Learning about Bed Bugs
At our Oct 16, 2013 meeting our speaker was Jessica Wadsworth who provided a very interesting presentation on Bed Bugs. With the help of her partner Scout they sniff out the pesky bugs just about anywhere.
Jessica and her partner Scout are employed by Moyer Indoor/Outdoor Canine Inspection Service. Based in Souderton, Pa. Jessica has worked training dogs for many years. Jessica has been working with Scout, her Bed Bug working dog, since April 2010.
A Bed Bug Dog is the best way to find bugs; the dogs are 95% effective at finding bugs. The dogs are specially trained to detect live bed bugs and their eggs.
Bed bugs are most frequently found in the United States where people arrive from international travel. Travelers bring them home from overseas in their luggage. There has been a large increase in bed bugs in the US in the last few years. Jessica recommends that if you travel, get canvas suitcases. You can then stop at a commercial laundromat on the way home and put the entire bag in a dryer for 30 minutes to heat up and kill any bugs. She recommends that when you enter a hotel room, put your luggage in the bath tub and search the room for bugs.
Common sources of infestation include used furniture or mattresses or rental furniture. They also move around self-storage facilities and apartment buildings. Day Care Centers are frequently infested by the children bringing their sleeping bags and pillows to the center from an infested home.
An adult Bed Bug is the size of an apple seed. They are resistant to almost all chemicals; there are no chemicals sold at home or department stores that will kill Bed Bugs. Heat is their Achilles heel, they die at about 135 degrees. Professionals sometimes kill them by heating a house to 150-170 degrees for a couple hours. Reintroduction is always a big problem.