Bed Bugs

BEAT A BED BUG INFESTATION WITH JAPCO

JAPCO technician inspecting a hotel for Bed Bugs

Contact JAPCO today for our Bed Bug removal se+rvices and stop a Bed Bug infestation with the experienced Pest Control professionals from JAPCO! Serving home and business owners across Calgary, Edmonton, Regina and Saskatoon, we offer more than 35 years of experience in Bed Bug extermination services.

The JAPCO Difference

You can trust JAPCO Pest Control to eliminate any bed bug problems! We are experts in multi-tenant dwellings, hotels, motels, apartments, homes, townhouses, businesses and more… Our service is a combination of techniques to eliminate even the most persistent bed bugs. We provide Chemical treatments and Heat treatments. We also do inspections to determine if a bed bug problem exists.

“JAPCO is a proactive company that will develop a bed bug action plan for dealing with bed bug infestations.”

Bed Bugs are on the rise

There was a time many years ago that this common bedtime nursery rhyme “Night, Night, Sleep Tight, don’t let the bed bugs bite was only a nursery rhyme, but today it has never been truer.

“With the increase of international travel, this has caused bedbugs to spread and be on the rise today.”

Bed Bug facts

Bed bugs are small, oval, reddish-brown insects that live on the blood of animals or humans. They will appear more reddish in colour after a blood meal.

Female bed bugs may lay hundreds of eggs over their lifetime, each of which is about the size of a speck of dust.

Immature bed bugs, called nymphs, shed their skins five times before reaching maturity and require a meal of blood before each shedding. Under favourable conditions the bugs can develop into adults in as little as a month and produce up to 12 generations per year.

Bed bugs may enter your home undetected through luggage, clothing, used beds and couches, and other items. Their flattened bodies make it possible for them to fit into tiny spaces, about the thickness of a credit card. Bed bugs do not have nests like ants or bees but tend to live in groups in hiding places. Their initial hiding places are typically in mattresses, box springs, bed frames, and headboards where they have easy access to people to bite in the night.

Over time, however, they may scatter through the bedroom, moving into any crevice or protected location. They may also spread to nearby rooms or apartments.

Because bed bugs live solely on blood, having them in your home is not a sign of dirtiness. You are as likely to find them in immaculate homes and hotel rooms as in unclean ones.

Bed bugs are active mainly at night and usually bite people while they are sleeping.  They are attracted to warmth and carbon dioxide. They feed by piercing the skin and withdrawing blood through an elongated beak. The bugs feed from three to 10 minutes to become engorged and then crawl away unnoticed.  Their feeding cycle is every few days.

Bed Bug bites

Red bed bug bites marks

Most bed bug bites are painless at first but later turn into itchy welts. Unlike flea bites that are mainly around the ankles, bed bug bites are on any area of skin exposed while sleeping. Also, the bites do not have a red spot in the center like flea bites do.

 

People who don’t realize they have a bed bug infestation may attribute the itching and welts to other causes, such as mosquitoes

If you wake up with itchy areas you didn’t have when you went to sleep, you may have bed bugs, particularly if you got a used bed or other used furniture around the time the bites started. Another possibility is that you just returned from a trip where you slept in hotels. Other signs that you have bed bugs include:

  • Blood stains on your sheets or pillowcases
  • Dark or rusty coloured spots of bed bug excrement on sheets and mattresses, bed clothes, and walls
  • Bed bug fecal spots or shed skins in areas where bedbugs hide
  • An offensive, musty odour from the bugs’ scent glands

If you suspect an infestation, remove all bedding and check it carefully for signs of the bugs or their excrement. Remove the dust cover over the bottom of the box spring and examine the seams in the wood framing. Peel back the fabric where it is stapled to the wood frame. Be careful not to move items from an infested room into another room or you will be spreading the problem.

Also, check the area around the bed, including inside books, telephones or radios, the edge of the carpet, and even in electrical outlets. Check your closet, because bed bugs can attach to clothing. If you are uncertain about signs of bed bugs, call JAPCO who will know what to look for. It is safest and most effective to hire an experienced pest control professional for bed bug extermination.

How to Identify the pest

Adult bed bugs have flat bodies about the size of an apple seed and are a varying shade of rusty reddish-brown to a deep mahogany colour. After feeding, however, their bodies swell and are a reddish colour.

Close Up of a Bed Bug from above

Bed bugs do not fly, but they can move quickly over floors, walls, and ceilings. Female bed bugs lay 1 to 5 eggs every day and may lay 200 – 500 eggs over their lifetime of about 1 year. Each egg is about the size of a speck of dust. These eggs are small, white eggs that are difficult to see with the naked eye. Bed bugs are nocturnal and feed during the night. If you wake up with itchy, red welts or notice dry blood on your pillowcase or sheets, your home may have a bed bug infestation.

