Bed Bug PTSD

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4649749639_2992f9c638_oMany people do not understand the psychological toll that bed bugs can take on those living with infestations. Bed bugs attack you when you are at your most vulnerable, asleep in your bed. As common as the bed bug problem is, many people do not hear about the honest truth of what it is really like to live with these pests.

Right now, everything I own is in garbage bags piled up in the middle of my kitchen and bathroom and filling my shower. It’s been that way for a week and a half and will continue to be so for at least another week on top of that. If you live in a major city, you might know what’s coming. If not, welcome to the hell that is bed bugs.

This isn’t the first time I’ve had bed bugs. Nor the second. It’s the third, and this time it’s taken two visits from the exterminators to (hopefully) rid our apartment of the tiny beasts. Luckily we were able to catch the bugs early before they got a real hold on the apartment. Unluckily, that’s mostly because rather than mosquito-esque little bumps, my bites turn into hardened ping-pong ball sized welts that itch for over a week. So when we have bed bugs, I know pretty quickly. And each time everything goes into bags. I stop sleeping. I avoid furniture on the street. I refuse to enter libraries.

I used to joke that I had bed bug PTSD. There’s a certain kind of anxiety that the seemingly invisible biters incite. But in fact, it might not be a joke. Research is starting to show that bed bug infections can leave people with anxiety, depression, and paranoia. And that’s normal. In fact, it would be weird for you not to be freaked out, says Stéphane Perron, a doctor and researcher at the University of Montreal. “If you have bed bugs, and if you don’t care, that’s not a normal reaction. You should be worried. I would consider it a normal reaction to a stressor.”

Read more at: http://theatln.tc/1wf2on5

The Worst Roommates in College Could Be Bed Bugs

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Going away to college can be an extremely exciting and stressful time with all kinds of new changes, new stresses, new friends and new friends. With all these changes, we want to remind you to make sure that you don’t end up with a new pest. Checking and preventing bed bugs in your dorm room or new apartment are important to your health this semester and to making sure you don’t bring those bed bugs back home when you go back to do your laundry on the weekends!

The ever-famous line ‘don’t let the bed bugs bite’ now has a newfound significance. According to data gathered by the National Pest Management Association and the University of Kentucky, bed bugs are biting more than ever before.

The study, which surveyed U.S. pest management professionals, found that bed bug encounters have become much more common in public places than the previous year. In fact, one of the most talked about statistics is that the numbers of professionals who treated college dorms increased to 54 percent, up from 35 percent in 2010.

Since bed bugs thrive in places where there are many people, college dorm rooms and off campus housing can provide a perfect environment for an infestation.

In order to prevent these creepy crawlers from ruining the upcoming semester, we recommend following these tips:

Check out the tips at: http://bit.ly/1eVRbDx

Why Killing Bed Bugs With Heat is Effective

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As we have talked about in previous posts, bed bugs are extremely hard to get rid of. There are many different tactics that companies use to eliminate bed bugs but heat is proven to be one of the most effective and is where we get the name Arizona Heat Pest.

Do not let these parasites ruin your life. Do not let them invade your home. If they are already there, you need to take all of the steps that you can to dislodge them from this position and kill them all. Killing them with heat is simple and effective, making it one of the best tactics that you can choose.

The entire process will be broken down below, including what you need to do, how much it costs, and when you should use heat instead of a different method to eradicate them from your home. If they are making it so that your home is not the clean, relaxing place that it should be for you and your family, keep reading to learn how to get rid of them forever.

Killing them with heat simply entails getting the interior of your home up to a level of heat that they cannot survive. If you have ever been in a sauna, you know just how intense it can be. You know how it reaches every corner of the building, allowing no escape unless you exit the building altogether.

Since you cannot see all of the bugs or all of their eggs, you need this sort of a treatment since heat can hunt them down for you. There will be no need to locate their nests when your entire home has been heated up until it is a death trap for these bugs.

Click here to read more. 

Bed Bug Horror Stories

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In the business of bed bug removal, there isn’t really ever a dull day. There are constantly new places where they are popping up and new people that need to be helped but sometimes we get there after the problem has been going on for a while and there are some horrifying things that bed bugs are capable of doing if we let them run amuck. Check out an interview with a bed bug exterminator from Brooklyn and a few of his horror stories from working the job for many years.

In the past few years, have you gotten more calls about bed bugs or fewer calls? More. But the one thing I do see is that people are starting to raise their level of acceptance with these bugs. I’m finding them all over.

What does that mean, “raise their level of acceptance?” Well, when these were first starting, it was like alarms were going off. People were, “AAGH, I’ve got bed bugs!” Now it’s like, “Eh, I’ve got a couple of bed bugs.” It seems like they’re becoming a little more nonchalant, like an occasional roach or something.

