Dealing With Bed Bugs In Multi-Unit Buildings
By Tony Mannix, Owner and Founder, Bed Bug Authority Canada Ltd.
Tony Mannix, owner and founder of Bed Bug Authority Canada Ltd., has been successfully operating his business in the Greater Toronto Area for over 10 years. He specializes in eliminating bed bugs in private homes, rental properties, and high-rise multi-unit dwellings, including hotels and senior housing. This qualifies him as an expert on the subject of bed bugs, their elimination, and best practices.
Understanding Bed Bugs
Bed bugs are parasitic insects that have existed for centuries and have adapted to human environments. They feed on human blood as their source of food and hydration. They reproduce at high speeds when temperatures remain between 22°C and 27°C. This can be seen in apartment buildings, condos, senior homes, and hotels where heat is regulated for long periods of months. Feeding time is particularly easy overnight when the host is asleep in a still position for a long period of time.
It is often said that the most difficult part of bed bug control is the management of the home’s occupants. This is particularly true in high-density, high-turnover living dwellings, especially with a lot of people living in close quarters and increased clutter in the units. Bed bugs can be found in beds, laundry rooms, refuse rooms, and hallways.
What would be typical unforeseen to those who are nonreactive to bites of bed bugs, who work nights or who travel often and therefore are unaware of their presence. There are seniors and those suffering disabilities who don’t have the physical ability to check beds and furniture for their presence. There are those who will not take ownership or any responsibility of an infestation in their home despite the evidence of bed bugs.
Bed frames, wood structures, headboards, and couches through daily human traffic movements are all transferred onto neighboring walls. There are the non-compliant who will not remove clutter or participate in the work to eliminate bed bugs. Landlords beware, as the average price for litigation and insurance claims have doubled over the past few years. The cost of remediation, lost revenue, and brand reputation are taking precedence. We need to ensure best practices fully accessible and available to all.
Effective Extermination Strategies
A successful extermination process should be carried out with the alliance of the landlord, home occupants, and the extermination technician. One of the key factors is that the occupants, who are directly involved, are educated on the do’s and don’ts and how to prepare properly prior to treatment.
Best Treatments for Bed Bugs
Some common terms used in relation to an extermination process are:
- Insecticides: Substances that are poisonous to insects.
- Ovicides: Substances that are poisonous to eggs.
- Toxicity: The degree of how poisonous a substance is based on the nature of the subject and how much of the substance is consumed.
- Residual: The length of time that it will remain potent on a surface.
Heat Treatment
How it works: Most living organisms including bed bugs will die when subjected to temperatures exceeding 48°C. The removal of air is necessary in combination to produce sweating from their body mass. Professional exterminators use heat equipment to target 120°F (49°C) and higher, ensuring bed bugs at all life stages are eliminated.
Effectiveness: This is one of the most effective methods and includes treating furniture, walls, and structures.
Pros: No resistance. Not reliant on a host or a treated object and can work to treat whole surfaces.
Cons: Expensive, requires removal of furniture, occupants must vacate for at least eight hours, very short residual effect.
Chemical Treatments (Insecticides)
How it works: These chemicals kill bed bugs on contact.
Effectiveness: Varies depending on the level of resistance bed bugs may have developed to certain chemicals.
Pros: Available for both professional use and DIY.
Cons: Resistance to common insecticides, may not affect eggs, multiple treatments may be needed, non-licensed products may be less effective.
Steam Treatment
How it works: High-temperature steam is applied to areas where bed bugs are hiding, including cracks, furniture, and mattresses. Steam kills bed bugs and their eggs on contact.
Effectiveness: Kills bed bugs effectively in infested areas where the steam can reach.
Pros: Non-toxic, chemical-free, kills bugs at all stages.
Cons: Labour-intensive, requires blasting surfaces with very hot steam for at least 17 seconds per area, may not reach deeper infestations inside walls or furniture, very short residual.
Desiccant Powders (Silica, Diatomaceous Earth)
How it works: These powders dry out the exoskeleton of bed bugs, leading to dehydration and death.
Effectiveness: Highly effective over time but slow-acting.
Pros: Long-lasting, non-toxic.
Cons: Takes time to work, bed bugs must have direct contact with the powder.
Bed Bug Traps and Encasements
How it works: Traps like ClimbUp interceptors can be placed under bed legs to catch bed bugs climbing up. Mattress encasements trap bed bugs inside and keep them from feeding.
Effectiveness: Good for detection and isolation, works best when combined with other solutions.
Pros: Helps contain and monitor infestations.
Cons: Works best when used in combination with other treatments.
Choosing the Best Treatment
The best treatment is going to be the solution that is provided by a professional. A professional structural exterminator will have the tools and expertise to carry out the job successfully.
Best practice involves what is referred to as Integrated Pest Management (IPM), which is the integration of combined methods, products, and strategies.
The ultimate and most effective treatment is going to be a heat treatment that also uses chemical pesticides including the desiccant dust, along with monitoring.
It is important that education, preparation, and responsibility on the part of the home and personal occupants produce the best results. Not preparing properly may prolong re-infestation by leaving the property and returning while carrying live bugs.