Think You Have Bed Bugs? Schedule an Inspection!

An initial inspection is done by a licensed technician from Lloyd Pest Control Services Ltd. to identify and confirm a bed bug problem. Once confirmed, details of the findings will be discussed and a treatment time and date will be agreed upon. If this is a multiple-unit dwelling, such as an apartment building or townhouse complex, your unit may be targeted for inspection and/or treatment measures. The reason being you are in close proximity to a known affected unit. This does not mean your unit will become infested, but it is very important to protect you and contain the possibility of the problem spreading. It’s best to be cooperative for everyone’s benefit.

Bed Bug Facts

They’re back. In recent years, airline routes have shrunk the planet to the point that every single bug in the world lives within a 24-hour flight of major cities. Additionally, the regulatory loss of long-lasting insecticides has allowed the once under-control bed bug to make a significant comeback. With the numbers of sightings in the United States and elsewhere now doubling every year, bed bugs are again proving to be a difficult and not so uncommon pest.

Bed bugs, as the name implies, are commonly associated with areas where we sleep. These insects lay dormant during daylight hours in small cracks and crevices, coming out at night to feed on blood. Bed bugs often hide near bedding areas, but can move more than 100 feet to obtain a blood meal so your relaxation areas where you watch TV or browse the internet are also vulnerable. Peak activity occurs between midnight and 7:00 a.m. The bite of a bedbug is painless, but approximately 50% to 70% of people develop an allergic reaction to the saliva injected by the bugs as they feed. The reaction usually results in red, swollen and itchy skin.

Adult bed bugs measure only an eighth of an inch in length, and are reddish-brown in color, with oval-shaped and flattened bodies. The immature nymphs resemble the adults but are smaller and lighter in color. Nymphs must molt five times before maturing and require a blood meal between each molt. Females can lay about five eggs a day and up to 500 in a lifetime. Eggs take 7-10 days to hatch. Without the aid of magnification, newly hatched nymphs are hard to see, and they are small enough to crawl through the stitching hole in a mattress. Development progresses from egg to adult in 30-60 days, under normal conditions (it can take much longer if adequate food is not available.) If a blood host is not found, newly molted nymphs can survive close to two months, and adults can survive for an entire year without feeding.

Bed Bug Control

Control of the bed bug is one of the most difficult challenges facing the pest control industry today. In the absence of long-lasting pesticides, pest technicians are forced to rely on new techniques and technologies, and some old-fashioned problem-solving skills. Proper bed bug control should always start with a detailed inspection. Bed bugs will hide where you would least expect – and, for the most part, only a trained professional will be successful in finding them. The application of targeted residual compounds, contact insecticides and monitoring devices is our method of choice. It is labour-intensive and time-consuming, but in our opinion, has resulted in successful outcomes time and time again.

If the homeowner budget permits before an initial treatment and three weeks after the last, it is helpful to deploy the use of steam cleaners using high heat and low pressure settings. The mattress, box spring and all carpets plus any sofas or fabric chairs should be steamed. This, too, is a time-consuming process, but steam kills all stages of bed bugs.

Length of Time for Treatment

The length of time it takes to treat a unit/home for bed bugs varies on the size of the unit/home, on the amount of furnishings to be treated and the severity of infestation. Approximate treatment times vary from 30-45 minutes for a bachelor apartment or a student resident room to 3-4 hours or more for single detached homes.

Be Honest with Us for Most Effective Treatment

Be honest – if you have been treating the problem yourself before we got involved, let us know and then do not chemically treat your home once a pest management company has been hired. If you suspect you have bed bugs, tell us why. If you will be throwing out your mattresses, box spring or other infested items, please be advised to wrap it completely in plastic before carrying it through your home for disposal and slash fabric so it will not be reused.

At Least Three Treatments Will Be Required

After inspection, three treatments minimum are most often recommended – the initial treatment and two follow-up treatments in order to obtain the best results. The technician will advise you if for any reason he feels less or more treatments are required. All occupants, including pets, will need to be away from your home for six hours each time a treatment is done. Cover and consider unplugging any fish tanks if applicable. If you have any serious health conditions, consult with your doctor and follow his/her recommendations.

