Bed bugs Montreal – So you just moved into your new apartment

The official moving day in Montreal has just passed, and for some of us, we’ve settled into our new place or still in the process of opening boxes and ordering pizza for the 4^th consecutive night. It’s an exciting time to finally move in, organize your stuff and start fresh. You’ve probably cleaned up the place, got the old smell that lingers from the previous owners or tenants and got rid of anything else left behind, except for one thing; the dreaded bed bug. Yes people it happens. People move into new dwelling without even a concern for bed bugs. Bed bugs are notorious for causing havoc in someone’s new home, the landlord never told them about bed bugs and now they are stuck living with the pesky critter for the duration of the lease. This is how you get rid of bed bugs, prevent and detect bed bugs if there is a concern.

Look for signs of bed bugs – check out our bed bug identification page.

Do a proper cleaning of the bedroom, more precisely between the floors and the base boards.

Before installing your bed, encase your mattress, box spring and pillows. You’ve just moved in with a clean, bed bug free bed set and you want to keep it that way. Therefore you want to protect it with a bed bug mattress cover, bed bug box spring cover and bed bug pillow covers to avoid bed bugs from entering and nesting inside your mattress, box spring or pillow case or from escaping in the case that they’ve already settled in you mattress

Your mattress and etc… is now protected, but bed bugs can still crawl up and around your bed for its blood meal... We need to deny the bed bugs access to your bed! This is why the ClimbUp bed bug interceptor works great. Once placed under the legs of your bed, bed bug will get trapped in the inner well of the interceptor. This way if bed bugs coming from outside the bed crawl up the interceptor and fall inside and get trapped in the inner well. In addition, any bed bug trying to escape the bed will also get trapped. It’s a must have.

For the next couple of weeks or months, consider buying white sheets for your bed. Constantly inspect your sheets for any blood stains. When bed bugs feed, there is always some kind of blood residue after their blood meal. Red spot on sheets can be a great indicator.

Keep your bed away from the wall. I know this is not pleasant, your pillow will fall over the edge (unless you have a headboard) and your room will not look complete with the bed in the middle of the room, but you must keep the bed at least 18 inches away from the wall to prevent the bed bugs from climbing up the wall and into your bed. Remember, bed bugs cannot jump or fly.

Keep your clothes in clear bags for the first couple of weeks or months, this will avoid you the hassle of having to clean your entire wardrobe in the event that bed bugs exist in your home. The clear bag also allows you to see what clothes are in which bag.

Note that these are only basic measures to deal with bed bugs, we have other tools to help with bed bugs such our active bed bug detector which has been proven to lure and trap bed bugs. However, with these instructions you will be able to determine if you’re sharing your home with bed bug or not, it’s a basic integrated system that allows for easy and early detection. As the saying goes, better be safe than sorry.

Health Canada warns citizens about bed bug products

Health Canada bed bug product warning!

A warning has been emitted by the federal government about dangerous bed bug products which lead to the death of two children in Fort McMurray, Alberta. Health Canada warns Canadians about unregistered products that claim to kill bed bugs. Health Minister Rona Ambrose said ``It’s a really tragic situation and this is a product that in terms of how its regulated, is not supposed to be used in homes ever``

The pesticide used by the family contained aluminum phosphide; a very toxic ingredient in certain pesticides that should only be used by pest control specialists. According to the department of Health Canada, such bed bug products can only be approved for use by those with the appropriate training. Although small amounts of unregistered pest control products can be imported into Canada, they are for personal use only and rules are primarily applied for products such as insect repellent, not insect killers.

Most pesticides and other dangerous-goods which cross the border should meet the labelling and shipping documents; however small quantities always slip through. Once on Canadian soil, anybody can try to sell these products to innocent people who are victims of bed bugs, victims who are usually in a vulnerable and desperate position.

How to buy safe bed bug products?

