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Each type of pest has different characteristics and life cycles, and each requires a different plan to effectively overcome the infestation. We know that nothing ever gets done right without a plan. You know the old saying, “plan your work and work your plan”. Corky’s has the plan, and our technicians work this plan to the fullest to eliminate bed bug infestations.

THE PLAN

Using the most effective bed bug treatment products and the most innovative treatment procedures in the industry, we do the following:

• Step 1: Thorough inspection and accurate identification are the key to effective bed bug treatment. It takes time and a lot of effort to perform an inspection which includes some, if not all, of the following (depending on the extent of the infestation): moving furniture and fixtures, taking apart beds and bed frames, flipping mattresses and box springs, removing drawers from dressers and night stands, up-ending dressers and night stands to inspect the undersides, etc. It is also important to inspect electrical outlets, ceiling fans, light fixtures, ceiling moldings and popcorn ceilings. No inspection is complete until baseboards , behind pictures, and even their frames are checked for live insects, eggs,egg casings and cast skins. The very nature of bed bugs makes their control especially difficult. They hide during the day in well protected hidden areas and only venture out when a food source is detected (that’s you and me, ouch!!).

• Step 2: Treatment procedures and chemical usage may very depending on the extent of infestation and the infestation sites found upon inspection. Treatment recommendations will range from whole structure fumigation, to heat treatment of specific areas using “Thermapure Heat”, to chemical treatments that can include one room or a whole house or building. We develop a custom plan for your situation.

• Higher cost for fumigation and heat treatments.
• Lower cost for small homes.
• Discounts for treatment of multiple rooms.

 

• Step 3: Without the cooperation of the homeowner or the occupants of the infested home, apartment, or building, reinfestation can occur very easily. A technician’s most important job is to educate our customers so they can protect themselves against future bed bug infestations.

• Know how to identify a bed bug bite
• Know how to identify the presence of bed bugs
• Know how to protect yourself when you travel
• Know the most common ways they get into our living spaces

 

BED BUGS ARE HERE!
Bed bugs have become a concern for people who travel, not just in Southern California but around the world. Bed Bugs are found in many hotel and motel room beds—even in upscale resorts! It may happen to you--so make sure that you are not bringing the bugs back home with you.

WHAT ARE BED BUGS?
Bed Bugs have been a problem for man since the beginning of civilization. Signs of bed bug infestation go beyond the actual small bite marks on skin. Sheets may show tiny blood spots, and the cast skins of bed bugs may be found in cracks and crevices of the bed frame. They aren’t just found in beds, either. Contaminated clothing may bring the bugs into dressers, suitcases, laundry hampers, furniture, etc. They can even be found behind pictures, wallpaper, in cracks of floorboards—they are adept at finding hiding places.

Bed bugs are very temperature sensitive, and the optimum temperature they are looking for is about that of human skin—hence the problem for man. A very infested room will have a distinct“buggy” smell, an obnoxious sweet odor. In addition to the small blood stains from the bites themselves, the bugs leave small droppings containing blood that are either brown, yellow, or black.

The bugs themselves are small, usually just 1/6th to 1/5th inch in size. They are reddish-brown in color, but as they feed they become redder. Small claws are used to attach themselves to the victim. Adults will feed off the host for 10-15 minutes before becoming engorged. Most people will not feel the bite—afterwards the painful itching and large inflamed spot make the bed bugs presence known. They often attack the face, neck, hands, and arms.

LIFE CYCLE OF BED BUGS
Female bed bugs may lay 1-5 eggs per day until they produce about 200 eggs. The eggs may hatch in 6-10 days in warm weather or heated buildings. Nymphs emerge, and try to find a blood meal. When they do, they will go through five nymphal molt stages and become adults. This usually takes about 35-48 days. The adults may survive for long periods of time in empty houses, waiting for their favorite meal—man. If they are desperate, they may take a meal from birds or rodents. Well-fed adults may live up to a year and a half.

Over the years, many have tried to link bed bugs with disease. Recent studies have only shown a slight link
as a possible spreader of type B hepatitis but this has not been conclusive. Bed bugs remain a pest, but stories of their psychological effect on people do hold some weight. Even in the gold rush days, tales of people going crazy from a bed bug infestation were not all that uncommon.

PROTECT YOURSELF FROM BED BUGS
You can find sprays that control bed bugs at many stores, but make sure the label states they are approved for use on bed bugs. It has not been in my experience that people who try to control bed bugs without an exterminator have much success. If you come home from a vacation with infested clothing, empty your suitcase in the garage directly into a plastic bag, separating laundry and dry cleaning, nothing goes into the house until cleaned. Then your suitcase can be sprayed inside and out and sealed in a garbage bag until the next use. By then it should be completely free of infestation.

YOU CAN COUNT ON CORKY’S TO TAKE CARE OF YOUR BED BUG INFESTATION!

Over 70 trucks operating in Southern California