Category: Pest Control

Bedbugs

How to spot bedbugs

Bedbugs are small blood sucking insects that can live in dark cracks in and around your bed. Attracted by your body heat, they crawl out at night to bite your skin and feed on your blood, just as mosquitoes do.

Signs of bedbugs include:

itchy bites or bumps that appear after being in bed

black spots on your mattress, bed frame, skirting boards and other furniture – this could be their dried faeces

small blood spots on your sheets where you may have rolled over and squashed a bug

Treat bedbugs yourself

It can be very difficult to get rid of bedbugs yourself, so it’s wise to get professional help.

If you want to try treating the bedbugs you can:

wash bed sheets at 60 degrees or put them in a dryer on a hot setting for 30 minutes to kill the bugs

use a vacuum cleaner to suck up any bugs you can see

use an insecticide spray made for bedbugs – always read instructions on the label

Prevention tips

It can be difficult to prevent bedbugs as they can be brought into a property easily.

To try and prevent bedbugs you can:

inspect your mattress regularly for signs and take action if needed

avoid buying second-hand mattresses

replace old beds you might be using in rented accommodation

keep your bedroom tidy, especially under your bed, to reduce the amount of hiding places for bedbugs

Ultimate Bed Bugs Guide | Signs, Bites, Causes & Remedies To Kill

Before we get too far into this guide, please realize that we are not experts on bed bugs or insects. But we are experts on mattresses, so we know how personal they are to each individual and how expensive they are to replace. Sleeping is very important to every day function and your mattress is arguably the most important tool for sleep, so you want to protect it. Hopefully this guide will help you ditch those bed bugs, or maybe even prevent them in the first place.

What Causes Or Attracts Bed Bugs?

Bed beds are attracted to warmth, blood, and carbon dioxide. Basically, our living bodies. While many people think that a filthy or dirty environment attracts them, the truth is that bed bugs can live anywhere, as long as there are people around to provide food for them.

Where Do Bed Bugs Come From?

Bed bugs can be found in all 50 states in America, and all over the world. Bed bugs can come from transportation such as buses, trains, planes, cruise liners, and taxi cabs. They can also be found in nursing homes, daycares, schools, hospitals, hotels… I think you get the picture. Since bed bugs are “hitchhiking” insects, they can be found anywhere, at any time

How To Prevent Bed Bugs

1. Store clothing in airtight bags or containers. If it’s airtight, they can’t get in. This is very important when traveling, so that the bed bugs can’t come home with you.

2. Cover your power outlets. Bed bugs can hide in power outlets, and in really bad infestations, travel through your walls to travel to other areas of your home or office.

3. Always check used items. This obviously applies to clothes and furniture, but check your electronics, as well. Things like video game consoles, DVD players, laptops, etc. have vents in them that are perfect for bed bugs to hide in.

4. Vacuum often. Bed bugs can hide in your carpet, so make sure to vacuum your floor (especially where the floor meets the wall), your mattress, and even your box spring if you can. If you suspect you may have bed bugs, be sure to dispose of your vacuum bag properly.

5. Pets! Your pets are susceptible to bed bugs, too. Wash your pet’s bed in hot water every couple of months to help prevent bugs.

6. Cover your mattress. Mattress protectors are cheap and also keep your mattress clean. Note that a mattress protector will help prevent against an infestation, not help to get rid of a current one. You may also want to cover your box spring, as well, as bed bugs like to live in there, too.

Are There Bed Bug Mattress Protectors And Covers?

Yes there are, but be careful with which type of protector you use. Studies have shown that bed bugs can move through closed zippers if they’re not tight enough, and the material used for the cover must be strong enough, as well, or else you could possibly be protecting and fostering the bed bugs instead of starving them out. We recommend the Protect-A-Bed brand mattress protector

Bed Bug

Found throughout the world, bed bugs (cimex lectularius) are blood-sucking insects that feed mostly on people, but are also known to attack birds, bats and other animals. Bites occur mostly at night and are generally painless when inflicted. However, fluids that are injected during feeding often produce painful welts on the skin that itch and may become severely irritated. As pest numbers increase, more bites occur, and the problem can become progressively worse, often very quickly.