Buy from reputable sources such as us bedbugsos.ca or other pest management companies in your neighborhood. As for us at bedbugsos.ca, we sell only natural products which are all approved by health Canada. If you have bed bugs and need some immediate relief, consider buying ClimbUp bed bug interceptor. They are a cost conscious and effective solution which provides you with immediate bed bug relief. For $19.99, you can’t go wrong, and if the budget permits, mattress encasements are always strongly recommended.

Should you have any other questions, please do not hesitate to contact us.

How to prevent bed bugs at summer camp

Summer camp season is right around the corner, and for some it has already started. It’s a great time for children to get out of the day to day monotony of school, make new friends and live new experiences away from home. For the most part, parents should feel safe sending their kids away for a week, most camps have rigorous protocols for accidents and emergency situations, however other dangers lurk in these summer camps; bed bugs! Every year there are reports where parents send their children to day camps and when the week is over and the children return home, they also bring home the dreaded bed bug with them.

How do bed bugs get into day camps and in your home?

Due to the high turnover of children sleeping in those beds, the risk of one child bringing in bed bugs is higher than usual. Unlike hotels where there is constant monitoring of bed bugs, some of these day camps run on tight budgets, therefore the cost of constant monitoring of bed bugs isn’t always a top priority. That means simply cleaning the sheets will suffice for these camps. So when one child brings in bed bugs to camp, it’s only a matter of time before that bed bug reproduces to create a colony which spreads throughout the sleeping quarters at camp. Camps won’t announce the presence of bed bugs to not ruin their reputation, so it’s very hard to know if it’s a problem or not. Even if they’ve had bed bugs in the past and have had the location treated, bed bug can live for up to a year without feeding. You can never be sure. When camp is over and the children return home, this is where vigilance is essential for parents. Because bed bugs are champions at hitchhiking, your child’s clothes and luggage could be contaminated with bed bugs. Once the luggage has entered your home, it is game over from here. It’s only a matter of time before the pesky bed bug starts its own family and spreads to all the rooms of your home.

How to prevent bed bugs from coming home with your children?

You could ask the day camp manager if there has been any cases of bed bugs, but they risk telling you exactly what you want to hear ``No, we do not have any bed bugs problems``. You could also educate you child about bed bugs, but you also don’t want to scare him or her. So here are a few measures you can take to protect you and your child from bed bugs.

• When sending you children to camp, place a dissolvable laundry bag in his/her suitcase and ask them to put all the clothing in that bag at the end of the trip.
• When you pick them up, place his/her luggage in a plastic garbage bag and do not bring in your house.
• When you get home, ask your kids to take off all their clothes in the garage, inspect their body for bite marks and send them to the shower. With his/her clothes, place immediately in a dissolvable laundry bag (or directly in laundry machine if in garage)
• Open plastic bag with luggage and remove the contents, place everything in the laundry machine.
• Since you are unable to clean the luggage in some cases, use the Blaze bed bug killer on the suitcase and place luggage back in the plastic bag for a 2-3 of days. Inspect the bag once removing it from the plastic bag.

The key here is to avoid any bed bug from entering your home. Keep all contents in plastic bags until clean. If you want to be extra cautious, send your kids to camp with bed bug detectors. Our Buggy Beds travel detectors are perfect for this. Ask you kid to slip them under his mattress the first day and place them in a Ziploc bag when he leaves; this way you can safely inspect the detector. If you are able to inspect the bed at camp, do so and have a look at our bed bug identification page.

For any questions or advice, please do not hesitate to send us an email, we will gladly help.

Never ignore the signs of bed bugs – here are 6 reasons why.

If you’ve ever had bed bugs, your natural reaction is to cringe at the thought of living with them. Unlike other bugs, bed bugs have the biggest impact on the well-being of a home. They suck your blood while you sleep; they nest in your mattress and box spring and are horribly difficult to get rid of. These are only a few worries of bed bug victims, the problem goes way beyond what was just mentioned. The best (and only way) to get rid of bed bugs is to find them earlier than later. As the saying goes; prevention is better than cure. That being said, here are a couple of reasons why you should never ignore signs of bed bugs.