Follow-up treatments will be scheduled two to three weeks apart. We will call to arrange the next time and date. If you have not heard from us within this time frame, please call us.

Occupant Preparation for All Scheduled Treatments

• Do not dismantle the bed (take apart). Doing so may scatter and change existing hiding places, making control more difficult.
• Heavily infested bed components (example, box spring, mattresses, head/footboard, and bed skirts) may need to be discarded. The technician will advise you of this.
• In order to do a thorough treatment, the occupants should strip the bed of sheets, blankets, pillows, etc., to expose the mattress for inspection. Fold bedding in on itself to contain any bed bugs. Once removed, wash all bedding in hot water at a temperature of at least 120 degrees.
• Look through all bedroom drawers. Clean clothes should be put in a dryer at the highest temperature setting for a minimum of 20 minutes to aid in the elimination of concealed insects. Store all clothes and drawer contents in tightly sealed plastic containers or tied garbage bags for temporary storage within the room throughout the treatment schedule.
• Leave empty all dresser and nightstand drawers. They will be inspected and treated during each treatment. Empty all shelving and clear floor areas of all closets (Example, in bedrooms, hallways, and bathrooms including any items on hangers). Exposure of the cracks and crevices of shelves and access to closet baseboards is what we are interested in inspecting and treating. Bed bugs hide in these types of places.
• Take all pictures, posters, etc., down from walls. Leave them in the room taken down from. Lean framed pictures back facing out for inspection.
• Upholstered chairs and sofas will be inspected and treated. Please keep these areas clear.
• Pull all furniture throughout the home a minimum of 6 inches to about one foot away from the walls. This allows access to the baseboards in the entire home.
• For first treatment, please remove all light switch covers and plug (outlet) plates. You may put them back on after treatment.
• Repair any loose wallpaper. Caulk all wall and wood cracks as they can provide additional hiding places for bed bugs.

Bed Bug Points of Interest

• They feed approximately once per week on average.
• Females lay approximately 300-500 eggs in a lifetime, which is about 2-4 eggs/day.
• Eggs hatch anywhere from 7 to 15 days after being laid under optimum conditions.
• Once hatched, they are called nymphs and they will undergo five molts. Favorable conditions will provide for mature adults within 4-6 weeks.

It’s No Use Complaining; Do Your Part

It is our intention for you to understand the importance of complete cooperation at each step of the process. Yes, it is a huge inconvenience and a lot of effort on the part of all participating. Complaining, blaming and looking for ways to do less than what is required serves no purpose. We need to work together to ensure the best result possible.

Occupant Responsibilities between Follow-Up Appointments

• Strip the bed regularly and launder all bedding at a temperature of at least 120 degrees.
• Please vacuum your home just before we do the initial treatment, and then vacuum again before we return to do our second and third treatment. When vacuuming, pay particular attention to seams, tufts and edges of mattresses and box springs of beds, as well as baseboards and bed frames. Using your vacuum’s crack and crevice tool, get down inside the arms and back of upholstered furniture and do the perimeter edge of wall-to-wall carpets.
• Always dispose of vacuum bag contents in a sealed trash bag.
• Keep a written report of any activity noted during the period between treatments and contact our office with your comments. Wait three to four weeks after final treatment before vacuuming again.
• It is important to keep clutter to a minimum. Dispose of as many unnecessary household items before treatment and continue those de-cluttering efforts between treatments. The fewer bed bug hiding places, the better.
• Before our first treatment and three weeks after our last, consider steam-cleaning (with low vapour and high heat) all carpets, bed mattresses and upholstered furniture. It is helpful for eliminating bed bugs and eggs that vacuuming or treatment might have missed.
• Consider purchasing zipped mattress covers for use after. Your cooperation is very important in obtaining success not only for your home, but in the case of multi-dwellings, that of your neighbour.

Have Questions or Concerns? Call Our Office!

