Category Archives: Bed Bugs California

California Bed Bug Lawnreiaadmin2017-07-27T15:13:24+00:00California Bed Bug Law in effect as of July 1, 2017.

As of July 1, 2017 all new rental contracts will need to be up to date with the new bed bug code of 1954.600-1954.605. This will include a notice to the resident regarding bedbugs (identification, treatment, and cure). The new law clarifies responsibilities, including lack of cooperation by the resident. The California legislature did a pretty decent job of developing this legislation. The balanced approach comes in no small part from the input provided by the National Pest Management Association (NPMA). The NPMA guidance can be found at (http://www.pestworld.org/all-things-bed-bugs/best-practices/). Included in this section are English & Spanish versions, as well as a 4-page summary PDF. Additional resources can be found below.

By January 1, 2018 existing residents need to be updated with the bed bug disclosure (1954.603) as well. One note is the constructive notice that obligates a property owner to address a unit (1954.602 b) that was vacated with a previous issue. Monitoring and checking these units will be essential, which is one of the reasons National REIA partnered with Clearvue Bed Bug Traps (www.bedbugtraps.com). ClearVue has developed a form for property owner communications which is available from John King at [emailprotected].

Please take precautions. With bed bugs, an ounce of prevention is worth far more than a pound of cure!

As this is a new law, regulations and legal precedents will evolve and updates will be forthcoming.

View post:
California Bed Bug Law - National REIA

Hello.

I am mortified.Two and a half weeks ago, I bought a brand new mattress from a reputable mattress retailer here in the San Francisco bay area. The mattress was delivered in its plastic wrap. I had been sleeping on an air mattress previously. The first morning after sleeping in it, I woke up with a big mosquito bite on my arm, except that it itched furiously. The second morning, I woke up with huge hives all over one breast. I thought maybe they were spider bites. About every 1-3 nights my boyfriend and I would get new bites. I started thinking we might have bed bugs.

Tonight I finally found the proof. I've been scrutinizing my new mattress for the last 2.5 weeks and found nothing suspicious. But tonight, I saw a bug crawling on the mattress next to my sleeping boyfriend. I killed it and preserved it, and will start taking action with the landlord tomorrow.

My question is this - do I have any recourse of action with the mattress store? I cannot prove that they are at fault, but I find it highly coincidental that the first night I am bitten is also the first night on my new mattress.

The tag on the new mattress says that it was manufactured here in California just a couple days before I received it. But I also know that this retailer (from their own admission) does "450 deliveries on any given weekend day". That seems to leave a lot of room for cross contamination, hauling old mattresses in the same van as new mattresses, even if they are wrapped.

I am furious and devastated. I saved up my money and borrowed money to get this $600 mattress, which is cheap by mattress standards. And now I will have a long ordeal ahead of me.

What do I do? How do I get the mattress store to take me seriously? I am assuming they won't take any responsibility. Should they? What should I hold them responsible for, if anything?

Also, we did not get a box spring because we were going to buy a platform frame. Where the heck could these bugs be hiding? Our bedroom is very minimalistic with hardly any clutter. It is a very clean room. We moved into this apartment two months ago and didn't have any problems until the first night on the mattress

Continue reading here:
Bed bugs from BRAND NEW MATTRESS? Got Bed Bugs ...

You may be wondering, do I have fleas or bed bugs?

Scanning Electron Micrograph of a Flea.

So you think something is biting you but youre not sure what? Many folks eventually find the culprit is fleas, rather than bed bugs.

Myth: I dont have pets so I cant have fleas.

Not true!

Fleas can live in your home even if you dont have pets.

You may bring them in or may be bitten outside, for example you might encounter the types of fleas that bite humans or dogs in grassy areas like a park. Or they might come from vertebrate pests which have nested in or around your home.

Paul Bello (inthis Bedbugger forum post) shares some background information on how fleas may get into a home:

While fleas are usually associated with pet cats or dogs in the house, it is not uncommon for a home to have fleas even though there are no pets present. This can occur when pest animals have nested in the home. Animals such as mice, rats, squirrels, opossums, raccoons and others can have fleas. These animals can nest in a home undetected for a period of time. And, since theyre wild animals that are not being attended to for their fleas, the flea population can grow over time. These fleas then become numerous and may travel for various reasons into the living space of the home to become problematic for the human residents.

Over the years we have seen such circumstances whereopossums were nesting undetected by the homeowner in an inaccessible crawl space under the home. In another situation a family of raccoons were nesting above a basement drop ceiling undetected. At yet another home, we trapped out over twenty squirrels and sixopossums from the same attic. While all these vertebrate pest situations brought fleas into the home where they nested, we also need to remember that it was the oriental rat flea, which helped spread plague which killed about 25% of the worlds known population during the 1300s.

