BEDBUGS IN CHICAGO?? NO WAY! Yes, relax, bed bugs are in Chicago, Naperville, Joliet, Aurora, Elgin and every suburb in between. Unfortunately, there’s no hiding from these little guys, especially since Chicago has spent many years in the top spot in the country.
If you suspect you have bedbugs, RELAX AND BREATH! Do NOT read horror stories on the internet and get yourself all worked up over them. Its pretty simple, if you have them, you need to get rid of them, and you need a professional to do it.
2. Identify the source of the problem. Men In Black Pest Control Services will NEVER treat for bedbugs unless we confirm they are in the area where a person resides…EVER. To confirm that we are indeed looking at a bedbug infestation, we either ask the homeowner or tenant to send us a picture of the insect they find, or we do an inspection of the premises. (See photos for what we look for)
DO NOT buy a bunch of diatomaceous earth (DE) and try to get rid if them “naturally.” Read up on the University of Kentucky study from December 2014. We’ve been telling people for years that DE doesn’t work to take out a full population of bedbugs, now its been proven. We’ve tried it. It doesn’t work. All you will end up doing is breathing in this dust, which is NEVER a good thing, and then you will have a huge mess to clean up before we get in to help you out. We cannot treat if there is DE all over the place.
So what do you do if you suspect you have bedbugs?
1. Stay calm – This is the most important thing you can do. Unfortunately, there are dishonest companies out there who give the pest control industry a bad rap. When they hear you “think” you have bedbugs, they will prey on your fear and many times get you to spend a lot of money on treatments you never even needed. I cant tell you the number of times we’ve been called in to treat for a “confirmed” case of bedbugs, diagnosed by another company, that turned out to be nothing more than an allergic reaction caused by carpet beetles or another insect or cause. I’ve personally been handed a plastic baggie from customers on more than one occasion containing a specimen which an inexperienced technician from another company misidentified as a bedbug, and had the homeowner in an emotional breakdown.
2. Identify the source of the problem. Men In Black Pest Control Services will NEVER treat for bedbugs unless we confirm they are in the area where a person resides…EVER. To confirm that we are indeed looking at a bedbug infestation, we either ask the homeowner or tenant to send us a picture of the insect they find, or we do an inspection of the premises. (See photos for what we look for)
3. If bedbugs are found, treat them. Its up to each individual to become educated on the treatments available to them, and which is right for them and their families. The most common of these are chemical treatments, heat treatments, steam treatments, and even cryo treatments (freezing.) Some of these are used together and have various levels of effectiveness.
4. Every company we know of has a pre treatment checklist which has been accepted by the industry to greatly assist in the elimination of these little guys. Most of them involve quite a bit of work, however they are a necessity and will have to be done in order to eradicate the infestation. Get ready for some spring cleaning!
5. Things to look for in a reputable pest control company to ensure you are not sitting back at square one in a few weeks with an empty wallet and a bed full of bugs:
– Does the company provide a warranty and how long is it? Men in Black Pest Control Services offers a 3 month warranty. As good as we are, these little guys are tough and every now and again we have to do more than our normal 3 treatment process to get them gone. It doesn’t happen often, but it does happen, and we stand behind our work. If we don’t get rid of them in 3 visits, its on us until we do.
– Does the company treat only one room? Some pest control companies do this, unfortunately, these companies don’t tell you that bedbugs move at an average rate of 5 feet per minute, they are not slow and very mobile. If they do offer single room treatment, what is the warranty on the rest of the home or apartment? When you hire Men In Black Pest Control Services, we treat the ENTIRE unit or home. No ifs, ands or buts. As much as we know people love us, they want us to get rid of their problem and be gone instead of seeing us repeatedly because the bedbugs have moved.
– Does the company do preventive treatments and inspections of adjacent units or apartments included in the price of the treatment? Bedbugs are extremely flat. They can move under baseboards and up into walls and outlets and easily get to other units. When Men In Black Pest Control Services treats, you bet we do! While we can NEVER guarantee that the bedbugs haven’t already reached other units, we do put down a preventive treatment to take care of the other units to help stop them. We also include an inspection of adjacent units to determine if the problem has spread. While we do NOT include treatment of any other infested units in the cost of treating the initial unit, we DO factor in a price reduction for treating multiple units if we find that others have already been infested.
We hope this information helps with a suspected infestation of bed bugs.
Remember, DO NOT FREAK OUT! If you think you have bedbugs, relax, take a deep breath and take care of business.
-This is not a “dirty vs. clean” issue as with cockroaches; these insects want food, the food is you, its that simple.
-Put the bedbugs in perspective. They are nothing more than a walking mosquito, you still go outside every day right?