Dangers posed by Bed Bugs

A bite may become inflamed and, in some cases, severely itchy. Bed bugs are not known to transmit infectious diseases. However, vigorous scratching may introduce a secondary infection, and some people may experience an allergic reaction to the bite.

The JAPCO Solution

At JAPCO Pest Control Ltd., we provide pesticide pest control services for bed bugs, and heat treatments as well. We implement a strategic approach utilizing the best available methods to eliminate bed bug problems.

PESTICIDE TREATMENTS

Our pesticide treatments are performed with the use of insecticidal liquid residual spray treatments, dust formulations, bed bug climb up interceptors, and aerosols. Our pesticide applications require two services approximately 14 – 21 days apart.

Visit this link to be directed to our bed bug Extermination Preparation sheet.

HEAT TREATMENTS

Heat treatments are a great alternative to pesticide applications, especially for those who have health considerations. Furthermore, a single heat treatment kills the entire bed bug infestation as well as their eggs. To learn more about heat treatment and how you can prepare your home for our visit, see our forms and frequently asked questions.

Visit this link to be directed to our bed bug Heat Treatment Preparation sheets.

 

MATTRESS COVERS

JAPCO also provides mattress and box spring covers. These covers are waterproof, fire retardant, breathable, and hypoallergenic. They do not compromise the comfort of a pillow-top mattress. They come in various sizes, and we will need to know what size your mattress and box spring are. Bed bugs will not be able to get into your mattress with these covers on, and bed bugs that are already in the mattress will not be able to get out and will succumb to death by starvation. For more information and to order these mattress covers, call JAPCO today.

It is very difficult to get rid of bed bugs by yourself. If you’ve found evidence of a bed bug infestation at your home or business, contact JAPCO for professional bed bug infestation solutions.

“One of the biggest problems we encounter as professionals is when a homeowner applies a pesticide to eliminate this problem on their own. They end up repelling the insect and instead of a problem being contained they end up spreading the problem all over the dwelling.”

JAPCO & Bed Bug Education

JAPCO is committed to educating people, (tenants, housekeepers, maintenance staff, etc.) regarding the role they play in bed bug control, necessary preparations, and the specific type of cooperation that is required to eliminate an infestation.

John Patton, CEO of JAPCO Pest Control gives an educational talk

“JAPCO training a senior’s facility on suggestions of what to look for when dealing with bed bugs.”

FAQ

Q. How hot does it have to get to kill bed bugs?

A. Bed bugs (adults and eggs) die in 90 minutes at 45 degrees C, in 20 minutes at 48 degrees C and within 1 minute at 50 degrees C. But note that the room must be held at that temperature for at least 1 -2 hours for the heat to soak into everything.   JAPCO has the equipment to make this happen!

Q. How often do bed bugs bite?

A. Bed bugs can bite approximately every 5 days but can survive up to a year without feeding.

Q Do bed bugs transmit disease?

A. There is no evidence that bed bugs transmit infectious diseases. However, the itch, scratch cycle may cause a secondary infection, and some people may experience an allergic reaction to the bite.

Q.  Why are heat treatments so much more expensive than a chemical treatment?

A. Heat Treatments are an all-day procedure with two men. With heat treatments, we must bring the internal temperature of the space being treated above the thermal death point of the insect and maintain that temperature for a minimum of 4 hours. We also must continuously move the objects within the space to ensure the temperature is achieved in all areas. A chemical application will take anywhere between 45 minutes to a few hours dependent on the area and size of the dwelling. Therefore, heat treatments are more labour and equipment intensive.

Customer Reviews

Cody Neal

“Though pest control issues are undeniably frustrating, the JAPCO team works with genuine concern to resolve them promptly and showcases expertise that allows peace of mind.

Their top rate service and old-value philosophy are a refreshing in today’s automated/robotic age. Kudo’s to the entire team, from dispatch, to technicians, to the owners who work hand-in-hand. A truly great local company that is up to the task of handling the most complex pest control issues and deserving of your business!”

Eric Perez

“Without question, the level of professionalism, expertise, and genuine care and service from Joe Patton and the entire JAPCO team was excellent. Having used a competitor service in the past, it is easy to see why JAPCO is so much more superior. Right from the first conversation on the phone to the two visits from a couple of knowledgeable, personable and professional technicians, we felt quite cared for and treated like part of their family. We are confident that our problems have been resolved and feel extremely thankful for the service and support from JAPCO. We wholeheartedly recommend JAPCO to anyone who cares deeply for the safety of their family and property.”

Kay Shaw

“I have used the services of JAPCO Pest Control Ltd. for many years, both in my position as a commercial property manager, as well as on a personal basis. The staff are always professional and courteous, fast to respond and efficient. I have also always appreciated the extra care this family-run business takes in their follow-up service. I highly recommend JAPCO Pest Control Ltd. to their existing and future clients.”