Bed Bugs - Best Company to Use

Funny you ask about this. Yesterday we went to Knott's Berry Farm and there is a lady that has a room full of preserved bats, butterflies, scorpions, ticks, fleas, and BED BUGS! We made it home last night and I got creeped out, so I picked up the mattress cover and something fell out. I was sure it was bed bugs so I checked my daughter's bed and slept in there, leaving hubby to sleep in the presumed bed bugs. We keep some of our luggage and duffle bags under the bed.

I got the vacuum out first thing this morning and nothing! It was some green lent from the mattress pad that sprinkled on the floor. Last night I was sure it was bed bug carcass, droppings, or something.

Anyway, the Knott's Berry farm lady is a health inspector/Knott's lady and this is what she shared with me.

Bed bugs can smell out breath and they only come out about 2:00 a.m. They find a good blood source and latch on and suck our blood for about 5 - 10 minutes and then go back in hiding. She says you will not see them during the day. They are also going inside our laptops which we place on the bed in the hotel and then go home and place them on our bed.

So last night while I was creeped out, I watched a youtube video and it showed that the infestation can get in the cracks of your furniture, bedding, headboard, and anywhere it will fit. You can somewhat of dig them out with a file or something that you can stick in there. The video showed that they couldn't find the source and they were found in the battery compartment of the remote, which was sitting on the bed.

I don't know of any bed bug killer but you can search them on youtube. The lady that did it was an exterminator. I can't find the one I had last night, but here is a home method.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I8M5FAn6h7k

we went through this when we moved into our townhome a year and a half ago. What a nightmare!
It's very expensive to get rid of them. We had 4 different companies come for estimates. The cheapest one was $900 and that was with chemicals. The most expensive was $2300 and that was for the heat treatment. Luckily for us though, we caught it very quickly (they came through the walls from the neighbors) and it was ONLY in the master bedroom. No where else in the house. We were able to get the actual chemical that the pest control companies use. Bought it direct from their supplier (not sure if that's really legal because it is some nasty harsh chemicals, but my dad was able to get it for me). What I did was once a week I would go up and spray EVERYTHING. We washed our comforter, sheets and everything including ALL clothes constantly (bedding was daily), I vacumed daily. We spent over $300 on matress covers for all the beds in the house (arm and hammer brand made to keep bed bugs out). I would take the matress of the bed, and go to town (with a mask and gloves and goggles). There was not a speck that was not sprayed in our room.
I did that 3 weeks in a row, and then once a month after that. I ended up finding their nest and we have now been bug free for a year now. No more bites :)
I've heard if you hire someone to do it, then the heat treatment is better because it's a 1 time thing. Chemicals take longer (up to 6 months)

Good luck and let me know if you have any questions

Clarke Pest Control. They have these heaters they take into the house and they heat the entire house up to a certain bedbug killing degree and leave it running long enough to expire all the bugs. It's very cool, but pricey, but effective.

Find a company that uses beagle dogs to find where the bugs are located. It's best to use a company that uses high heat to get rid of the bugs. Good luck.