1. There are alot of people out there who are allergic to the chemicals released from various insects’ bites. Some develop rashes, swelling, redness and other signs of inflammation around the bite marks, and although bed bugs are not known to cause any severe life threatening allergic reactions, the reactions do differ greatly. For example I once had a friend who had bed bugs and the bites she had gotten scarred her skin. To this day she still has the marks. In other cases, some people do not react at all, so even if you don’t seem to have bites you might want to check anyways for signs of bed bugs.
2. It has been proven by scientist that bed bugs are able to carry many different types of germs in and on their bodies. So far, there is no strong evidence which shows bed bugs passing on such germs to people. To this date, government officials do consider bed bugs as life-threatening. However, researchers at the University of Pennsylvania School of medicine found that bed bugs who fed on infected mice could pick up the infection from the mouse. When the bed bug later fed on uninfected mice, the infection was transmitted from the bed bug to the uninfected mice. Research is ongoing to see if such parasites can be transmitted to people.
3. Although so far bed bugs don’t transmit any diseases to human, they do pose mental harm on their victims. A study in 2012 from researchers at the university of Montreal found that bed bugs have various mental effects on their victims; i.e. anxiety, insomnia and etc. This study was conducted on people who never suffered deprived sleep from anxiety in the past. In one case, a woman trying to cope with bed bugs could no longer live with the anxiety and sleepless nights that she eventually took her own life.
4. Ignoring bed bugs will only increase the cost of extermination. Bed bug extermination can cost anywhere between $500 and $2000 for a 2 bedroom apartment, and usually the least expensive exterminator offers a most basic treatment which is usually not the most effective against bed bugs. The earlier the detection, the cheaper the cost.
5. In addition to the cost of extermination is the pesticide being sprayed all around your home, with a focus on your bed. I guarantee you that when the exterminators leave; you will notice a faint smell in the air and your bed will never look the same. Knowing that it has been blasted with pesticides will have you doubt the purity of your bed. In addition, because bed bugs have evolved to become resistant to pesticides, there is always a need for stronger and newer pesticides. Ignoring them will only allow the bed bugs to reproduce which inadvertently requires more pesticides.
6. Perhaps the best reason not to ignore bed bugs is that they will not go away on their own. Bed bug can live several months without feeding during which time they will just sit there and wait for their next blood meal, which is you.

3 tips to prevent bed bugs?

As seen on Shark Tank - Buggy beds bed bug monitors and traps:

Do you know if you have bed bugs? These are passive bed bug traps with pheromones that attract bed bugs to them. They are placed in between the mattress and box spring and bed bugs that travel through the trap get stuck. These are very efficient tool in the detection of bed bugs.

Bed bug proof mattress and box spring encasements:

How much did you pay for your mattress? At least 500$ brand-new? Save your investment by encasing your mattress with Protect-A-Bed bed bug proof mattress and box spring encasements. We have different qualities of encasements to fit any budget. A bed bug proof mattress and box spring encasement with prevent bed bugs from nesting and reproducing inside the mattress or box spring and will also trap any bed bug on the inside if you’ve ever had bed bugs in the past. They also allow for easier detection as they can only linger on the outside of the encasement.

ClimbUp insect interceptors:

You need to sleep with peace of mind. Place bed bug interceptors underneath the feet of your bed and bed bug will no longer be able to climb up into your bed. With a rough outer shell and a smooth inner well, bed bugs climb up the trap and fall into the well were they are unable to get out. A must have for anyone suffering with bed bugs.

Know your enemy - What do bed bugs look like?

Bed bugs are one of the biggest fears that people have in their bedroom, so if you want to stay safe and healthy at all times you will need to know what bed bugs look like. Like any war, it is best to know you enemy. We have created a small guide that will allow you know what bed bugs look like!

How bed bugs look like?

