Bed Bugs are Back: Small Tweaks to Treatment Protocols for Long-Term Bed Bug Control
Just when you thought you had the bed bug problem under control they come back…again! What is going on? If bed bugs are back, is it because they were never eliminated in the first place? Or, has there been a new introduction of bed bugs? Regardless, the objective is to eliminate the bed bug infestation once and for all.
A little tweaking of the current bed bug protocol may be just the trick to help you achieve a permanent bed bug free environment. Consider the following for YOUR bed bug treatment strategy or speak to your pest professional to ensure they are utilizing all of the tricks of the trade.
Primary Heat Treatment: During primary heat treatments ‘heat sinks’ can occur that reduce the effectiveness of the treatment and allow some bed bugs to survive. Heat treatments have no residual activity and, therefore, should be supported with either an active liner on the mattress and box spring or one or more of the insecticides listed below.
Insecticide Treatment: Take a close look at the products used. If the residual used on non-sleeping surfaces was not a synthetic pyrethroid-neonicotinoid combo product in a wettable powder formulation, the treatment might not last long enough. If the dust was not a silica gel, again the treatment was not optimized.
Mattress Encasements: Encasements do indeed kill bed bugs, but very slowly. They do so by depriving them of a blood meal over many months and this is assuming the encasement has remained intact during that time. There is a lot to consider. Was the encasement properly sealed? Has it ripped? If the box spring was not encased, was it thoroughly treated with the synthetic pyrethroid-neonicotinoid product noted above? If the encasement is suspect, consider replacing with an active liner like the ActiveGuard® Mattress Liner.
Bed Bug Re-Introduction: A hotel cannot stop guests from bringing bed bugs into the room with them. They can, however, have a preventative bed bug program in place to stop the bed bug introduction from turning into a full fledged bed bug infestation. An active liner on like ActiveGuard® on every mattress and/or box spring will help to stop bed bugs where they reside… in the bed.
When a bed bug infestation lingers or returns after control seemed to be attained, you may want to consider a canine-assisted inspection to distinguish whether this is a case of bed bugs being re-introduced or never being effectively resolved.
ActiveGuard® Mattress Liners are a perfect complement to any of the treatment scenarios and environments outlined above. Easy-to-install as a fitted sheet, these liners are impervious to rips and tears and offer a two year ‘residual’ that can prevent and control bed bugs. ActiveGuard® Mattress Liners may be installed on the mattress and/or box spring and offer pro-active residual protection that works to protect not only the bed but your guests sleeping in it as well.