As we all know, bed bugs are still making an appearance on broadcast news, as well as in printed newspapers across the country. Bed bug infestations are not only a problem for the lodging industry, but have been reported in public transportation, office buildings and retail stores. If you are nervous about encountering these little creatures, below are the top 10 tips, courtesy of the EPA:

1. Make sure you really have bed bugs, not fleas, ticks or other insects. You can verify your insect here or contact us for a free inspection.  
2. Don’t panic! Eliminating bed bugs is difficult, but it is not impossible. Don’t throw out all of your belongings; most of them can be treated and saved. Throwing out your stuff can be costly, unnecessarily stressful and may actually spread the infestation. 
3. Think through your treatment options – don’t immediately reach for the spray can, as that won’t be effective in eliminating them. An Integrated Pest Management (IPM) approach by a professional pest management company will reduce bed bug populations and limit pesticide exposure to you and your family. IPM is a different approach than traditional pest control in that it excludes pests from the home while using the safest pesticides in the safest manner – and only when necessary.  
4. Reduce the number of hiding places – clean up the clutter. A cluttered home provides more places for bed bugs to hide and makes treating for them more difficult.  
5. Frequently wash and heat-dry your bed linens. Wash bed spreads, dust ruffles and any other bedding that touches the floor to reduce bed bug populations. Bed bugs and their eggs can hide in laundry containers/hampers, so clean them before you place clean laundry back in. 
6. Do-it-yourself freezing is not usually reliable for bed bug control. While freezing can effectively kill bed bugs, temperatures must remain extremely low for an extended period of time. Home freezers typically are not cold enough to kill bed bugs.  
7. High temperatures can kill bed bugs, but raising the indoor temperature with the thermostat or space heaters won’t do the job. Space heaters must always be used with care, as they have the potential to cause fires and serious burns. Specialized equipment and very high temperatures are required to successfully heat treat a structure.  
8. Don’t pass your bed bugs on to others. Bed bugs are excellent hitchhikers. If you throw out a piece of furniture that is harboring bed bugs, take steps to destroy/deface the item so that no one else picks it up (along with the bugs). 
9. Reduce populations to reduce bites. Thorough vacuuming reduces populations so carefully vacuum rugs, floors, under beds, around bed legs, bed frames, and all cracks and crevices around the bedroom. Thoroughly vacuum upholstered furniture. Change the bag after each use so the bed bugs can’t escape. Place the used bag in a tightly sealed plastic bag and then in an outside garbage bin. 
10. Turn to the professionals, if needed. If you hire an expert, ensure it is company with a reputable history and that they use an IPM approach.

For more information, visit the EPA’s special bed bug section of their website or the National Pest Management Association’s Bed Bug Hub.

I’ve received several requests from frequent travelers who are curious as to what they can do to prevent bringing bed bugs home from their trips. So I sat down with our resident bed bug expert, Tom Jarzynka, who provided me with a few a helpful tips that I wanted to share with you.

1)    As bed bug behavior is fairly predictable, it is important to do a quick inspection of your hotel room as soon as you check in. Pull the pillows and sheets down about one-third of the way from the top of the bed. Look for reddish-brown or black spots on the sheets near the bed’s headboard. Similar spots may be found on mattresses, pillows, headboards and the walls behind headboards.

2)    Check the inside of dresser drawers for insects and black spots. Bed bugs often hide in the cracks between the wood that forms the drawers and dresser cabinet.

3)    The closet and luggage racks are often the first place travelers place their belongings. If bed bugs are brought into a new room, these could be the first places they appear.

4)    Once you have returned home, isolate the items in your suitcase and travel bags from other items in the home. This can be done using garbage bags. Put clothing and other heat-tolerant items into your dryer for a minimum of 20 minutes. Heat will kill all life stages of bed bugs– eggs, nymphs and adults. After thoroughly heating these items, launder as normal. It is important to note that washing the items first has not shown to be as effective as heating them initially.

5)    There are a number of consumer products available that tout their ability to kill bed bugs on contact. These can be utilized while traveling as well as after you get home. The active ingredient in these products is often alcohol or plant oil that does indeed kill on contact. They will not prevent bed bugs, but applying one of these products to the hard surfaces of suitcases, computer bags, or other items may kill bed bugs that have hitched a ride back home with you. Most importantly, in order to be effective, the product must actually touch the bed bug.

