Extermination of bedbugs

General information and description

There are many varieties of bugs, aquatic or terrestrial, but the best known and most hated is the bed bug that wreaks havoc just about everywhere around the world, including Montreal.

The bed bug is brown-coloured, about the size of an apple seed and is not equipped with wings. Thanks to its specially shaped mouth, the bed bug stings and sucks the blood of its hosts. It then hides for about ten days to digest the blood of its victims. Bed bugs are strictly nocturnal but when present in large quantities, they circulate even during the day.

Development

Male and female bugs must feed on blood to breed in the spring. Once the female has been fertilized, she lays her eggs every 3 to 4 days and places them near the humans or animals on whom she parasites. Bed bugs can thus continue to lay eggs for about 6 months provided they suck the blood of the mammals they invade. The egg becomes an adult after 2 to 10 months, depending on the temperature and the blood supply.

The eggs, as big as a pinhead, can be found in cracks and crevices of mattresses, box springs and headboards, under chairs, sofas and carpets, in the drawers, etc… In short, just about anywhere in the house. If there is a heavy infestation, it may be that you notice a sweet smell in the affected areas.

The bed bug has to go through five stages before becoming an adult and it needs a lot of blood at all stages of its formation. As the temperature is an important growth factor, bed bugs can stop growing below 13 to 15°C. In that case, it does not die but goes into hibernation.

Sickness risk and the appearance of bites

So far, there is no evidence that the bed bug transmits diseases as mosquitoes or fleas do, but its proliferation is a public health problem. Most often, the bed bug's bites are painless and look like a mosquito bite. In groups of 3 or 4 one finds bites in one and the same area of the skin, usually the arms, legs and back. The bitten person feels itching that can disturb his sleep, make him anxious and tired. You should know that even if it is small, the bed bug has a big appetite and can bite the same person several times.

Enemies of bed bugs

The worst enemy of the bed bug is a kind of millipede hunter named the house centipede . The bed bug is also the target of pharaoh ants, spiders, mites, cockroaches, etc. One should not expect that these insects will rid you of bed bugs so it would be well advised to contact a professional exterminator.

514-817-6463

MONTREAL

WEST ISLAND

LAVAL

NORTH SHORE

SOUTH SHORE

Permit Qc # P700129

Bedbugs: a Human Problem

What a mess! And to think that 20 years ago, this problem was practically non existent in North America. In fact, in my first 10 years running L' Exterminateur P.M., I can recall only on case on bedbugs I treated, and these people had just come back from a trip.

When we're invaded by cockroaches, for example, as disgusted as we may be by this creature, at least we're not being attacked physically. With bedbugs, on the other hand, it's a whole different story, and the psychological effect is powerful. We feel taken over in our own home, with all of the implied aftermath. We lose sleep, we panic, we feel overwhelmed and powerless, and then we make mistakes. We tried treating it ourselves with ineffective methods and products, or else we throw away our furniture, thinking we're throwing away the problem.

In time, products have been developed for bedbugs which we use today in the pest control industry that give good results. But no matter how good the product or service, the co-operation of the people as well as the preparation of the bedrooms are absolutely essential for a successful intervention. (Go to "Preparation for bedbug treatment " on this same page.)

We must understand that what we see with the naked eye is very little compared to what we don't see. In fact, bedbugs can hide anywhere, in the smallest cracks and crevasses of the beds and drawers or behind baseboards, mouldings and frames.

It's difficult to understand the emotional impact such a problem can have on us unless we've experienced it for ourselves. At first, when I would go to my clients' houses and witness their befuddlement, I would think to myself : “Come on! There are worste things that can happen to you.” Well, about 10 years ago, my wife and I went on a backpack trip across Costa Rica. At one point, we found ourselves in Monteverde, a village in the north of Costa Rica. We quickly found a small motel with an astounding view on the Gulf of Nicoya. Everything was fine and dandy. At bedtime, my wife told me she felt itchy. Like all good husbands, I told her it was her imagination and that everything was fine. So, during the night, I woke up with something on my face. In the bathroom, I saw that it was definitely bedbugs and my heart skipped a beat. There was no way we were going to leave this place in the middle of the night, so I went back to bed telling my wife there was no problem. It goes without saying I didn't sleep for the rest of the night, but that's when I really understood my clients!