In this episode Jeff will discuss how sprays that you can apply to your luggage during travel to keep bed bugs off may not be 100% effective but may be worth considering if you are concerned about encountered bed bugs during your travels.  There are many sprays that are claiming that they can be applied to luggage to keep bed bugs off of your luggage.  The first item to check is that the label on the spray states that luggage can be treated with the spray and that you follow the directions on the label when applying the spray.  Also understand that luggage sprays are not 100% guaranteed to keep bugs off of your luggage.   Therefore it is still important to launder your clothes before you unpack them inside your home and to either store or treat your luggage when you return.  That being said, many of these sprays use ingredients that are in fact repellent to bed bugs and therefore, as long as you understand they aren’t 100% effective and need to be applied periodically depending on label directions, using them during your travels may not be a bad decision. 

In this video, Jeff will talk about a DNA test for bed bugs, what you should know and what the tests capabilities are.  A DNA test exists for bed bugs where you can swab (rub with a Q-tip or supplied swab) an area that you think may have bed bugs and if bed bugs are present and they have left any DNA behind, the swab will pick up that DNA and test positive for the presence of bed bug DNA.  This test IS NOT THE RIGHT TEST for you if you have had bed bugs in the past and you are trying to determine if they still exist or have made a comeback.  The DNA does not break down very fast and the test will most likely come back positive and bed bugs may not be present.  The DNA test can be an inexpensive way to provide you an idea whether or not you have bed bugs.  Please remember that a negative test result does not mean that you do not have bed bugs as bugs could be present and not have left DNA in the area you swabbed.  This test can also be used to test black spots and bugs that have been found to see if they are bed bugs.

In this episode Jeff will discuss what people should and shouldn't do after a bed bug treatment has been performed in their home. Viewers have submitted several questions that have asked what they can and cannot do after a bed bug treatment has been performed so that they can avoid deactivating any pesticides that have been applied. The truth of the matter is that is a question that is best answered by the pest control company who performed the treatment. Without knowing what the company applied and where they applied those pesticides, it is impossible for anybody to comment on what you should do other than the pest control company who performed the work. If you have bagged and laundered clothing you can either choose to live out of those bags until the bugs have been declared eliminated or unload those bags and put the clothes back if evidence was not noted in the closets or dressers. Please be aware that if you choose to unload those bags that if the closet or dresser is found to have evidence, you may have to launder the clothes again. That being said, bed bugs are not typically found on the clothes in closets and dressers so typically you can put the clothes back after they are laundered. But please remember, before you do anything you should always contact the company who performed the treatment.

In this episode, Jeff will discuss mattress and box spring encasements and the roles they play when dealing with bed bug infestations. Bed encasements play a critical role when dealing with bed bug infestations. The intention of encasements are to lock bed bugs inside of the encasements in an effort to make beds easier to treat and limit the amount of pesticide being applied to mattresses. In addition, encasements are designed to keep bugs out of the bedding to protect your bedding and limit bed bugs to the outside of the encasements. This can ease future inspections of the bedding because the encasement make bed bugs much easier to see. When shopping for encasements it is important to ask for research that backs the companies claim that they are effective for bed bugs. There have been encasement companies that say they are good for use with bed bugs but the encasement zipper fails to keep bed bugs inside the encasement. Encasements are a great option when dealing with bed bugs from both a proactive (protecting the bedding and making inspections easier) and reactive (assisting with treatment) perspective.

In this episode, Jeff will discuss Hot Shot No-Pest Strips and Nuvan Prostrips. These strips are very similar to each other in that they use the same active ingredient, dichlorvos or DDVP, in the same percentage and are to be used in similar settings.  The difference between the two products is that bed bugs is listed on the Nuvan Prostrips label which makes it available for use in states where the pest is required to be listed on the directions for use.  These strips primarily fit into bed bug control plans in that if you have a bag of belongings that you cannot treat with pesticides and cannot launder, if the items in that bag are listed on the label as able to be treated by this pesticide, you could place a strip in that bag treat the belongings for bed bugs.  Recent research indicates that belongings should be left for at least two weeks, and maybe more, to be effective against bed bugs and their eggs.  Please be aware that research found that bed bugs survived in certain items even when you left them exposed to Nuvan Prostrips for more than two weeks.  These products provide you with another option to treat items you cannot launder or treat for bed bugs.

In this episode Jeff will discuss BugZip encasements and the benefit they provide for people who travel.  BugZip encasements come in three different types:  luggage protectors, garment bags and dresser drawer liners.  These are all designed to prevent your personal belongings from becoming infested during your travels.  You can protect your belongings by placing them in these encasements while traveling and thus hopefully prevent bed bugs from being brought home with you.  Please be aware that this is not 100% guaranteed to prevent bed bugs from being brought home with you but will help you not bring bugs home.

In this episode Jeff will explain the areas on a couch you should inspect if you want to inspect your couch for bed bugs.  As information spreads about bed bug infestations on the rise, more and more people want to inspect their homes for bed bugs.  This episode will walk you through a couch inspection and the critical areas you should look if you want to inspect your couch for bed bugs.  You should consider inspecting your couch as a couch is one of the first and most common areas for bed bugs to infest.  Many people sleep on their couch and spend an excessive amount of time sitting on the couch and therefore, bed bugs prefer to be located on or in them.  Please be aware that a visual inspection can be unreliable when trying to detect low level infestations of bed bugs.  Therefore, if you perform an inspection and don't find any bed bugs, it does not necessarily mean you don't have bed bugs in your home.  A knowledgeable professional should always be contacted if you think you may have bed bugs.

In this episode Jeff will explain the areas on a bed you should inspect if you want to inspect your bed for bed bugs.  As information spreads about bed bug infestations on the rise, more and more people want to inspect their bed for bed bugs.  This episode will walk you through a bed inspection and the critical areas you should look if you want to inspect your bed for bed bugs.  Please be aware that a visual inspection can be unreliable when trying to detect low level infestations of bed bugs.  Therefore, if you perform an inspection and don’t find any bed bugs, it does not necessarily mean you don’t have bed bugs in your home.  A knowledgeable professional should always be contacted if you think you may have bed bugs.