So what’s the difference, in terms of threat level, between the occasional roach and a couple of bed bugs? Well, the occasional roach would be in your kitchen by a water source, eating your food and things like that. The few bed bugs would be eating YOU. They’re parasites. They feed off human blood.

How concerned should people be? If you just have a few, is it worth paying an exterminator hundreds of dollars? Why can’t you kill them yourself? When people try to self-exterminate, they’re not taught how to find cracks and crevices. It’s very small details you’ve gotta pay attention to when you spray. You tend to make them spread.

How is that? Because once a pesticide is close to a bug, they will cross it, and they’ll scatter away from it. If they leave you and they can’t go back there, they end up going for your outlets or a hole in your ceiling where a light fixture is or something, and they’ll spread to other apartments. Or if you had them in the master bedroom, they’ll end up spreading to one of the smaller bedrooms.

What’s the worst job you’ve gone on? Ok, for me, I’ve come across a lot of different ones, but probably the one that was most shocking to me was when I was going to a single-room-occupancy to do a general treatment, for roaches and things like that. When I walked in, the gentleman was sitting on his couch, and his wall looked like it was covered in spots. And I’m staring at it, because it looked unusual to me, and I’m wondering why these spots looked like they were moving.

And when I got a little bit closer, there were hundreds and hundreds of bedbugs covering his wall behind his couch. I looked at the guy; he was chewed up, there wasn’t a spot on his face that didn’t have a bite on it. I said, “Sir. Look behind you.” He said, “They’re cockroaches.” I said, “They’re not cockroaches, they’re bedbugs, and they’re eating you.”

Click here to read more.

Click here to get rid of your bed bugs in Arizona

Why is it so hard to get rid of bed bugs?

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Do you have a bed bug problem but it just won’t go away? Have you tried home remedies or maybe even other extermination companies but still have bugs? Are you left wondering, why is it so hard to get rid of bed bugs? Well, here is what makes it hard to remove them. Bed bugs are the perfect storm of characteristics that make them difficult to remove from somewhere once they have infested it.

First of all, bed bugs are small, flat, and adept at squeezing themselves into tiny spaces. They can hide in places we’d never think of looking for them, like behind loose wallpaper or under electrical switch plates.

To successfully eliminate an infestation, you’ve got to find and kill every viable bed bug, which is not an easy task.

Second, bed bugs multiply quickly. A single female can lay 500 eggs during her life, and within a few months her offspring can reproduce as well. A few individuals introduced to a new environment can increase exponentially. Depending on conditions, bed bugs can produce 3 or 4 generations in one year. Additionally, bed bugs reproduce most quickly in temperatures between 70*deg; and 82*deg; F, right in the range where most people keep their thermostats.

Bed bugs can go a remarkably long time without feeding, should no host be present to provide them with needed blood meals. Scientists have documented adult bed bugsliving up to 550 days without eating, and nymphs may last for months. So simply leaving an infested dwelling unoccupied for a few months in hopes of starving them out will do nothing to discourage the little freeloaders.

Just to make their extermination more difficult, bed bugs can sense chemical odors, and may avoid areas where cleaning agents or even pesticides have been applied.

Click here to learn more about bed bugs. 

Click HERE to get rid of them for good!

Bed Bugs May Carry Deadly Disease

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In recent years bed bugs have resurfaced in a big way. They are absolutely everywhere and they are extremely difficult to get rid of. Bed bugs can bite, they cause property damage and now a new study says that they may also carry a deadly disease. Bed bugs have always been viewed as harmless but more studies are showing that they are becoming more of a threat in the recent years, making it extremely important to get rid of bed bugs and the only way to ensure that they are gone is with a professional service. To get the best professional service that the valley has to offer, go to azheatpest.com  and check out our discounts page to get the best price!

As bed bug infestations have continued to crop up in firehouses, schools, movie theaters and homes across the country, a team of researchers is now warning that these proliferating pests could prove to be more than just an itchy, pricey nuisance.

According to a new study published on Monday, bed bugs are capable of transmitting a parasite that causes Chagas disease, an infection that in some cases can lead to cardiac or intestinal complications. The infection is found most commonly in Mexico, Central American and South America, but has been increasing its foothold in the U.S.

“There are a lot of people with Chagas disease, and a lot of bed bugs. They are in our houses, in our beds — and in high numbers,” said Michael Levy, a researcher at University of Pennsylvania’s Perelman School of Medicine and senior author on the new paper. He also co-authored a report in January that found bed bug populations in Philadelphia are growing by 70 percent a year.

“But no one seems worried,” he added. “We always hear that the bugs don’t seem to be carrying anything.”

