Bed Bugs for Property Managers

In recent years, Los Angeles has ranked fourth for the worst city in the nation for bedbug infestations, with the Bay Area coming in 16th place.

When bedbugs arise in a property, assigning responsibility can be extremely difficult.  Property Managers want the issue handled quickly and discreetly, but without a known origin, it can be hard to prevent their continuation.

Since bedbug infestations are so easily spread to neighboring units, assuring clean units are both the landlord and tenant’s responsibilities.  There are various reasons an infestation may get out of control including lack of knowledge and fear of repercussions from your tenants.

Lack of Knowledge.

The common bedbug is an extremely fascinating and highly aggravating insect. Resilient and tenacious, every pest control expert will tell you that it is one of the most difficult insects to eliminate from a property. Every Property Manager should know how to handle a bedbug infestation.

Although bedbugs are usually spotted in the nooks of your bed or dresser drawers, bedbugs prefer a human host.  They simply prefer to dine on human hosts. But don’t panic over this, as they are more a nuisance than a threat to your health.

Even though they prefer a human host, most people are unaware they are being bitten.  Since bedbugs don’t actually live on their human prey like lice, fleas and other pestilential insects, you will not notice them on your skin.  Instead, they prefer the warmth and security of bed linens, clothes and even luggage.

Bedbug bites are so mild, they rarely awaken a sleeping host. Unfortunately, the bites can develop into ugly welts and even cause a mild rash. In extreme cases, the bite will fester and form boils.

Some people do not notice bites every night as bedbugs usually do not feed daily.  This is problematic for Property Managers as your tenant may not realize that they have a problem until it gets grows into a larger problem.  In addition to this, bites sometimes take a few days to manifest themselves, which can delay the discovery of an infestation in your properties. But with females being able to lay up to 500 eggs, the infestation can escalate rapidly.

Fear of Repercussions.

Another reason bedbug infestations may grow is fear of repercussions.  Most tenants fear telling their on-site manager as they do not want or cannot pay for the eradication process.  Educating tenenon bedbug eradication may solve the problem quickly and efficiently.

Eliminating bedbugs completely can be an extremely difficult task.  In the past, most sufferers of bedbug infestations have chosen to attack using chemical treatments.  Although this is a cost-effective solution, there is another, greener option – ThermaPure Heat.

ThermaPure Heat is an incredibly effective way to kill the bedbugs, including the eggs.  It is the only non-chemical method used to successfully treat an entire structure.  With chemical treatments, the resident would have to bag/remove/launder all soft goods.  The chemical treatment would also have to reoccur to kill eggs that later hatch.  With ThermaPure Heat, all of the items in the residence remain inside, and residents can return immediately after treatment.

Our technicians ensure the affected location is heated to the appropriate kill temperature for a set number of hours.  We use an internal monitoring system to kill not only the bugs, but also their eggs.  We will be inside the location moving items around, to create a life-sized laundry dryer in order to achieve the kill temperatures inside all areas of the residence.

Upon completion, the owner, pest control company and/or the resident will receive a printout of the interior temperatures to support peace of mind that kill temperatures were achieved.

ThermaPure Heat partners with your current pest control company to ensure maximum fighting effort.  We recommend a chemical treatment within the wall cavities prior to the Heat treatment.  This way, if the bedbugs try to migrate, they run into the chemical treatment.

Heat coupled with your current pest control company’s chemical treatment will leave your tenants in a clean environment and you sleeping peacefully at night.

About Alliance Environmental

With more than 75 years of experience, Alliance Environmental Group, Inc. is one of the leading environmental contractors in California. Alliance Environmental provides innovative solutions in the areas of asbestos, lead, and mold abatement; air and HVAC duct cleaning; heat treatment for pest control; structural pasteurization; demolition and emergency response. The company has successfully completed more than 100,000 remediation projects in California and surrounding areas. For more information, go to www.alliance-enviro.com.