Should you have any questions or concerns, please call our office in Oshawa. If it’s after hours, leave a message and we will call you back as soon as possible the next business day.

Schedule an appointment

Customer Preparation for Common Insect Problems

How to Deal with Common Insects

For effective and safe treatment it is important that the following steps be taken when your home is being sprayed for cockroaches, ants, silverfish/firebrats, all stored product pests such as flour beetles, weevils or Mediterranean and Indian meal moths and all common insects.

1. Remove all food items, dishes, utensils, cookware, etc. from cupboards and drawers – both top and bottom – in the kitchen. Do not place these items on your counters, as the backsplash area may require a crack and crevice application. You can put these either above or below your kitchen table and cover with sheets, tarps or plastic garbage bags or store temporarily in some other area of the home.
2. Remove all items from bathroom vanities above and below the sink. Place within the bathtub for temporary storage if required.
3. Remove items from shelves and floor areas of bedrooms, linen, and any other storage spaces within the home. Clothes hanging up in cupboards can remain where they are.
4. Pull all furniture and appliances away from the walls about one foot in order to give access to the baseboards throughout the home.
5. All windows are to be closed prior to the treatment. All adults, children and pets (including birds, etc.) are to be away from the home for a minimum of six hours after the treatment time. Any aquariums/fishbowls are to be unplugged and covered over. Any occupants with asthma, children under two years of age or pregnant women should remain out a minimum of eight hours.

After You Return

If you choose, you can air out your home by opening all windows and doors for 5 to 15 minutes. Use a fan to help circulate the air if possible. There should be minimal odour and the odour will not harm you in any way, but it is something you are not used to. It will lessen within 24 to 48 hours.

Do not wash baseboards or interior cupboard surfaces for at least four weeks. You should place either wax paper or paper towels on the bottom of all your cupboards and drawers before returning your food items, dishes, etc. You can remove the paper if desired after four weeks. This acts as a barrier between the surface area that was treated and your belongings.

What Can You Expect?

Activity will be seen. Do not panic; this is normal and must occur. Not all insects are eliminated 100% at the time of treatment. Individual insect biology is different and there is a time factor of allowing for continued insect movement across the material applied. It is necessary for the insect to accumulate enough material to be affected.

Report any activity noted beyond one month from the time of treatment to Lloyd Pest Control Services Ltd. in Oshawa. You can reach us at either 905-436-0111 or toll-free at 1-866-576-6177.
Schedule an appointment

Have a Rodent Problem? Call Lloyd Pest Control Services Ltd.!

Learn More about the Common Characteristics of Mice & Rats

Do you think you have rodent problem? Contact Lloyd Pest Control Services Ltd. to inspect your property and determine a viable solution. We also encourage you to read the common characteristics of mice and rats found below so you’re more familiar with the problem at-hand.

Mice & Rats

Often found in urban areas, the common house mouse has large ears and is usually light brown to dark grey with a lighter colour on its belly. The deer mouse is usually brown or grey with a white belly and feet, and the telltale white colour on the underside of the tail is an easy way to spot one. It may invade buildings near fields or woodlands in the fall. A rat is larger than a mouse, weighing up to 0.5 kilograms (1 pound).

While the Norway rat and the roof rat may appear similar, their habits are different. The Norway rat tends to build elaborate systems of tunnels and burrows at ground level, preferring damp areas such as crawlspaces or building perimeters. The roof rat is typically a more agile climber, preferring to live in trees, vines or other dense vegetation. Roof rats infest attics, rafters and roofs, as well as upper stories of buildings. Indications you may have an infestation include scampering and scratching sounds inside your walls, signs of chewing or gnawing and damaged food packages. Other signs include droppings and urine, burrows or holes in and around your foundation walls or tracks left on dusty surfaces.

Because mice and rats are prolific breeders, it’s best to tackle the problem of a rodent infestation right away. Mice and rats can also be carriers of diseases and can damage your property. The deer mouse is the most common carrier of the deadly Hantavirus.

We would be happy to help you with this problem in a phone call, an email or a visit to our store. Contact us today!

Schedule an appointment