Identification

Adults (1/4 – 3/8 inch long) are oval-shaped, reddish brown insects that are wingless and flat. After a meal, they become swollen and elongated when engorged with blood. Eggs are white and are about 1/32 inch long. Newly hatched nymphs are the same shape as adults, but are yellowish-white in color.

Life Cycle

Active at night, female bed bugs lay white eggs in batches of 10 to 50 on bedding and in cracks and crevices. Under favorable conditions one adult female can lay as many as 200-250 eggs over her lifetime. Young nymphs hatch in about 10 days and use their beak-like mouthparts to feed on hosts. It takes 1-2 months for nymphs to become mature adults. Adult bugs can live a year or longer (most live about 10-11 months) and there may be three or more overlapping generations per year.

How to Control

Determine if bed bugs are present with the First Response Trap. This monitoring device uses heat, pheromones and carbon dioxide to work quickly. It is safe and effective!

If present, wash linens, vacuum cracks and crevices to provide long-lasting protection against many insect pests.

Apply temporary barriers to keep crawling insects from migrating into the bed at night. Often this can be achieved by placing bed legs in containers full of soapy water or by spreading a 2-3 inch layer of petroleum jelly around them.

Caulk cracks and other daytime hiding places found around frames, floors and moldings.

Remove or eliminate animal nests, such as bird nests or bat roosts, from your house. These animal habitats may be the source of the infestation.

Spray Orange Guard, made from citrus peel extract, to kill on contact. Approved for organic use, Orange Guard is a broad spectrum insect killer that’s safe to use indoors and out. Repeat applications may be necessary.

Diatomaceous earth contains no toxic poisons and works quickly on contact. Apply lightly around baseboards and in cracks and crevices where many pests are found.

Least-toxic botanical insecticides should be used as a last resort. Derived from plants which have insecticidal properties, these natural pesticides have fewer harmful side effects than synthetic chemicals and break down more quickly in the environment.

We caught bedbugs from traveling — and then the nightmare began

Before going to sleep at night, I would tear my bed apart — removing one layer of bedding at a time to examine every fold and indentation. I’d lift the mattress, rip off the pillowcases, inspect around the box springs and in the bug traps set around the house. I’d repeat the process again in the morning and expand my hunt to other locations around the house.

Disgusting, biting, bloodsucking bedbugs crawled into our luggage, came home with us and moved in without us noticing. And no, these evil creatures were not from a seedy motel or hostel.

Our battle against the bedbugs stretched for several months, and while I’d do my best to make light of the situation, it was truly awful. It was a mental, physical, emotional and financial drain to have an enemy in your home you rarely see, despite your best efforts. But, not seeing them didn’t stop them from easily finding and biting us (and our kids) while we slept.

How we caught bedbugs

I’ll cut to the chase: I’m not going to name the hotel where we got bedbugs, though I know with 100% confirmed certainty when and where it happened. I made the decision early on in this journey not to call out the location, as it largely defeats the purpose of the story since it can happen at any hotel. I don’t want you to feel false security by avoiding that one specific property, because the reality is that bedbugs are on the rise and it’s smart to take bedbug precautions no matter where you stay.

With that out of the way, our stay started like any other. After sleeping in the several-hundred-dollar-per-night hotel the first night, I woke up with a bite or two on my legs, but other than being mildly annoying and itchy, I didn’t think anything of it. The number of bites increased each morning over the course of our stay. For me, almost all of the bites were on the back of my thighs

Bed Bugs

What is a bed bug?

Bed bugs likely get their name from their habit of taking refuge in beds and feeding on humans while they sleep. Bed bugs feed only on blood and must have regular blood meals to survive and develop. Humans are not bed bugs’ only targets, they also will attack many warm-blooded animals, including poultry and other birds. Bed bugs have been associated with humans for more than 3,300 years and are found in virtually every place people tend to gather, including residences, hotels, schools, offices, retail stores and even public transportation.

Bed bugs are great “hitch hikers,” allowing them to travel long distances. They latch onto suitcases, clothes, and linens and can end up wherever these items are taken. This is why the spread of bed bugs occurs so easily. Furthermore, it’s often hard to identify bed bug bites, and they can easily be confused with bites from a different pest, making infestations difficult to detect and allowing populations to grow unnoticed. 

