Bed bug exterminators
Before you decide which bed bug control exterminator to call please consider a few points. What qualifications do they hold? Do they hold adequate insurance? Do they regularly control bed bugs?. Many pest controllers lack the knowledge required to control bed bugs and many operate with inadequate level of insurance.
Why Bed bug treatments fail
Every few days we receive a call from someone who has had a failed bed bug treatment. Hopefully this page will prevent the same happening to you. Asking the right questions will not only save you money but will prevent a small bed bug problem becoming a multiple room infestation.
Big is best
When you have a pest problem it may seem like a good idea to call one of the larger pest control companies. Its a name you recognise therefore you have less chance of getting ripped off or of getting a poor service.
Think about it this way for a minute.. does the technician who is undertaking the work care if the treatment is successful? How may cases have they actually dealt with? Many are passionate about what they do but to the rest its just a job. They may well have a long list of jobs to do that day, will they spend enough time dealing with your problem or be under pressure to get finished and on to the next one.
Product selection
In the UK there as hundreds of insecticides available, how does the pest controller choose which one to select? Many take the advice of the pest control product suppliers which usually involves using several different products and repeating the process regardless of the level of infestation, others will simply use the cheapest.
The leading bed bug control companies will have spent hundreds of hours researching the affects of different insecticide actives and formulation, many will have even conducted experiments to determine which products work and which ones don't.
Product selection is one of the most important factors when treating bed bugs. Many active ingredients such as Permethrin and Tetramethrin will unless sprayed directly onto the insect push them further away from the treated are due to their repellant properties. The residual time of some products will not be long enough to achieve complete control and will need applying over and over again until all the bed bugs are gone.
Application methods
The biggest no no when treating bed bugs is to use an aerosol, fogger or ULV (Ultra low volume). If a pest controller tells you he will be using a fogger or ULV then run away. All this is likely to achieve is to push the bugs into other rooms to escape the pesticide.
Bed bug biology
Unless the pest controller understands the life cycle of the bed bug, their habits and likely harborage sites it is unlikely that they will be able to achieve complete control. Bed bugs are the one of the most complex pests to deal with and are not something that the average pest controller can successfully deal with.
Heat treatments
Heat treatments for bed bugs is still quite a new process. Heat treatments takes a full day to complete. They have no residual action meaning that if just one bug survives the numbers will soon start to build up again. Many pest control companies subcontract the work to a heating company, while they may understand how the machinery works they may not understand the biology and habits of the bed bug.