One of the most important things to know about bed bugs is that they have oval shaped bodies and they are small as well as flat. They have two antennae’s with six legs and they cannot fly (keep in mind when devising your detection system). The hair on their bodies is golden colored and this might sometimes make their bodies seem striped, even though they aren’t. The color of bed bugs is reddish brown, and the size of a bed bug can range in between 5-6 mm. Take a look at our bed bug life cycle page http://www.bedbugsos.ca/pages/bed-bug-life-cycle

If you are wondering what do baby bed bugs look like, then you need to know that they appear roughly the same, the only difference being is that they are smaller, around 1-4 mm in length and are golden or white colored until they feed. Another important characteristic of what do baby bed bugs look like comes from the fact that they are smelly, because they have a special gland that secretes that smell.

An important thing to note is that the bed bug eggs look like being pearl white in color and they are very tiny. You can easily identify them as they leave a spot on the bed, so all you have to do is to search for such marks and you will immediately find the bed bugs you seek. Remember eggs are one of the hardest things for exterminators to handle.

What do bed bugs look like on a mattress?

Usually, you will find some red stains as well as some dark spots, maybe some eggs and their shells which are usually left out by the bed bugs. In addition, like snakes, bed bugs lose their outer skin when growing from one state of larva to the next. So, as long as you can find these traces, do whatever it takes to clean the mattress and remove the bugs as fast as possible. As you can see, wondering what do bed bugs look like to the human eye is no longer a problem, because now you have the answer. Once identified, the next step is protection (explained below)

The life cycle of a bed bug

Beg bugs don’t have a very long life to begin with, but they do go through 5 stages before they reach maturity. In fact, they start with the egg stage, and they go through the 5 nymph stages in which their length increases from 1.5 mm to 2, 2.5, 3 and then 4.5 mm, which is the final step before reaching maturity.

If you were asking yourself how bed bugs look like, then reading this article should definitely answer all of your questions. Do remember that you have to know how to identify bed bugs, as this is the only way to deal with them successfully!

Bed bug traps

One simple and effective way to detect bed bugs is using the ClimpUp bed bug interceptor. This tool prevents bed bugs living in areas outside of the mattress, box spring or bed frame form entering your bed. Inversely, any bed bug trying to escape you mattress, box spring or bed frame will also be trapped in the ClimpUp interceptor. The Climup is one of our bestselling traps. In addition to the ClimpUp, Buggybeds are always recommended as they are easy to use and effective in the detection of bed bugs. These can be found at: http://www.bedbugsos.ca/collections/bed-bug-monitors-and-traps

Bed bugs Ottawa - Here to stay?

Bed Bugs Ottawa

In recent years pest companies in Ottawa have noticed a sharp rise in the number of bed bug infestation calls to their businesses. And while there have been great steps to address the issue there is another report that surfaces of an infestation and it seems that beg bugs in Ottawa may not go away. Bed bugs for Ottawa residents, particularly those that live in apartment complexes, have become a thorny issue that has managed to invade residences of all types.

From low rent neighborhoods to the finest homes in the city, no one is seemingly immune from bed bugs. However, what may not be fully understood is that bed bugs are not like other pests in terms of how they travel and differ in treatments. Property owners are struggling to understand this reality

The Source of Bed Bugs in Ottawa

It must first be understood that even the cleanest of homes, residences and hotels are not immune to bed bugs. In fact, the state of the home does not really matter. It is simply how bed bugs arrive that concerns Ottawa residents. These creatures feed almost exclusively on the blood of humans although in rare occasions they will feed on pets as well.

Bed bugs do not travel like other pests or insects as people carry them into the residences. In many cases, a person who visits a place infested with bed bugs will carry them back either on their clothes or most likely in their luggage or simply anything they carry. Once they are left in the bedroom (or any room for that matter) they will make a nest nearby and then as a person falls asleep in bed they will bite and feast on the blood.

Effective Bed Bug Treatment Ottawa Residents can Employ

The good news is that you do not call bed bug cases require the exterminator, some cases are worse than others. A great start would be to install detection traps in all of the beds in your home. Keep your room clean, which means clean all your sheets, clothing and any other washable material which can be prone to bed bug infestation. In addition, it is always a good idea to encase your mattress with a bed bug mattress cover. This will prevent bed bugs from infiltrating you mattress and it will stop them from coming out should they be hiding inside you mattress. In any case, get one ASAP!!!