How to Identify Bed Bugs

Bed bugs are an oval shape and only grow to about 3/16th of an inch in length. Prior to feeding, they are brown and flat. After feeding, bed bugs become more red in color, swollen, and elongated. Bed bugs have 6 legs and 2 antennae. Despite having reduced “wing pads,” bed bugs do not have wings and cannot fly.

Signs of a Bed Bug Infestation

Bed bugs are most easily identified by small reddish-brown fecal spots on mattresses, upholstery or walls. If these spots are found, it can indicate an infestation. Bites on the arms and legs are also a tell-tale sign of bed bugs. While these bites can be small, if they swell and become itchy, they are noticeable. It can take two to three days for these bites to appear, allowing the infestation to grow. However, bites alone do not indicate an infestation without other bed bug evidence. 

How to Get Rid of Bed Bugs

Bed bugs are extremely elusive creatures so professional help should be sought out when dealing with an infestation. Bed bugs are a very difficult pest to treat. In fact, 76 percent of pest professionals say they are the hardest bug to eradicate according to a recent NPMA survey. If you suspect or discover an infestation, contact a licensed professional to address the issue. 

What Enemies Do Raccoons Have?

Raccoons live in a wide range of habitats, and they are most recognizable for their black masks. They are predators and scavengers, and their grizzled gray, black or brown fur allows them to blend in with their environments. They are active primarily at night, and they have to deal with a wide variety of enemies.

Coyotes

While coyotes are largely eaters of carrion, they are also skilled predators. They will often eat raccoons, both adults and juveniles. Coyotes do hunt in packs, but one coyote is capable of killing a lone raccoon. The raccoon’s natural aversion to coyotes makes it possible to use coyote urine as a raccoon repellent.

Great Horned Owl

According to the Michigan Natural History website, great horned owls are large birds that are between 18 and 25 inches long and feature wingspans between 48 and 60 inches. Though their prey typically consists of small rats and mice, they will eat larger animals, including raccoons, opossums and skunks. While they will usually content themselves with juvenile raccoons, they have been known to kill and eat adults.

Foxes

Though foxes share the same ecological niche as raccoons—both are predators and scavengers—foxes will also devour small, young raccoons if given the chance. Foxes are high-level predators that hunt a wide variety of animals, including raccoons, rabbits and snakes. Fox urine can even be used as raccoon repellent.

Wolves

Wolves are carnivores, and though they do a fair amount of scavenging, they are also excellent hunters. Wolves will hunt in packs to bring down a large prey animal, but a lone wolf can easily dispatch a raccoon. Not only do wolves prey upon raccoons, they will also devour shrews, hares, beavers, voles and fish.

Large Cats

Bobcats, mountain lions and pumas will all hunt raccoons if they are given the chance. These large predators help keep the raccoon population in check, and they can eat both juvenile raccoons and adult raccoons.

Humans

People will hunt raccoons for their pelts and also because they are considered pests. Raccoons will prey on chickens and they can carry rabies, which can be deadly to dogs and humans. People will use dogs to tree raccoons, and they will also shoot raccoons, trap them or poison them. While some people hunt raccoons for necessity, other people will hunt them for sport, in competitions.

Raccoon Control

Here are some tips on raccoon control to prevent them from identifying your home as a place to nest or frequently visit.

• Raccoons hate the smell of apple cider vinegar (and so do some humans!). Soak a cloth in apple cider vinegar and place it in an aerated container near the den. The smell will deter them!
• Install a “scare light.” Having motion sensor lights that automatically turn on will scare away wandering raccoons.
• Don’t feed them. This may seem simple but many people who think they’re helping the raccoons by leaving food for them or dangerously trying to feed them directly by hand might end up harming these creatures. Neighbourhood raccoons will not starve – they are expert foragers – and they are actually worse off receiving food from humans, as they are not meant to eat our processed, fatty foods. Additionally, encouraging them to be closer to our homes increases their danger of being hit by cars.
• If you have an outdoor cat, do not leave food outside for your feline. Raccoons will find and remember these freebies. Only feed your cats and other pets indoors. Plus, you’ll be keeping your pets safer by doing so.
• Play a talk radio channel near their den to frighten them away from human voices.
• Give them time. Once you’ve implemented some of these tips, remember that the mother raccoons may take a little while to move babies one by one to another den.

