The Bed Bug Invasion is Here!

**This article was featured in the October 2010 Home Bulletin**


Prepare Your Defences to Avoid Infestation

Bed bugs are a problem we thought we had resolved years ago. Now, all of a sudden, bed bug infestations are errupting all over - and with a vengeance. They are not really harmful (unless you are allergic to them), but they are a disgusting nuisance. They can be difficult to get rid of once they set up house in your home. Fortunately there are tools and strategies you can use to avoid or eliminate the problem.

Contact Is Probably Unavoidable

The bed bug epidemic is a world-wide phenomenon. They have taken up residence in hospitals, 5-star hotels, homeless shelters, movie theaters and of course private homes. So the chance of coming in contact with the little critters is extremely high. So, if they can hitch a ride in your clothing, luggage, shopping bag or brief case, you will be bringing them home. The first step is to try not to do that.

Bed bugs don't fly or jump, so to get onto your clothing or luggage, they need direct contact. Avoid areas where they can be hiding out and transfer to your clothing. When staying at a hotel (even the finest 5-star rooms could have them) don't place your luggage on the floor or on your bed.

Apart from contact avoidance, we have discovered a couple of powerful weapons that could be added to your bed bug protection arsenal.

A Non-Toxic Chemical Solution

A Montreal Painting contractor, the "Paintologists", operates a pressure cleaning service for residential and commercial customers. This service includes an insect elimination program called "Bug-Tek". Bug-Tek is a non-toxic spray which is odourless, non-staining and harmless to humans and pets but is lethal to all insects. The product has a long lasting effect, giving you an insect-free environment for up to six to eight weeks. This applies to all insects, including bed bugs. You can hire the Paintologists to spray your home or you can simply buy the product from them and do it yourself.

"Some of my customers who travel will spray their luggage before leaving on a trip and also even spray the bedding on arrival" says Paintologists' owner Andre Zylinski. "Since Bug-Tek is odourless and non-staining, the bed bugs coming in contact with the product will be killed without damaging your clothing. Bug-Tek attacks the nervous system of insects so once they are in contact with it, it starts to work."

Zylinski recommends that once you see evidence of bed bugs, the sooner you start treatment the better. any delays give them the chance to get more solidly entrenched in all of their favorite hiding spots in your home. "You should start to spray the infected areas immediately" he says, "and repeat it every four weeks until the problem is solved. In fact, even if you don't have a bed bug problem, you can take preventative action by spraying your mattresses, couches and carpets every eight weeks."

An Effective Mechanical Solution

Health Canada recommends one way to get rid of bed bugs is steam cleaning affected areas. One machine that does the job is the "Vaporetto ecological cleaning system" from Polti Canada. Using pure water heated to 120 degrees celsius, creates a vapour that kills bacteria, viruses, dust mites and bed bugs on contact. The Vaporetto is about the size of a portable vacuum cleaner and is easy to manoeuvre about the house. One big advantage is that it emits a dry vapour so that your bedding, furniture and clothing can be treated without getting wet, but emitting enough steam to kill insects and bacteria. "Hospitals, hotels and other institutions have reported back to us that the Vaporetto has been very effective in eliminating bed bugs" says Giuseppe Ruffolo, the president of Polti Canada in St-Laurent. "Another advantage of the Vaporetto" says Ruffolo, "is the dry vapour can be used on electrical outlets without the danger of shorting out the wiring system. Electrical outlets are a frequent hiding spot for the bugs."

Of course, the Vaporetto is not used only for killing bugs, but is a cleaning machine with a "thousand-and-one" uses in the home, including windows, carpets, ovens, barbecue grills, tiles, furniture, etc...

For more information contact Polti Canada at 514-733-2906

The Paintologists can be reached at 514-694-7025. For a free report on how to eliminate and prevent bed bugs in your home, email your name, address and phone number to: cleanbug@paintologists.com

The Bed Bug Registry

We came across this amazing website and thought we would share! You can search the database for reports of bed bugs in hotels and cities across North America

It's still always a great idea to protect yourself when travelling. We recommend bringing a bottle of Bug-Tek with you. You can spray your hotel room and feel completely confident that you won't be bringing bed bugs home with you!

http://www.bedbugregistry.com/

Shipping Outside of Canada

At the moment, we only offer shipping within Canada on our website. If you live outside of Canada and are interested in purchasing any of our products, please email us or calls us and we will try our best to accomodate you!

cleanbug@paintologists.com

514.694.7025

Share Your Stories and Questions

Want to share a story about bed bugs? Have a question you'd like to ask? Share it here!