Recently I took over property management of two fourplexes. There were four separate buildings each with two apartments connected. When I notified the tenants of the change in management one of them, Mary, told me the entire property was infested with bed bugs. Mary stated the apartment directly across from her (though not physically connected) had a terrible infestation of bed bugs. The bed bugs moved to her apartment when they were treated. I notified the owner and received authorization to have Mary’s unit treated as well as the vacant unit connected to Mary’s unit. Mary, who was not paying rent, always seemed to be too busy to let the exterminator in. I finally served a 48-hour notice. I had Truly Nolan inspect Mary’s and the 7 other apartments and learned more than I wanted to know about bed bugs.
1) Bed bugs do not move from one building to another by running across the ground. They are transported in items like furniture, mattresses and clothing. This is why it is advised when staying in a hotel to keep your suitcase closed and your clothing sealed in plastic bags. Wash all clothing immediately upon returning from your vacation.
2) If a tenant has recently moved in and starts complaining about bed bugs it is probably because they brought them with them.
3) Bed bugs can live for up to 8 months without food.
4) Bed bugs can be easily treated but in order to be effective the tenant has to cooperate by preparing their home and personal items. (See Preparing for Bed Bug Treatment below.)
5) Baby bed bugs are called nymphs.
6) Bed bugs do not like heat.
7) Treating bed bugs is expensive – ranging from $800 to $1500 or more depending on the property and cooperation from the tenant.
Truly Nolan inspected all the apartments and the only one with bed bugs was Mary’s. In his opinion she brought them with her when she moved in. (What a surprise.) He said it would do no good to treat her apartment unless she cooperated. I explained this to Mary, who was still not paying rent and was in the process of being evicted, but she still did not cooperate. Mary’s lack of cooperation was costing the owner money because the unit next to Mary’s could not be rented until the bed bug issue was resolved as they could potentially move next door. Mary also ran off a tenant by telling her the unit she was moving into was infected with bed bugs even though I had proof it was not. I blame the media for this as they have reported a good way to get back at your landlord was to say the property had bed bugs. This is not the first time I have had a current tenant tell new or potential tenants the apartment had bed bugs to discourage the tenant from moving in.
Eventually Mary was evicted but she did not remove some of her personal items including the infected mattresses and furniture. So lucky me, I had to store them for 21 days. This delayed the bed bug treatment another 3 weeks costing the owner more money.
Unfortunately, bed bugs are here to stay, they are expensive to treat and even if tenants do not have bed bugs, they can use the threat to discourage new tenants. I feel sorry for Mary’s new landlord as I know she took the bed bugs with her. Maybe someone should invent a bed bug detector kit that every tenant has to take to their current apartment to prove they are not bringing these pests with them.
Preparing for Bed Bug Treatment
- Reduce clutter to make bed bug inspection easier. Be careful when removing items from the infested area to other areas because you may transfer the bed bugs.
- Personal items (stuffed animals, soft toys, blankets) should be removed, cleaned with a vacuum cleaner, and bagged in plastic for a couple of days with an insecticide like Nuvan Strips. You can also bag laptops, phones and radios as well. The insecticide in Nuvan strips will not harm these items, and is non-residual, so you don’t have to launder them after using the Nuvan strips
- Dismantling bed frames in infested areas may expose additional bedbug hiding sites.
- Remove drawers from desks and dressers and turn furniture over to inspect and clean all hiding spots. All furniture should be pulled away from the walls.
- Stand up the box spring and shine a flashlight through the gauze fabric to expose bed bugs. If the fabric is torn (possible hiding place), remove fabric to prepare for spraying. If the mattress and or box springs are infested, you may want to consider Encasements by Mattress Safe. Once covered with these encasements, bed bugs cannot enter or exit. There is no need to treat the mattress or box spring when using these encasements. Keep them on for a year.
- Active Guard Mattress Liners may be used on the mattress or box springs, killing bed bugs and dust mites for two years. Not only will it kill active bedbugs but helps prevent bed bugs from infesting beds.
- Caulk and seal all holes where pipes and wires penetrate walls and floor, and fill cracks around baseboards and molding to further reduce harboring areas.
- Since infested garments and bed linen can’t be treated with insecticide they will need to be laundered in hot water (120 degrees Fahrenheit minimum). If washing is not available, sometimes heating the garments or bed linens for several minutes in a clothes dryer may work.
- Thoroughly clean the infested rooms. Scrub infested surfaces with a stiff brush to dislodge eggs.
- Vacuum areas of bed bug infestation with a vacuum attachment. Vacuum along baseboards, furniture, bed stands, rails, headboards, foot boards, bed seams, tufts, buttons, edges of the bedding, as well as the edges of the carpets (particularly along the tack strips). A good vacuum cleaning job may remove particles from cracks and crevices to encourage greater insecticide penetration. Bed bugs cling tightly to surfaces, so it is best to repeat vacuuming by scraping the end of the vacuum attachment over the infested areas to pull out the bed bugs. It is not good to use a bristle attachment, because you may transfer bed bugs to other areas since they cling to the brush. Dispose of vacuum cleaner bags after you are finished.
- Caulk cracks and crevices in the infested building exterior, and also repair openings to exclude birds, bats, and rodents that can serve as alternate hosts for bed bugs.
- Monitoring devices such as the Bed Bug Monitor Traps should be placed around the infested area to help determine where the bed bug population resides. It is important to know that these devices are for monitoring only. Lack of trapped bed bugs does not necessarily mean that you are bed bug free.