On their website, after lamenting that bed bugs “are resurging, causing property loss, expense, and inconvenience,” the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention goes on to offer some “good news” — “Bed bugs do not transmit disease.” The CDC declined to comment on the new study, which details a series of experiments that suggests bed bugs and mice are capable of transmitting Chagas disease to one another.

Read more at: http://pi.vu/66uF

How to Choose the Best Pest Company for Bed Bugs

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Bed bugs can be a real hassle to deal with and get rid of. One of the last things you need when finding out about a Bed Bug infestation is to have to dig through the pile of pest companies to help solve the problem. There is a process you can follow that will help you find the best company for your situation.

Making sure to vet any company for saftey in chemical product usage and alternative measures will surly gain you a better result! We hope you find AZ Heat Pest Services alternative measures to be the best in Arizona.

bed bugAccording to Andy Architect of the National Pest Management Association, there are more that 19,000 pest management firms operating in the United States. Unfortunately, these companies are not all created equally. Here are some steps from entomologist, Jeff White, to narrow your options and find the best:

Use web and telephone directories to locate several pest management firms in your area. Some may designate themselves as bed bug specialists, but this designation should only be an indicator and not a deciding factor.

Only utilize companies that have been registered to apply pesticides by the pesticide regulatory agency in your state. Lacking this license should serve as an immediate red flag. To find your state’s agency visit: http://npic.orst.edu/state1.htm.

Search for companies that use integrated pest management (IPM) services. IPM is a form of pest management designed to minimize the use of pesticides. Companies that utilize an IPM approach are more likely to provide ongoing monitoring and a multidisciplinary approach to bed bug management (more on this later).

INTERVIEWING COMPANIES: QUESTIONS YOU SHOULD KNOW TO ASK

Once you hire a pest management firm they may be entering your home and spraying pesticides or performing services that can cost hundreds of dollars. Interviewing the selected companies is not only your right, it is strongly advised.

Ask companies about their membership in recognized national, state, and local pest control associations. Membership to these associations requires periodic evaluation of their pest management protocols as well as ethical business practices. Some key associations to look for include:

The National Pest Management Association (NPMA), state pest management associations, QualityPro, the Better Business Bureau (BBB), and bedbugFREE. Companies may also be members of equivalent associations.

Membership with the bedbugFREE national network is a particularly important affiliation to consider when bed bug treatments are desired. This membership indicates that companies are not only members of NPMA and/or QualityPro, but have also had their bed bug treatment protocols evaluated to ensure they share multidisciplinary treatment methods and philosophies similar to Bed Bug Central’s protocol.

Read More Here: http://bedbugcentral.com/resources/how-to-choose-a-pest-control-company

How to Spot a Bed Bug Infestation

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Bed bugs are tiny bugs that like to hide to as best they can during the day. They come out at night to feed on their favorite food, blood. Being that these bugs are very sneaky it makes it very difficult even to the trained eye to correctly identify a Bed Bug infestation. This is why it is very important to not jump to conclusions as soon as you receive a bite during the night. Also, more importantly, why it is very important to remember that just because you don’t see any bedbugs upon investigation, does not necessarily mean you DO NOT have bed bugs.

This is exactly why you should have a professional Bed Bug inspection done by the best in Arizona. AZ Heat Pest Services is here to help you get control of your home again.

LifeCycleThe only way to know for sure if you have bed bugs is to produce an actual sample of the bug itself (methods for doing this are discussed below). Do not automatically assume that any bite-like mark is a bed bug bite. Also it is important to realize that medical professionals cannot give a positive diagnosis simply by examining bite symptoms, they can only suggest some possible explanations for what may have caused the bites/symptoms to occur.

If you are experiencing bites but have not seen any bugs, you should consider the circumstances in which the bites are occurring. For example, there is a very good chance that you have bed bugs if you  waking up each morning with bite symptoms on your body that were not present when you went to sleep. A situation like this would be a good reason to investigate the possibility that bed bugs are present. in the car, at work, etc. are much less likely to be caused by bed bugs. It is also important to realize that just because you have looked for bed bugs and could not find them, does not mean that they are not there. These insects lead a very cryptic and secretive lifestyle and will often go undetected. It is best to have a highly trained professional conduct the inspection for you.

Occasionally you may see evidence of a bed bug infestation without actually seeing any bed bugs. Bed bugs leave fecal stains in the areas they inhabit. These stains are actually partially digested blood but remember that it will not be red unless you crush a bed bug that has just recently fed. As the blood is digested it turns black and therefore the bed bug droppings usually consist of several black spots in one area. The fecal spots will not flake off if rubbed and will smear if wiped with a wet rag.