Additionally, many homeowners returning from a trip may be surprised by hundreds of fleas when they return home. This is so because developing fleas that have matured in their pupal cases often lay in wait protected within these pupal cases in the absence of suitable hosts. These fleas can lay in wait within these cases a surprising length of time. When the people return home the hungry fleas emerge.

Heres an image a forum user submitted of her flea:

flea

Here are some more helpful images of fleas.

Dog flea (C. canis)

The dog flea according to this UC Davis factsheet, is uncommon in California, though cat fleas will bite both cats and dogs.

Cat flea (C. felis) full of human blood.

(More flea images, from the CDC.)

These images are highly magnified, obviously fleas are 1/16 to 1/8 long. They often look quite a bit darker.

Fleas leap very high, considering their small size, and you may see them doing this. They move quickly close to a pets hairline and are hard to catch with your fingers. They often bite the lower legs and feet.

However, flea bites may look like bed bug bites, and as with bed bugs, to identify them, you need to find visual evidence, rather than relying on what your skin reaction looks like.

How to determine if you have fleas

You can buy cheap, plugin flea traps (like those shown in our Amazon store) at a hardware store or online.

You can also make your own homemade flea trap. Pest management professional and Bedbugger forums regular Paul Bello outlines the steps as follows below:

Materials:

Preparation:

Heres what happens:

If you do have fleas, they will be attracted to the light and warmth. They will travel over toward the pan and hop in. The water will trap them and they will sink in the water due to the soap which breaks the surface tension and causes them to sink. Without soap they will float and may eventually escape.

If fleas are present, you will catch some in anywhere from 24 to 48 hours.

Paul originally provided the directions above in this forum post. (Note: Ive lightly edited Pauls directions.)

How to get rid of fleas

Always be sure you confirm the pest before you start treatment. Keep in mind spot treatments for household dogs and cats (if you have any) may play an important role in eliminating fleas from your home, but may not do the whole job.

You may want to involve a pest management professional.

If you would like to self-treat for fleas, the University of Kentucky has a helpful factsheet on DIY flea treatment. UC Davis has some tips on this also in their factsheet on fleas.

You can purchase flea treatment products from pest control firms or online (for example, DoMyOwnPestControls product page on indoor flea treatment), but be sure to follow all label instructions closely, and do your research on safe and effective treatment methods before you attempt to apply pesticides yourself.

British bed bug expert Bedbugger forums regular David Cain provides instructions on a DIY and pesticide-free solution to fleas in this forum post. It involves only baking soda or carpet cleaning powder.

David writes,

Normally unless its literally hopping alive with fleas I would simply suggest using Shake n Vac [UK powdered carpet freshener marketed by SC Johnson] or a fine powder such as baking soda. The way it is used is as follows, treat the cat with flea treatment. Remove pets and anyone who may have dust issues from the home and sprinkle the dust over the floor so that it has a fine but even coating. Then take a torch or flashlight and zig-zag the beam across the floors covering all areas. Leave the property alone for 1 hour then repeat the use of the flashlight and wait 15 minutes. Then simply clean the dust up and use a plug in flea trap for ongoing monitoring.

Its an incredibly efficient way to physically remove fleas from an area as it relies purely on their physical removal rather than chemical action. The light causes them to jump and they get caught up in the fine dust making them easier to suck away in the cleaner.

Paul Bello (again inthis Bedbugger forum post) has additional tips on how to eliminate fleas:

Numerous fleas may be removed immediately via thorough vacuuming and it is possible to remediate a flea population with repetitive vacuuming and/or carpet cleaning in combination with addressing the flea source be it pet or vertebrate pest. If pets are present it is important that the pets are inspected and treated suitably for fleas and that all areas where the pets may rest or sleep are inspected and treated as well. This is often problematic with cats because they may sleep in many areas of the home which may be difficult to locate or identify. Various chemical-free type powders may be used to treat for fleas as well but these powders work relatively slowly when compared to more traditional type insecticide products.

Thanks to Paul and David for their contributions to the information above!

Got suggestions for improving this FAQ? Have flea photos you want to share? Please comment below!

Oh and, before someone asks,

No posts for a month and then you write about fleas?!?

I know, its been quiet around here.

Thanks for your patience and I hope were able to give you a lot more to read from now on.

Please note: the links to DoMyOwnPestControl.com and Amazon.com above are affiliate links. If ou purchase through these links (or certain other links and banners on the site), a small portion of your purchase goes to support the running of Bedbugger.com. Please read our disclosure policy for more.

Image credits:

Scanning Electron Micrograph of a Flea. Credit: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) / Janice Carr (License: public domain/US Gov.; source.)

flea. Credit: used with explicit permission of anonymous Bedbugger.com forum user.