They won’t bite or sting you, they don’t carry diseases, but they sure are annoying! Working for a pest management company, I can handle my share of bugs. But for some reason these little “lovies” just drive me crazy! Knowing that I am not the only one suffering right now, I thought I would share some interesting facts about these little creatures in an effort to improve their reputation and, in turn, help me better deal with them while we coexist for a few weeks: 

• One female can attract more than six males. When the lucky male unites with the female, they will stay attached at the abdomen for hours. The male then dies and is dragged around by the female.
• When they’re united, the male transfers nutrients to the female so she’ll produce healthy eggs. Soon after she mates and lays eggs – a mere 150 to 600 of them – she will soon die.
• Under laboratory conditions, females live for about 72 hours, whereas males survive for about 92 hours. In nature, the adults live just long enough to mate, feed, disperse and deposit a batch of eggs, about 3 to 4 days.
• Love bugs appear every May and September for a period of four to five weeks. When the bugs are gone, that just means all the adults have died, and it is a matter of months until the larvae that were left have matured into adults.
• The bugs are not the product of a botched experiment by the University of Florida. Urban myth has it that the school created the love bugs to help solve the mosquito problem – all untrue.
• The adult love bug feeds on the nectar of flowering plants. Upon reaching maturity the love bug spends almost the entirety of its remaining life copulating with its mate, hence its numerous romantic nicknames like the honeymoon fly, telephone bug and kissy bug.
• The love bug is a member of the family of march flies. 

Little did I know, but these annoying flies are actually beneficial as larvae because they help to decompose dead plant material. People would also appreciate the aesthetic aspects of the adults, if these insects were not such a nuisance. Like cute little migratory birds, love bugs signal changes in the seasons from spring to summer and again from summer to fall. Moreover, if they were larger, people could easily see and admire their delicate features, particularly the big round eyes of the males. Love bugs sail from flower to flower much like butterflies and, in smaller numbers, could be perceived as quite beautiful. 

Alright, I guess I don’t hate them that much, after all…

Bed bugs have been discovered in a New York City theater, office buildings, stores, and posh apartments. The Niketown store in New York City was closed for four days to rid it of bed bugs, and the city has launched an information and outreach campaign to help people understand how the bugs are spread and how to get rid of them. Information on the epidemic has become so popular that a two-day national conference held this week in Chicago sold out with 400 attendees – at a price tag of $399 a pop.

Michael F. Potter, a professor of entomology at the University of Kentucky and a friend of the Massey Services family, provides the following insight on the subject:

It’s safe to say that probably every state has a bed bug problem. And as history has shown, we’re not talking only about infestations among the poor; we’re talking about the middle class and the wealthy. You’ll find bed bugs not just in hotels, but in apartment buildings, offices, summer camps, movie theaters, college dormitories, buses, even waiting rooms in major hospitals.

So what should we do? For starters, we need to improve public awareness. People don’t tend to think about bed bugs until they’ve been affected by them — even doctors have been known to misdiagnose the bites. People should inspect their beds (especially near the headboard area), not just at home, but wherever they sleep on vacation or at college. Don’t even think of picking up used items left on the curb. The public needs to put the prospect of bed bugs on their radar screen.

Second, public health departments and other government agencies need to take the problem seriously. Because bed bugs are not deemed disease transmitters like cockroaches, rodents or flies, they tend to be ignored in health budgets. This needs to change. While they might not carry disease, they are a huge emotional and economic nuisance and can lead to allergic reactions and infections.

In the 1940s, 50s and 6Os, DDT was responsible for the virtual eradication of bedbugs. I’m not advocating for DDT — research indicates that today’s bed bugs have developed a resistance to it anyway — but I do think chemical companies, if there were incentives, could develop affordable, 21st century versions to help win this battle. Otherwise, we are in for quite a ride.

Read the full article here.

In an article by USA Today, Tripadvisor reports that reviews of hotels that mention bed bugs has risen 11% in 2010 over 2009. Travelers across the U.S., and arguably around the world, have taken notice of the massive resurgence of bed bugs and are taking precautions when traveling.

Pop singer Lauren Hildebrandt recently joined the bed bug headlines as she claims she was “attacked by bed bugs” in a luxury hotel in New York City.  She’s concerned that people need to be aware of the dangers and wants to spread the word so travelers take precautions.

What can you do as a traveler? Be thorough in checking your hotel room as soon as you get to your room:

• Pull off the sheets to the bed and look around and behind headboards for evidence of the insects, including small rust-colored stains.
• Check any furniture in the room – bed bugs are hitchhikers and have also been found in couches and dressers.
• Don’t put your suitcase on the bed or any furniture before inspecting the area.

As always, if you have any questions about bed bugs, treatment methods or need advice, please don’t hesitate to contact us.  We have experts on staff who can help.

While normally there’s not much in common with these two topics, today there is!  According to The New York Times, New York’s latest laws deal with online dating and requiring landlords to come clean about bed bugs.

New York City’s bed bug epidemic will be attacked in two ways:  one law requires schools to report bed bug infestations to families and the other requires landlords to report a history of bed bug infestations before leasing properties.

Bed bugs have made a massive resurgence in the US and are making headlines daily!  If you have any questions about bed bugs, treatment methods or perhaps need advice, we have an expert on staff that you can speak with.  Contact Us and we’ll be happy to help!

A nationwide telephone survey of homeowners shows Florida is the worst state for bug problems, with Louisiana, Texas, California and Georgia close behind. The survey, conducted in June, shows a whopping 90 percent of homeowners said they have experienced an insect infestation of one kind or another. The most common invaders? Ants, termites and cockroaches.