An essential part about living with bed bugs is continuous monitoring, and this cannot be stressed enough. Why? Bed bugs can live up to 18 months without feeding. Therefore careful examination of traps is key for early detection. From my experience, I lived with my bed riddled with bed bug traps for an entire year.

The bed bugs in Ottawa may be here to stay, but effective and careful bed bug treatments by Ottawa residents is vital to their extermination. People need to be educated about the problem, talk about it without being judged. Only time will tell how long bedbugs will stay in Ottawa. Take action now!

Bed Bugs Hamilton - City Wide Extermination

According to the CityHousing Hamilton, nearly 5000 work orders have been filed in 2013 for cases of bed bugs, a problem of epidemic proportions. The city's public works committee has allocated $350 000 to help residents of Hamilton fight bed bugs. Of the $350 000;

• $150 000 will be spent on bed bug treatment in Hamilton's residential care facilities
• $100 000 will pay for the development of a bed bug strategy for the city of Hamilton
• $100 000 for bed bug education, awareness and provide help to support low income/vulnerable residents

Under this new bed bug strategy, an additional $100 000 will be granted to hire a "navigator" who will guide low income, vulnerable and/or other Hamilton residents with health/physical limitation in the preparation of bed bug treatment and protection.

The board of health committee reports that while bed bugs do not pose a direct health hazard, meaning they do not transmit diseases, there remains a social cost, stigma, expenses surrounding bed bug treatment and not to mention the sleepless nights and stress when dealing with a bed bug infestation. 

"The average cost of a bed bug extermination in Hamilton is $2000 " - The Spec - 

One woman mentions that bed bug almost drove her crazy, she was having nightmares, paranoia, obsessive cleaning, isolation from family and friends and even spent christmas alone. 

Susan Harding-Cruz, manager of the public disease program with the public health department, mentions the need for a community wide response to eradicate bed bugs in Hamilton. She also proposes a registry for the city of Hamilton where all building infected by bed bugs would be flagged, like restaurant who are flagged for health hazards. However, such a solution would single out buildings and stigmatize neighbourhoods. 

View bug bugs Hamilton Infographic

Bed Bug products for Hamilton residents

Bed bugs can cost thousands to exterminate, almost $2000 per apartment. Getting rid of bed bugs does require the help of a professional when severe, but more importantly your own personal efforts. Depending on the severity, you can try to get rid of bed bugs yourself, but if the problem persists, call the nearest exterminator in Hamilton.

NOTE: You cannot expect the exterminator to exterminate all bed bugs in your home. This is impossible!

Please do not make that mistake.

The best solution to prepare for exterminators is to purchase bed bug prevention, monitoring and early detection products, so when they leave you will know if they are still around or not. 

Here are a few option:

• Choose a bed bug mattress and box spring protector. Click here to visit our bed bug proof mattress covers. 
• Buggy beds bed bug detectors. These can last up to six months and are perfect for regular bed bug monitoring. 
• Bed bug interceptors. These are traps that limit bed bugs access to you bed by creating barriers.  
• Buy active bed bug detectors. This emits CO2 and heat to replicate the human body in its sleep. Great tool for testing the presence of bed bugs around your bed. 
• Bed bug spray. We have an all natural spray called Kleen Green for maintenance. Spray this at night to stop bed bugs form climbing in you bed. 

Find bed bug products in Canada at bedbugsos.ca Please give us a call or e-mail us if you need any help. 

Thunder Bay bed bug infestation severe

Residents of Thunder Bay are experiencing a severe bed bug problem; its District Health Unit has seen complaints rise almost 6 times since 2011. Apartment complexes are riddled with these pesky critters and costing owners and complex management money and peace of mind. One resident says he was lying down in bed one evening and felt an itch; he began to scratch and felt something between his fingers only to find it was a bed bug.

