Category Archives: Bed Bugs Massachusetts

The 1 Thing You Need To Know Before Hiring A Bed Bug Exterminator

Many people don't realize the most important thing you need to know when you're hiring a bed bug elimination company has to do with quality of the initial inspection.

The quality of the entire process will depend on a thorough initial inspection.

If during the inspection bed bugs are not discovered in some parts of your house, the infestation will recur over and over again. If rooms are treated unnecessarily you will overpay considerably.

You need to hire an experienced Company that you can trust. F & Wis a local,family-owned,4th generation company establishd in 1943. You can trust F & W to conduct a thorough inspection that you can rely on. Before we go to work you will know the extent of the infestation and the treatment.

In cases where a bed bug dog inspection is required or requested, we use one of the most experienced dog handlers in the State.

Our dog has performed thousands of K-9 bed bug searches giving us the experience and confidence that are a vital part of any successful K-9 teams ability to detect the scent of live bed bugs or viable bed bug eggs. Our NESDCA certified teams sole mission is to detect the presence of live bed bugs or viable bed bug eggs.

While many bed bugs hide in mattresses, some may also hide in a sofa or chair, or behind wall paper or pictures. Thoroughness is the only real way to get rid of Bed Bugs. Every corner and crevice needs to be searched. As you might guess, this means that simply getting rid of an infected mattress will not completely solve the problem.

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F & W Bed Bug Control

Do you have Massachusetts bed bugs at your location? For many residents the very idea seems impossible. Maybe in some far off, poverty stricken part of the Third World, but not in New England!

Yet the truth is that bed bugs are making their way into Massachusetts, and not just in the poorer parts of big cities but in the bedroom communities of suburbia. How is this possible? With people today traveling all over the world it is all too common for bed bugs to find their way into our homes from luggage, clothing, and hotel linen. The fact that some pesticides that are effective against bed bugs such as DDT have been banned for environmental reasons also has not helped. And it doesn't take much, just one female bed bug carrying eggs is sufficient to start an infestation.

How can you tell if you have bed bugs in Massachusetts? Bed bugs look the same as bed bugs anywhere else: small, flat, brown, oval and they do not have wings. They are so tiny that you often don't see them - but if they are there, you can feel them! Their bites cause reddish sores on your skin similar to a mosquito, although people who are especially sensitive can have more severe reactions. The good news is that bed bugs are not known to carry any serious diseases, but that is small comfort if you can't get a good night's sleep due to the biting pests.

So what can you do about bed bugs? Unfortunately, once you have them as unwelcome guests in your home not much can be done to get rid of bed bugs in Massachusetts on your own. Because they are so small it is a hopeless task to try to kill them all yourself. That is especially true if you live in an apartment, since bed bugs tend to spread to infest the whole building. Unless you treat the entire building, they will quickly find their way back from the infested apartments next door.

Therefore, once a bed bug infestation occurs, only the use of professional pest control or extermination services can solve the problem. While it's hard to put a price on a good night's sleep, if you've ever been a victim of bed bugs, then you know that it's a price worth paying.

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Massachusetts Bed Bugs | Bedbug Exterminator in MA

I'm a new landlord and new to MA. I rent the four rooms out to the tenants in my apartment in the beginning of 2011. In July, one of my tenant notified me on the existing of bed bugs. I spoke to a exterminator and understand that the bed bugs were brought into the house from others as there were no bed bugs in the house from the start. I agreed to have a exterminator come in to have these treated as this is part of the law that landlord has to deal with it even though landlord has nothing to do with the bed bugs (the house has no bed bugs from the beginning). Anyway, is there any law to protect the landlord on this kind of issue? If on the Lease Agreement, landlord and tenant agreed the to no matter what kind of bugs in the house, landlord has no responsibility on paying for the treatment. Can this take effected if it's written on the Lease Agreement? For example, as the issue above, if the landlord and tenant agreed on landlord will not pay for the treatment on bed bugs on the Lease Agreement, then will this work when it comes to the MA law that landlord has to treat the bed bugs? If not, then what's the Lease Agreement for/mean if what's written on it does not take effected? I appreciate your time on writing your response/advise. Thank you!

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Responsibility for treating bed bugs | The Forum for ...

by nobugsonme on September 15, 2007 7 comments

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by nobugsonme on September 4, 2007 4 comments

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massachusetts Got bed bugs? Bedbugger.com Page 2

Introduction

Massachusetts bed bugs got their name from its close association with human sleeping beds where they often seek refuge during daylight, only to come out to feed on the bed occupant(s) at night. The bed bug is an ectoparasite of humans but will also attack poultry, caged and invasive birds, and various mammals including rodents. It was introduced into the United States with the early colonists. With the development of modern pesticides, bed bugs were eradicated in the United Stated by the mid 1950's. Bed bugs started showing up again in the United States around the mid-1990's and since then the number of reported cases have grown exponentially with no signs of slowing. Today, bed bugs are found throughout the United States and the world.

