limited in what information we can share right now," the statement added, "however it is worth noting, our room attendants are highly trained to identify bed bugs and ALL staterooms are thoroughly inspected each month as a preventative measure."

In an updated statement Friday, Princess Cruise Lines said staff "conducted a thorough investigation" after the guests' complaint, "and no evidence of bed bugs were found."

The lawsuit stems from a cruise that Flores and her husband Alvin took aboard the Emerald Princess between November 29 and December 4, 2018.

Video footage taken by Flores and her husband allegedly shows tiny bugs crawling around the sheets and images shared by Virag's law firm, MyBedBugLawyer, purport to show bed bug bites on their bodies. The video and images cannot be independently verified.

"Unbeknownst to Plaintiffs, the Stateroom was infested with hundreds of bed bugs," the lawsuit says. "The bed bugs latched onto the Plaintiffs while they slept and sucked their blood until they were gorged," the lawsuit says.

Flores and her husband suffered "numerous bites and skin rashes, which caused pain, discomfort, annoyance sleeplessness, inconvenience, humiliation, anxiety and emotional distress," the lawsuit says.

The couple notified the ship's staff about the problem, but the "employees and medical staff refused and delayed Plaintiffs' requests and ridiculed Plaintiffs and their injuries," the lawsuit claims.

Asked about how long it took for his clients to be moved to a different room after the complaint, Virag said they "were not relocated immediately, and it took multiple requests before the Flores' were provided another room."

Rooms are cleaned twice a day, the statement from Princess Cruise Lines said, and it would be "highly unusual" for the staff to not notice bed bugs.

"It would be highly unusual for the presence of bed bugs to go un-noticed for more than the length of one cruise," the statement added.

CNN's Alexandra Meeks and Stella Chan contributed to this report.

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An actress with small role in 'Marriage Story' is suing a cruise line for an alleged bed bug infestation - CNN