Mothball Warnings

Mothballs contain pesticides, usually paradichlorobenzene or naphthalene, that slowly vaporize over time. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency states that exposure to these chemicals can cause nasal cancer, and other studies link them to liver damage and other serious illnesses. If mothballs are left in an attic or crawlspace to repel raccoons or other creatures, these chemicals can seep into the rest of the house, exposing anyone living there. If left as a repellent outside, mothballs can be ingested by animals such as dogs or cats — or even small children — which could prove fatal.

Mothball Alternatives

According to the Environmental Protection Agency, natural plant oils like mustard oil have been proven to deter raccoons from rummaging through trash cans and gardens. Specialized live traps can also humanely remove raccoons from houses without injuring the animal or spreading dangerous pesticides such as mothballs around. The best prevention against unwanted raccoons is to remove the attractions that draw them in. Keep trash cleaned and confined where raccoons can’t reach it, and cover chimney openings and similar entrances to prevent raccoons entering.

What to do if a raccoon is living in the attic

Be patient with a mother raccoon in the attic

Your first option is to do nothing at all. Raccoons typically live in attic dens for short periods. Raccoon babies are independent by the end of summer, when they leave the den and disperse from their family groups. Raccoon mothers commonly move their babies between den sites during the nesting season, so she may leave on her own. If you wait until the babies are grown and/or have left, then you can close off the access point to prevent other raccoons from using the attic as a den in the future.

Humane harassment

The mother raccoon is living in the attic because it’s a dark, quiet, safe place for her and her babies. If you make the attic not dark, not quiet, and not safe (using light, sound, and smell) the raccoon can usually be convinced to leave your attic and take her babies with her. All harassment techniques should be placed as close as possible to the den entrance, so the mother raccoon can’t ignore them when she comes and goes.

Light

Place a bright light at the den entrance, either inside or outside. Make sure it’s fire-safe. Raccoons are nocturnal, and don’t like bright lights in their homes. An outdoor spotlight or a mechanic’s light should do the trick.

Sound

Tune a radio to a talk station and place it near the den entrance. Music doesn’t mean anything to raccoons, but the sound of human voices is threatening to them. The radio should be turned up as loud as you can stand it without annoying your human neighbours.

Smell

Soak some rags in Apple Cider Vinegar or ammonia, and put them in a plastic bag. Poke holes in the bag to let the smell escape, and hang it next to the den entrance. You can us dirty kitty litter in a plastic bag the same way. Scent deterrents are least effective with raccoons, but can help when used in combination with light and sound methods.

Patience and persistence

Keep all of the above going for at least 3 days and 3 nights. You’ve got to be persistent to convince the raccoon to leave.

Paper Test

When you think the raccoon is gone, before closing the hole, make sure with a paper test.  Either stuff the entrance with balled up newspaper, or tape a double sheet of newspaper over the hole. Wait another 3 days and nights. If the paper is still in place, and you don’t hear anything in the attic, the raccoons are probably gone! Temporarily patch the hole with ¼” wire mesh or hardware cloth until you can do a more permanent repair.

What NOT to do

Live trapping

Trapping and relocating a raccoon might seem like the “humane” option, but it isn’t. Relocated raccoons don’t tend to survive when they’re moved off of their home territory. Relocated mother raccoons leave behind babies who will die without a mother to care for them. A mother raccoon relocated with her babies will be so frightened she will abandon them when faced with a new, unknown territory. In Ontario, it is illegal to relocate any wild animal more than 1km from where it was found.

Every year, Toronto Wildlife Centre receives hundreds of calls about baby raccoons orphaned because well-meaning people trapped and relocated their mother. Unfortunately, we don’t have the resources to care for them all.

One-way doors

Many humane removal companies will recommend putting up one-way doors so the raccoon can get out but not get back in. One-way doors are a good option between October and December, when tiny baby raccoons are unlikely. Between January and September, one-way doors can exclude the mother raccoon and leave tiny baby raccoons trapped inside. If they are too young to follow their mother, the babies will starve inside without her care. Separated from her babies, a mother raccoon will cause major damage to property as she tries desperately to get back to them.  Make sure the baby raccoons are old enough to be mobile and following their mother before installing a one-way door.