Keep Uninvited Guests Out of Your Home This Season!
By: Michael Carli - Top Notch Pest Control
The National Pest Management
Association reports recent surges in bed bugs have spread throughout the entire
nation with infestations recorded in nearly every state.
No longer regulated to being
associated with unsanitary conditions, lately, bed bugs have been found in
multi-family homes, apartments, hotels and even hospitals.
Entomology expert Michael Carli
operates Top Notch Pest Control out of Oldsmar and has seen  the
resurgence. In 20 years of
business, he says many establishments that once seemed to be immune from such
pests, are now calling for help.
"We've definitely seen an increase in calls for bed bugs," he says. "Many 4- and 5-star hotels are finding
evidence of bed bugs and are either going through, or have already been
treated."
The apple seed-sized insect will
often enter a habitat through cracks or crevices, or can be brought into a
clean environment through luggage, furniture, vacuum cleaners or clothing. Overall, they are rusty brown in color
and shaped like a broad, flat oval.
Bed bugs feed on the blood of warm-blooded animals and expand after
feasting.
"Bed bugs are typically nocturnal,
but if the lights are kept low and they're hungry enough, chances are, you'll
see bed bugs in the daytime" explains Carli. "They're incredibly resilient; they can survive extreme
temperatures, as well as lie dormant for months without a meal by hiding in
baseboards, wallpaper, furniture seams and electrical outlets."
Bed bugs can be extremely difficult
for a building  manager or homeowner to remove and are not affected by
do-it-yourself measures. Carli
recommends a pest control technician conduct a thorough inspection to determine
points of entry as well as the extent of an infestation and then begin to
develop a treatment and prevention plan.
There has been such a spike in bed
bug incidences, the Environmental Protection Agency held its first summit
earlier this year. Pest control
leaders met to specifically discuss the expanding impact of bed bugs on the
hospitality industry as well as various factors contributing to their presence.
Carli also sees many cases where a
family on vacation returns home and, almost instantly, makes the first mistake. "When you come home from a trip, it
seems like everyone puts their suitcases on the bed to unpack; this is a huge
opportunity for bed bugs to make their move."
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