Leon Wieler
Bed bugs and shoes
I was involved in treating a home with bed bugs and as I was speaking with the client I noticed something moving on her shoe. The shoe was an ordinary running shoe with velcro closures. I looked more closely and noticed a bed bug peaking out from behind the velcro. I informed the client and […]
Bed bug heating and cockroaches
I was asked to heat sterilize a load of televisions, computers, and computer desks. To minimize damage to these sensitive items I ensured the maximum temperature coming into the chamber was limited to 143f. The return temperature after 13 hours was 141f. These temperatures will easily kill bed bugs in these items because there is […]
How long does it take to get rid of bed bugs?
There are a number of factors that influence how long it takes to get rid of bed bugs. The factors include how long the bugs have been present, the cooperation level of the host, the client’s self treatment attempts, the amount of clutter present, the type and placement of the sleeping furniture, the pesticide resistance […]
Bed bugs and non sleeping areas.
While it is generally true that bed bugs are on or near the bed there are notable exceptions. I recently was involved in a severe infestation where the client spent a lot of time sitting in a stuffed chair. Though the bed was thoroughly infested the chair was equally infested with a very large colony […]
bed bug behaviour on clothing
I have been doing in situ experiments with different types of bed bug traps in a local severely infested rooming house. My experimentation results in increased knowledge for me while the residents receive fewer bites – a good trade. I met one of the residents of this rooming house by happenstance in the back […]
To bag or not to bag – that is the question
When addressing bed bugs in a suite exterminators have will have different methods of addressing clutter. Some suggest examining every piece of clutter closely and if no bugs are observed it should be sealed in a plastic bag to prevent bugs from accessing that “clean” piece. I fail to see the logic of that action […]
Host cues and feeding patterns of bed bugs
We learned earlier that wild bed bugs starved for a week and subsequently placed in an open climb up interceptor (with zero harbourage available) would generally follow an awake / sleep pattern corresponding to the sleep patterns of the most recent host. I made a change to the structure of the experiment and collected 20 […]
Bed bugs and marginal tenants
Some tenants are excellent. They pay their rent, maintain a clean quiet home, comply with reasonable rules, and are a joy to have as renters. Some tenants are just plain miserable. They have loud parties, fight with their neighbours, damage their home unnecessarily, fail to pay rent, and then appeal their evictions endlessly to the […]
Bug and Scrub and the private sector
A number of jurisdictions and authorities have recognized the importance of tenant cooperation and preparation in regards to successful bed bug treatments. If a tenant does not cooperate the likelihood of success is very low. As such the Manitoba government instituted “Bug and Scrub” program which assists social assistance people with an inability to cooperate […]
How to avoid getting bed bugs.
Several years ago our friends, who live in a 4000 square foot 11 bedroom rooming house, discovered bed bugs. Their house church was having a meeting in their living room when a bed bug climbed out of a bible and was noticed by the group. Most people did not know what it was but a […]