The problem for all cities is that when bed bugs are a problem, they remain a problem for a long time, even after treatment. Products that exterminators use only kill full-grown bed bugs and not the lymph’s or the eggs. A local exterminator with Canada Pest Control said bed bugs are thriving in Thunder bay because of a ban on certain pesticides.

Residents must know that they are also contributing to the growth of the bed bug population. They do so by keeping it a secret. In one case, the mother of a resident told the buildings office to “shush”. Yes, it’s embarrassing to have bed bugs, but people must understand that it’s a serious and costly problem, the key to overcoming bed bugs is early detection and staying vigilant and to do so everyone must be aware of their presence. Catch it now before it gets out of hand, because once it gets out of control it’s going to be costly and extremely difficult to eradicate not to mention the trauma and stress associated.

Let us remind you that bed bugs are not only found in homes, they can be found in planes, buses taxis or even movie theaters.

For now, Thunder Bay is at war against bed bugs. Here are a few tips and tools for the residents.

• If you have bed bugs, let your neighbours know.
• To stop bed bug bites, visit our page which gives you a detailed description on how to stop bed bug bites.
• Use mattress encasements to stop bed bug from nesting
• Intercept bed bugs with interceptors such as the BlackOut or ClimbUp, these tools are very efficient to a peaceful sleep.
• Install detectors all around your bed using BuggyBed, these will detect bed bugs at the earliest stage.
• Keep bed at least 18 inches away from the wall.
• Keep room clean
• Store clothing and linens in bags.

Bed bugs dividing families.

Glenna Murdoch who lives in a seniors complex in Ottawa, is a victim of bed bugs. First, I would like to congratulate Ms. Murdoch for talking about bed bugs, too many people turn a blind eye and keep there bed bug problem a secret which doesn't help reduce the spread. People need to be aware and educated about bed bugs. In this case, Glenna Murdoch's children, grandchildren and great grandchildren no longer want to visit her and she has forbidden the younger grandchildren and great grandchildren from visiting her in fear of transmitting bed bugs. “If they ever did catch anything, well, how could I live with myself?” she asks. This behaviour is not uncommon from resident at 160 Charlotte, many other residents have told their families the same thing.

This is however not uncommon behaviour for bed bugs, they feast in multi-residential complexes where they can go from home room to the next and feed. Last year, the Ottawa Community Housing has spent over $770 000 on travel and research to better understand bed bug behaviour and the affects on its victims. 

Our recommendation to Glenna and all residents of 160 Charlotte:

• Equip yourself with a mattress cover
• Pull your bed away from the wall
• Place intercepting traps under the legs of your bed
• Keep a clutter free living space
• Place detection traps around the bed
• And spray using chemical free products on a regular basis. 

Ottawa grandmother fighting bed bugs - Ottawa Sun - October 6th 2013

Glenna Murdoch has six great-grandchildren and seven grandchildren. She dotes on them and considers herself a lucky grandmother — most of the children still live in Ottawa.

Yet none will visit her anymore. Some have made that decision themselves. Others, the youngest, Murdoch has forbade from coming.

“If they ever did catch anything, well, how could I live with myself?” she asks.

Because there’s no good answer to that question her family stays away. Maybe you can’t blame them. People tend to get nervous around bed bugs.

Ottawa Community Housing (OCH) will be talking about bed bugs this Thursday when it releases a report on how its “pest management strategy” is working.

Expect a lot of talk about “best practices” and “incident reports” and “unit readiness.” But if you really want to know what is going on, then come down to Glenna Murdoch’s building — 160 Charlotte.

Charlotte Place is a 216-unit seniors building owned and operated by Ottawa Community Housing. You need to be sixty or older to live there. A great many of the tenants are women like Murdoch — widows, living on CPP and Old Age Security.

How bad is the bed-bug problem at 160 Charlotte? Well, I happened to be there on garbage day, the day of the week tenants in the building get to throw out bug-infested furniture.

On the curb in front of the seniors’ home I counted ten mattresses.

“Every week there’s some mattresses in front of the building,” says tenant Shean Kelly. “It freaks you out a little, just knowing those bugs are around.”