Dog Flea, and Cat Flea Full of Human Blood. Credit: iStockphoto.com.

Follow this link:
Fleas or bed bugs?

By Mike Nemeth

A bill that spells out what landlords and tenants need to do when confronted with a bed bug infestation is closer to becoming California law.

Assemblyman Adin Nazarian

The Assembly Judiciary Committee on Tuesday voted 7-0 in favor of Assemblyman Adrin Nazarians AB 551.

The proposal from the Van Nuys Democrat comes as bed bug infestations continue to spike both in California and across the United States.

Despite the spread of these bloodsucking pests, California law hasnt adequately defined the role that apartment owners and renters must play in preventing and killing these bugs.

Nazarians bill addresses this by offering specifics. And it starts with education and candor.

Under AB 551, landlords must provide tenants with information about bed bug prevention. And tenants cant knowingly bring items into apartments if they suspect they have bed bugs.

Fighting bed bugs in rental housing takes the cooperation of both lanlords and tenants. AB 551 provides a framework of rights and responsibilities for both. Among other things, the bill would:

If tenants suspect their apartment is infested, they must tell the landlord, who then must hire a pest control company to check it out. If an infestation is confirmed, the landlord has to notify the tenants and have a pest control operator prepare and implement a bed bug treatment program.

Tenants then have to cooperate with pest control operators and make sure their property isnt in the way of treatment.

This bill ensures protection for both tenants and landlords who do what theyre supposed to do.

It protects landlords from liability for any delays in treatment that are beyond their control.

AB 551, which now heads to the Assembly floor, strikes a reasonable balance between the needs of landlords and renters. If enacted, it will help reduce the bed bug population throughout the state.

Listen to testimony about the bed bugs bill.

Learn more about the fight against bed bugs from the spring edition of Apartment Management Magazine.

Mike Nemeth is the director of communications for the California Apartment Association. Read more of his articles, or connect with him by sending an email.

Link:
Bed bug bill passes Judiciary Committee

What are bed bugs?

Bed bugs are small parasitic insects that feed on the blood of mammals and birds. Adult bed bugs have flat bodies about one-quarter of an inch in length; they are copper colored and wingless. Young bed bugs are nearly colorless and very small (1/16 inch). Bed bugs do not fly; they either crawl or are carried from place to place. When a bed bug feeds, its body swells and becomes bright red, making it appear to be a different insect. In homes, hotels, or other dwellings, bed bugs feed primarily on human blood, usually at night when people are sleeping.

Bed bugs are not known to transmit disease. However, bed bug bites can cause large, itchy welts on the skin. A persons reaction to insect bites is an immune response and therefore varies from person to person. Bed bug bites are usually painless and rarely awaken a sleeping person. If people are sleeping side by side, one person may have a severe reaction while the other shows no evidence of being bitten. Sometimes the red welts caused by the bites will not be apparent until many days after a person was bitten.

If there are bed bugs in your house, you may notice itchy welts on your or your familys skin. You may also see the bed bugs or evidence of their presence, such as small bloodstains from crushed bed bugs or dark spots from bed bug droppings. Bed bugs are found most often around areas where a person sleeps or rests. These areas include: on or near beds and bedroom furniture; in the tufts, seams, and folds of mattresses and daybed covers; and in clutter around sleeping areas.

In more severe infestations, bed bugs may spread to cracks and crevices in bed frames and box springs and be found behind headboards, inside nightstands, and behind baseboards, pictures, and moldings. It is important to inspect furniture adjacent to sleeping areas for the presence of bed bugs, as well as behind loosened wallpaper. Bed bugs may also hide in piles of books, papers, boxes, and around pet sleeping areas.

The typical life span of a bed bug is about ten months. They can survive for weeks to months without feeding.

Bed bugs will feed on pets, but prefer to feed on humans. Pet sleeping areas should be inspected and treated by a licensed pest control company.

The California Department of Public Health, Vector-Borne Disease Section, recommends that property owners hire a pest control professional licensed by the California Department of Consumer Affairs (DCA), Structural Pest Control Board to evaluate what type of pest is present and to exterminate them if necessary.

Time and money can be wasted attempting to eliminate an infestation if an insect is not identified properly. Controlling and removing bed bugs involves different procedures than the removal of other pests and will require multiple visits. A pest control professional should perform a thorough inspection, and when bed bug hiding places are found, provide chemical or non-chemical means of control to the infested rooms. A professional may use pesticides and specialized equipment, such as steam cleaners, to kill the bed bugs. After two or three weeks, ensure that the pest control professional returns for follow-up treatment. Usually, at least two treatments are necessary to eliminate bed bugs.

View post:
Bed Bugs - California Department of Public Health