Remember the key to knowing if you have an active bed bug infestation is to produce a live sample of a bed bug and there are several ways that you can easily do this including:

  1. Visual inspection of sleeping and resting areas such as beds and upholstered furniture.Carefully examine the areas beneath fitted sheets, along the edges of mattress piping, if no bugs or evidence of bugs are found, remove the mattress and continue with inspection of the box spring paying close attention to the four corners under the plastic corner guards and the on the underside  of the box spring where the dust cover is stapled into the frame. Keep in mind that bed bugs can easily be missed during a visual inspection so using one or more of the other methods below is recommended if no bugs are found during a visual inspection.

Read More Here: http://www.bedbugcentral.com/bedbugs101/how-do-i-know-i-have-bed-bugs

Bed Bugs Causing People to use Drastic Measures, Misuse Chemicals

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If you are caught up in the middle of a bed bug infestation chances are your are stressed out, upset, ad tired from your lack of sleep and dealing with your bed bug bites. Not only yourself but you may be dealing with an infestation that has influenced your family as well. This hurried and emotional response to a stressful situation can sometimes lead to people taking drastic and dangerous measures to rid these pests from their lives. Leading to the misuse of OTC chemicals that have been proven to cause serious harm in humans when over exposed.

Check out this article for more information on how NOT to deal with an infestation. Remember that AZ Heat Pest Services are experts in removing bedbugs and our specialized heat treatment will guarantee the removal and extermination of the pests that have driven you up the wall and back. Speaking of backs, we got yours when the time comes!

WebAbout 40 used bedbug bombs greeted Mike Deutsch when he entered a small home in Hempstead, N.Y., last year.

“The first thing I thought was, ‘Is everyone okay?'” recalled Deutsch, an entomologist with Arrow Exterminating.

Fortunately, no one in the Hempstead house had been sickened by the chemicals enlisted in the family’s do-it-yourself eradication attempt — although new studies warn of the potential subtle or long-term consequences of exposures to bedbug pesticides, including hormone disruption, reproductive difficulties and behavioral problems. Everyone also escaped unscathed from a duplex in Marion, Ohio, that caught fire during a heat treatment for bedbugs in late December.

Research by the Centers For Disease Control and Prevention suggests that people are not always so lucky.

A pattern of desperate, dangerous and often futile measures have Deutsch and other bedbug experts warning the public that bedbugs pose more significant problems than just their notorious nocturnal nibbling. While the epidemic fills fewer headlines today than when it resurfaced in the mid-2000s, experts also recognize that the bedeviling pests only seem to be multiplying further. A report released by Penn Medicine on Thursday suggested that infestations in Philadelphia are growing by 70 percent a year. Nearly all pest management professionals, according to a nationwide survey published in April, reported servicing a bedbug infestation in the past year.

Read More Here: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/01/10/bed-bugs-health-risks-pesticides-fires_n_4565660.html

 

How to Avoid Hotel Bed Bugs

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We all enjoy getting out of the weekly grind, putting our feet up, and enjoying some well deserved rest and relaxation at our favorite luxury resort. The scarey part about sleeping in a hotel bed is that you must understand that hundreds perhaps even thousands of people have slept in the very bed you are relaxing on. There is no real way to tell how extensive of a clean the maids did when turning your room over for your arrival. So what are some things you can do to protect yourself from bed bugs while on the road? Check out the article below…

travel bugIf you’re sleeping somewhere other than home, beware. Bedbug prevalence is on the rise, and hotels and motels are some of their favorite hangouts.

These pesky critters can cause severe itching and welt-like bites, and it’s costly to get rid of them if they follow you home. What’s more, research suggests they can cause financial distress, anxiety, and social isolation.

But no need to get depressed just yet. With these easy tips, you can cut your chances of critter trouble while on the road.

Before you check out your hotel room’s minibar or oceanfront view, give it a thorough bedbug inspection—and until you’ve done that, stash your luggage in the loo.

“Bedbugs are least likely to be found in the bathroom,” says Missy Henriksen, vice president of public affairs for the National Pest Management Association. “They don’t like the tile floors and there aren’t as many hiding places. They like to be closer to where people may be sleeping.”

Inspect the bed

Here’s how to check for a bedbug infestation: Pull back the linens, and check all the way around and under the mattress and behind the headboard.

Look for blood stains or small black dots that look like mold or ground pepper, says Christine Johnson, PhD, a behavioral ecologist in the American Museum of Natural History’s Division of Invertebrate Zoology, in New York City. Check for the critters too. Bedbugs are about the size and shape of an apple seed, and you may find them hiding in corners or seams of the bedding.

Read More Here: http://www.health.com/health/gallery/0,,20513823_3,00.html