It freaks everyone out. During my visit I spoke to a half-dozen residents of the home, all of who have had bed bugs in their apartments at one time or another. It makes them shiver just talking about it.

“It is ugly, and not clean, this bug,” says 74-year-old Lucy Couture. “I never have problems like this before. It is all new to me, living like this.”

Like Murdoch and 71-year-old Lynn Lafontaine — three women I found sitting together in a commons room in Charlotte Place — Couture has forbidden her family from visiting.

“It is best I go and visit them,” she says. “I am ashamed to have them come to my apartment.”

All three women said they were ashamed to talk about their bed bug problem with family members, or strangers. It broke your heart to hear these women talk about shame and guilt, as if they were somehow to blame for what is happening to them.

In comparison to some of its other properties, the executive director of tenant services for OCH says the bed bug situation at Charlotte Place is “not severe.”

“We don’t think Charlotte is at a level that requires additional effort,” says Laurene Wagner. “In comparison to some other properties, and what we’ve seen in that building in the past, it is not a severe problem.”

Wagner went on to say OCH has a pest management strategy that relies on people reporting cockroach or bed-beg problems, then hiring private companies to come in and “treat” the infestation.

Many units are treated two or three times after an “incident report.” The corporation also spends a lot of time on “education” and “awareness” programs. It tells tenants how to prepare their homes for treatments. Hands out plastic covers for the old mattresses.

Wagner assures me OCH is following “best practices” when it comes to eradicating bed bugs — they apparently travel around doing a lot of research on the subject — and the corporation spent $770,000 just last year on pest management.

All of which frightened me. The casual, business-as-usual way in which we were talking about this problem. Couldn’t stop thinking about seniors so stressed they don’t sleep at night and no longer have visitors.

We need to do better. I’m going to leave you with some questions you can feel free to ask any OCH board member this Thursday:

If you owned a home and had a bed bug problem, would you fix ANYTHING before you fixed that bed bug problem?

Would you talk about ANYTHING before you talked about that bed bug problem?

Would you really wake up one morning all bitten and bloody and think — “I need to clean the eaves today.”

The best practices aren’t working. It’s time to solve this problem.

Don't panic, we got you covered!

If you're freaking out about your recent bed bug infestation, remind yourself that your not the only one. A spectator in a Manhattan courtroom spotted a bed bug crawling up a mans neck which triggered mass histeria. Spectators and court officers raced out of the courtroom in disgust. Remember not to panic if you have bed bugs, Bed Bug SOS has everything you need to sleep comfortable at night. For more inforation on how to treat, visit our Products Page, Essentials Page and Treatment Page.

http://www.nydailynews.com/new-york/bedbugs-freak-out-manhattan-criminal-court-article-1.1401626

Montreal Bed Bugs

Montreal has been notorious for their high level of infestations. Over the past 3 years, the bed bug population has remained stable with an estimated 12 000 homes treated and over 30 000 have used pest control specialist for inspection since July 1st 2011. The boroughs affected are not disclosed to avoid soiling the reputation of a particular area, however the highest levels of bed bugs appear in high density housing. For those who have been affected, it is almost embarrassing to talk about it, and for those who are open about it have seen a decrease in their social lives.

Suicide Bed bugs

An unfortunate event caused by bed bugs. People forget about the psychological affects that bed bugs can cause to their victim. In this case a 62 year old woman committed suicide because she had been living with bed bugs. I must mention that although she committed suicide, she did have a history of psychological problems but it just goes to show how bed bugs can put a fragile person over the edge. Some of the psychological consequences associated with bed bugs are the following:

• nightmares
• flashbacks of the infestation
• hyper vigilance (to keep the bugs away)
• insomnia
• anxiety
• avoidance behaviours
• personal dysfunction 
• depression

Having lived with bed bugs once before, we understand how one feels when going to bed at night. Traps, monitors and encasements are all tools that can greatly increase your quality of sleep by offering you protection and a sense of safety at night. Have a look at our product section for more details.

Suicide following an infestation of bed bugs - PMS - May 29th 2013

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3700489/