A proper protocol
includes proactive and reactive components such as prevention, early detection,
response times, pre-treatment preparation, remediation strategies, and
budgeting.Bed bug control companies discuss how to handle bedbug issues once
these insects are reported or suspected of taking up residence. Having a
protocol in place for dealing with bedbugs is vital to ensure a prompt and
effective response. Providing residents a protocol, as well as educational
material.
Early
detection and prompt, effective action is critical to prevent be bugs from
becoming established in an apartment building or buildings.
Once established, bed bugs are among the most difficult pest to exterminate
• controlling bed bugs without
an experienced professional is not advisable.
•
apartments adjacent to those with a bed bug problem should not be ignored.
•before
renting a previously infested apartment make sure that the be bugs have
been eliminated and all old evidence of bed bugs has been removed.
•
Developing a written “bed bug action plan” in advance of problems
being identified is crucial . The plan should include specific procedures
an responsibilities for responding to a bed bug incident, including:
-Following
up and respond to complaints.
–
Coordinating response with a pest control professional for bed bugs.
–
Making sure residents prepare properly for service,which reduces the
risk of bed bug infestation spreading to other areas, and following the
pest management professionals protocol.
–
Relocation requests should be verified to be bed bug free.
•
Provide bed bug control service by a qualified professional
experience with bed bugs in apartments.
•
Train critical staff (office, custodial, and maintenance)about such things
as:
–
Learning to recognize bed bugs, and signs of infestations.
–
Be aware of how bed bugs are introduced and spread in apartments.
–
How the role of clutter and crowding can induce bed bug infestations.
–
Ensure resident cooperation and preparation for pest control service
by providing explicit work flow.
-Thorough
recordkeeping related to bed bugs is very important.
–
Widespread bed bug issues at a property, consider the following actions:
-Tap
into community-wide education programs on bed bugs.
–
Frequent bed bugs inspections and monitoring of
common areas such as lounges,laundries, etc.
–
Utilize a qualified canine scent detection team to check all units in
a suspect building.
Guidelines for apartment
managers to help recognize and deal with bed bug outbreaks and to minimize
future bed bug problems.
What
to Avoid
• Blaming or stigmatizing
tenants that are suspect to have brought in bed bugs is not acceptable.
•
Successful control of bed bugs may require multiple visits by
a professional pest management company, that often employs a variety
of control techniques and includes inspections of, and sometimes service
in,units adjacent to the infested one.
•
Throwing out beds, furniture, or personal possessions in order to get
rid of bed bugs should not be a demand. Such measures can be costly and
may not help control the problem.
Moving
tenants to a new apartment to solve bed bug problems is not a solution.
Bed bugs love to hitch a ride.
– Be open in a transparent
fashion with current or prospective tenants about ongoing or past bed bug
problems.Responding to a Bed Bug Incident:
• If someone reports bed bugs:
–
The unit needs to checked immediately and collect a specimen,if possible,for
identification by a pest management professional.
–
when responding be sympathetic to people reporting bed bug problems.Contact a
pest management professional experienced in bed bug control to confirm
that bed bugs are present. Do this promptly.
–
The pest control service inspection should include the unit
in question,as well as units adjacent (with common walls), above and below,
and directly across the hall.
•
Every apartment that has been serviced for bed bugs should require
a follow-up inspection. Service each unit as necessary until there are
no more bed bugs.
–
Continue with follow-up inspections in all apartments adjacent to infested
ones until the primary infestation is eliminated.
-In
order to be successful in bed bug control issues usually requires multiple
service visits.
•
Be sure to document all complaints, inspections, actions taken,follow-ups, etc.
• Residents can help prevent
bed bugs by:
–
Not using mattresses, beds, or other furniture that has been discarded,and by
carefully inspecting used or reconditioned furniture.
–
Reducing clutter, which provides hiding places for bed bugs
making treatment difficult or impossible.
–
Vacuuming and laundering bed linens and clothing on a regular schedule.
–
Isolating the beds by installing encasements on mattresses and
box springs, pulling the beds away from walls, and raising bed skirts so
it does not touch the floor.
•
Management can help prevent bed bugs by:
–
Training all residents on bed bugs including what they look like,
what their bites look like, importance of prompt reports to management if
bed bugs are suspected, and ways to minimize the likelihood of bringing
bed
bugs
into the building.
–
Reducing bed bug hiding places by sealing cracks along baseboards
and moldings, around pipe chases, in floors, etc., and by removing or
re-gluing peeling wallpaper, removing peeling paint, and fixing damage.
–
Bagging and discarding belongings left behind by vacating tenants.
–
Destroying or damaging infested beds and furniture that residents
are discarding so that they cannot be reused by another resident.
–
Scheduling regular inspections of apartments to detect bed
bug infestations.
At
AM/PM Exterminators LLC Bed
bug extermination service is designed to educated our customer to
understand the bed bug, Treate and preventing from coming back.
Because bedbugs live off of warm bloodied hosts,and reside in cracks and
crevices and out of the way areas, being close to their food source. The folds
of mattresses, bedding, boxes, crates any of the things in and around the home
that offer secluded undisturbed areas. Bed Bug infestation can be extremely
difficult to get rid of.
