Q: I manage an apartment building. How do I eliminate bedbugs from a unit?

ADAM'S: Similar to hotels, you want your property managers, staff, and maintenance staff knowledgeable. Unfortunately you don't get in to your units very often, if at all. Try to perform a cursory inspection when you are in, and consider an annual inspection. Unfortunately many tenants don't report they have pest problems for fear they might get kicked out, or for some, it just isn't a big deal. Try to create a culture where tenants can approach the property management staff without fear. They'll report problems quicker and you can solve them quicker.

We can use pesticide treatments or heat treatments which provides better results much more quickly.

Q: How do I eliminate bedbugs from my home?

ADAM'S: Similar to hotels and apartments, we can provide a pesticide treatment or heat treatment for faster results.

Q: Do mattress encasements work?

ADAM'S: Encasements seal the mattress and box springs. It is important to get one that fits the exact size you have, otherwise you'll have lots of creases bed bugs will find useful for harborage. Don't get a regular encasement - they aren't good enough to seal in our seal out bed bugs. Dr. Rick Cooper worked with two manufacturers and ultimately developed the encasement we sell today. Essentially it is an allergy/dust mite encasement that has been improved for bed bugs. For example, the zipper teeth are very small so the first stage nymph cannot get through the zipper teeth. There are fewer folds and seems. And lastly, the zipper has a zipper stop so the end of the zipper doesn't leave an opening. They've also been tested to ensure the bed bugs cannot bite through the encasement. This is far less expensive than replacing an infested mattress or box spring.

Q: Where can I buy a mattress encasements?

ADAM'S: Check out www.adamspestcontrol.com/bedbugs/mattresscovers.pdf.

Bed Bug Treatments

Q: What are pesticide treatments like?

ADAM'S: First off, you must prepare your room. Each company may have different preparation instructions, but they are usually non-trivial. Clutter is the enemy, so the more you can prepare and reduce clutter, the better. Treatments vary by company too. We could write a book here, but simply put pesticide selection is important, communication is important, and follow up treatments and/or inspections are important. Because ADAM'S has 27 technicians and services many apartments and hotels, we've dealt with bed bugs going back to 1999 when they were emerging. We treated literally hundreds of locations last year. Additionally ADAM'S learns and shares best practices with 63 other pest control companies throughout the country in Associated Pest Services. This has allowed us to learn and hone our product selection, communication, and most importantly our processes.

Q: Are there alternatives to pesticide treatments for bed bugs?

ADAM'S: Yes, steam, freezing, heat/thermal remediation.

Q: Does steam kill bed bugs?

ADAM'S: Yes. Steam can kill eggs, nymphs, and adult bed bugs if you can get the steam to them. The problem, like with pesticide treatments, it is hard to get the pesticides to the bed bugs. If 93% of them are on or near the bed, where are the remaining 7%? Behind the picture on the other wall? In the medicine cabinet? In the book binding? Inside the speaker? If you spent hours and were extremely thorough, could you even deliver steam to all those locations? Steam is very hot at one point, and cool to the touch just a couple of inches away, and a few seconds later. It doesn't penetrate very well. We don't find it practical.

Q: Does freezing kill bed bugs?

ADAM'S: Yes. A sudden freeze can kill eggs, nymphs, and adult bed bugs, however a slow change in temperature, such as putting a pillow in the freezer, may take days to weeks to kill them. They, like many insects, can acclimate to slow changes. The problem with applying freezing techniques, often with Carbon Dioxide, in a living space is similar to that of steam. Can you get it everywhere it is needed? Does the technician have the skill to perform it properly?

Q: What is Thermal Remediation (sometimes call heat)?

ADAM'S: Thermal Remediation is a service ADAM'S provides where we raise the temperature in a structure to temperatures lethal to the target pest. In this case, bed bugs, but in other cases, it could be flour beetles at a food processing plant. The temperature, and the duration, may vary by pest. While these treatments have been used in food processing for a century, it is still an emerging procedure for bed bugs.

The equipment needed is substantial, and being a new application of an old technology, many companies have yet to invest and know very little about this. Since the process is part art, part science, and the fact that the applicator really needs to know the bed bug's biology, habits, and harborage, you really should consider hiring ADAM'S.

Without going in to too many details, we not only raise the temperature to a lethal (to insects) level, but we hold it there to penetrate inside furniture, mattresses, etc.

Q: Does heat/thermal remediation kill bed bugs?

ADAM'S: Yes. Some companies use heat guns, like blow dryers, but it has the same problems steam or spot freezing does. It requires the technicians to find all bed bugs, hit them, and perform the service flawlessly. No doubt these companies are killing bed bugs and offering relief, but are they killing 90 bedbugs, leaving 10 bedbugs to reproduce back into 100 bedbugs in a month? Are they building in an ongoing revenue stream for themselves? Ideally, you want elimination, and that's why ADAM'S has invested in Thermal Remediation.

Q: What are the benefits to Thermal Remediation?

• Less prep work.

• Less pesticides are used. On most of our treatments so far, we've not used any pesticides.

• You don't need to throw out your furniture. Some heavily infested items may need to be thrown out with conventional treatments.

• The results are fast. The proper temperatures kills bed bugs in minutes. A typical heat treatment is completed within 6-12 hours, and when we leave, you and your tenant will "sleep tight", as the bed bugs won't bite. Compare this to a convention treatment which requires subsequent treatments and regular follow ups, and in few cases, could require months of follow up.

Q: Will heat damage things?

ADAM'S: Never say never, but so far, we've not seen it damage anything. Of course part of our prep instruction sheet tells you and your tenants what must be removed, such as wax candles, but otherwise we keep temperatures within a lethal, yet not damaging range.

Q: Will heat set off my sprinkler heads?

ADAM'S: This is a question based answered on a case by case basis as their trigger points vary. In most cases, we protect the sprinkler head from the heat.

Q: How do I get a proposal?

ADAM'S: Email sales@adamspestcontrol.com or call us at 800-227-2214. We service Minnesota and Western Wisconsin. We may be willing to travel further if you are willing to pay for our travel and travel time.

Other Bed Bug Resources

Bed Bug Handbook

Bed Bug Central

University of Kentucky