Adults measure 3/16 inch long, and are broadly oval and flat. Bed bugs in Massachusetts are amber to reddish brown in color, depending on how recently they fed. When present in sufficient numbers, it is possible to detect an obnoxiously sweet or foul "locker room" odor, which is emitted from their glands.

A thorough inspection is indispensable. F&W will treat any bed bugs found with a crack and crevice application of appropriately labeled insecticides. F&W's technicians will use great care when treating in order to minimize human exposure to pesticides. In homes, most bed bug infestations can be controlled with insecticide applications to infested upholstered furniture seams, mattress seams, box spring cavities, bed frame crevices, lower wall penetrations, behind baseboards and into the carpet tack strip zone. In apartment buildings, condominiums and hotels, it is advisable to also inspect and treat the units to either side and above and below the infested unit, since bed bugs move readily through structural voids. Additional follow-up treatments by F&W exterminators of infested dwellings are usually necessary for complete control by a bed bug exterminator in MA.

The female bed bug lays 1 to 5 eggs per day with the 1/32 inch long, white eggs being deposited individually in cracks or on rough surfaces and secured with a transparent cement for an average total of 200 eggs; maximum eggs per day is 12, with 541 for a lifetime. There are 5 nymphal instars with a blood meal required for each molt. About 3 to 10 minutes are required for each blood meal, during which saliva containing an anticoagulant is injected. Developmental time (egg to adult) takes 21 days at 86F to 120 days at 65F. The threshold for egg hatching, nymphal development, and adult activity is 55F to 59F. Below 61F adults enter semi-hibernation and the heat stress death point is 111F to 113F. Without a blood meal, once-fed nymphs can survive an average of 51 days (range 28 to 73) at 81F and 70 to 75% RH. Being poorly fed can greatly prolong the life cycle (up to several years in some studies). With normal feeding and reproductive cycles, individuals can live up to 316 days. Not all bed bugs in MA in a residence will feed concurrently. They remain concealed until hungry. Humans are the preferred host of these insects but in their absence bed bugs will feed on poultry, canaries, English sparrows, mice, rats, rabbits, guinea pigs and bats. Although the bite of bed bugs is painless, most people (80%) develop an allergic reaction to the saliva injected by the bug as it feeds. A swelling usually results from feeding but there is no red spot such as is characteristic with flea bites. Swelling may be severe and extend beyond the immediate bite area in highly sensitive individuals. Although bed bugs have been suspect in the transmission of many diseases or disease organisms in humans, in most cases conclusive evidence is lacking.

Bed bugs harbor in cracks and crevices during the day and come out to feed at night. Typically they can be found around mattress buttons and beading, in box springs or their coverings, and in any crevice of a wooden bed frame, such as where members join. Other places to check are wall hangings such as picture frames, night stands, stuffed furniture, baseboards, floorboard cracks, behind loose wallpaper, light switches, door and window frames, conduits, etc. In heavy infestations, MA bed bugs may be found in wall voids, attics, and other enclosed places. They will crawl considerable distances to obtain a blood meal. They can be introduced into a structure via used furniture or in the belongings of someone who has been living in a bed bug infested situation. Adults can survive for up to 6-7 months if they are well fed and they can feed on other animals if humans are not present. When the temperature falls below 61F adults enter semi hibernation and can survive for months. Bed bug infestations have been found in transportation vehicles such as boats (including cruise ships), trains, airplanes, and buses as well as in movie theaters where they typically harborage in seats and associated frames. Besides the characteristic obnoxiously sweet odor, the other primary clues to an infestation will be the presence of bed bugs and/or small red to reddish brown fecal spots here and there on surfaces.

Ideally, affected persons should not be relocated because of the risk of spreading the problem further. If, however, relocation is a must due to server allergic reactions, all belongings and bed clothing should be laundered and/or placed in a dryer on medium to high heat for a minimum of 15 minutes before being bought to the new location. If pesticide exposure becomes a health concern, an infested bed frame, box spring and mattress and upholstered furniture can be discarded (after being marked or defaced to prevent "adoption" by others) and replaced with new. Professionally-treated or replacement mattresses and box springs should be fitted with special zippered encasements to prevent re-infestation by bed bugs. A standard vacuum cleaner fitted with hose attachment and crevice tool is useful to remove bed bugs when found. Microfiltration vacuum bags should be used to prevent insect allergens from being blown into the air. Filter bags should be place in a sealed plastic bag and discarded after vacuuming to prevent escape and re-infestation by surviving bed bugs. Bed coverings, clothing and comfort toys suspected of being infested with bed bugs should be washed in hot soapy water and run through the medium to high heat cycle in a dryer for a minimum of 15 minutes. Dry clean only fabrics and other sensitive items that can be laundered can be placed in a dryer at low to medium heat for a minimum of 15 minutes.

F&W can help you with bed bug control in Bristol County, Essex County, Middlesex County, Norfolk County, Plymouth County, and Worcester County MA.

You can read more information about IPM and QualityPro Schools. Take a look at our pest library for further information on the pests we exterminate.

Excerpt from:
Bed Bug Control | Services F&W Pest Control