While Florida placed No. 1 overall as the worst state for bugs, it also ranked third-worst for bed bugs, behind New York and California. The least amount of bug problems were reported in Washington, D.C. The next most favorable reports came from South Dakota, Connecticut, Idaho and New Hampshire.

The Zebra Longwing butterfly, Florida's official state "bug"

The top 10 buggiest states are:

1. Florida

2. Louisiana

3. Texas

4. California

5. Georgia

6. New York

7. Mississippi

8. Alabama

9. Missouri

10. South Carolina

Read more: Florida worst state for bugs

Think again. Bed bugs are no laughing matter… even though they played a role in NBC’s hit show “30 Rock” in November when Alec Baldwin’s character Jack had a bed bug infestation of his own. He was humorously ostracized at work, forced to take the subway instead of the company car and heckled by his coworkers for having “a bad case of the chew-daddies.”

While watching the Nightly News on NBC last night, another story ran on these little creatures. (Click here to view.) Turns out that the population of bed bugs has risen 500% in recent years and that one out of four hotel rooms has had an infestation.

From the National Pest Management Association’s site pestworld.org, below are some FAQ’s on bed bugs:

Why are bed bugs so hard to treat?
Bed bugs should not be equated with filth or sanitation problems – in hotels or in homes. Bed bugs are very elusive, transient and nocturnal pests. They can live for a year or more without eating and can withstand a wide range of temperatures. Bed bugs can be controlled with vigilance, constant inspection and treatment by a professional.

Why are bed bugs an issue for hotels, visitors and homeowners?
Bed bugs leave itchy, bloody welts on human skin. Once inside a hotel or home, bed bugs spread rapidly from room to room – through pipes, in vacuum cleaners, on clothing and luggage. In a hotel, bed bugs can even spread to neighboring rooms.

Are bed bugs just in beds?
Bed bugs are not just in beds. They can be in chair cushions, sofas, behind electrical outlets, cracks and crevices around baseboards, or even behind picture frames. In other words, they can live pretty much anywhere.

What can you do to protect yourself from bed bug infestations?
When staying at a hotel, inspect the mattress, bedding, headboard and nightstands thoroughly. And when returning from a trip, check your luggage and clothing.

My coworkers and I were swapping stories yesterday about kids and bugs and I was reminded of how fascinating these little creatures can be – not only to adults, but especially to children. Unlocking the door to a miniature universe of wonder can be as simple as just poking around under a rock or in the grass.

You and your little explorer can try these fun ideas, courtesy of Scholastic:

1. Plant a butterfly garden. In a sunny spot out of the wind, plant blooming varieties like geraniums and hydrangeas, plus plants that provide food for larvae such as Mexican milkweed. Find out what else the butterflies in your area need at butterflywebsite.com.
2. Listen! Catch a non-stinging insect that makes noise in a paper cup. Crickets and flies are good candidates. Cover the cup with waxed paper and hold it on with a rubber band. Now place your ear against the paper and listen.
3. Do the worker-bee waggle! Honeybees “dance” to communicate the location and distance of a nectar stash to the other bees. Talk with your kids about this fascinating communication, and then make up your own version.
4. Take an umbrella out on a sunny day. Place it open upside down under a leafy, low-hanging branch. Shake the branch like you mean it — then identify what lands in your umbrella with an insect book or online.

Tools for the Trade
These items will make your child feel like a real scientist:

• Butterfly net
• Tweezers (only for dead specimens)
• Observation jar (punch holes in the lid of a clean jar)
• Magnifying glass
• Notebook for recording thoughts and sketches
• Bug and spider identification book like Simon & Schuster Children’s Guide to Insects and Spiders (Simon & Schuster, $23; ages 9 to 12) or Don’t Squash That Bug: The Curious Kid’s Guide to Insects (Lobster Press, ages 4 to 8, $15)
• Click here to visit Massey’s bug database 

Massey provides pest prevention services for residential and commercial properties, but not all insects are harmful! Have fun exploring!

Bob Belmont, Massey’s Training & Technical Director and a Board Certified Entomologist, recently walked the grounds of the Central Florida Zoo with Sandi Linn, the Zoo’s Director of Education, scoping out the best spot to place a special insect trap. In partnership with the Zoo, Massey will soon begin an insect biodiversity study that will hopefully lead to a complete biodiversity study of the entire zoo grounds.

Massey’s eco-friendly insect trap (similar to the one on the right that Bob has behind his own moth lab in Sanford, Fla.) will randomly attract night-flying insects to a walk-in screened cage. The special trap allows for the collection of a few bugs and the release of other insects during the day. Massey will be teaching interested Zoo employees how to run the trap, collect the samples, and then preserve and label the specimens to be of scientific value. Various other trapping methods will also be utilized throughout the year.

The Zoo will learn a great deal from this study about their local insect fauna and will begin to better understand insects, their food plants and adult flight periods. The published data will also likely spur similar studies and attract local and out-of-state scientists to the location.

Thanks Bob! We look forward to hearing more about this study as it progresses.