Why bed bugs spread in Tempe
Bed bugs do not come from dirt. They hitchhike.
In Tempe the main routes are: - Student move-in and move-out, when mattresses, couches and boxes travel between buildings - Free and cheap furniture from curbs, alleys and online listings - Luggage after travel, and the many hotels near Sky Harbor and Mill Avenue - Shared walls, outlets and laundry rooms in apartment buildings
What to look for near Mill Avenue
- Itchy bites in lines or clusters on arms, shoulders, neck or legs
- Small rust-colored or dark spots on mattress seams, sheets and box springs
- Tiny white eggs and pale shed skins in seams and furniture joints
- Live bugs: flat, reddish-brown, about the size of an apple seed
- A musty, sweet smell in heavy infestations
Bites alone do not confirm bed bugs. Finding the bugs, spots or skins does.
The inspection
The technician checks mattress seams and tags, box springs, bed frames and headboards, nightstands, couches and recliners, baseboards and outlets near the bed, curtains, and any luggage or backpacks.
They note which rooms are affected and how heavily. In apartments, they recommend checking the units on either side and above and below.
Treatment options
Targeted treatment
Approved products are applied to seams, cracks, furniture joints, bed frames and baseboards where bed bugs hide, with dusts in wall voids and outlets where appropriate.
Mattress and box spring encasements trap any bugs inside and make later checks easy.
Heat
Bed bugs and eggs die at sustained high temperatures.
Heat treatment raises a room or unit to a lethal temperature for several hours and can clear an infestation in fewer visits, but needs more prep and equipment.
If heat is available for your job, the technician will explain options and costs.
Follow-up
Eggs can survive one chemical treatment, so follow-ups about two weeks apart check for survivors and re-treat. Most homes need two or three visits.
Preparing for treatment
You get a prep list before the first visit.
It usually includes washing bedding and clothes and drying them on high heat, bagging them, clearing clutter from floors and under the bed, pulling furniture away from walls, and not moving things from infested rooms to clean rooms.
Bed bugs around Guadalupe follow the way the house is built, and the door threshold is one of the first places checked.
If you rent, tell your landlord or manager as soon as you suspect bed bugs. Arizona landlord-tenant rules address bed bugs, and the lease may say who arranges treatment.
Bed bugs spread between units, so the best result comes when the manager arranges inspection of connected units and treats on the same schedule. We can work directly with managers and property companies.
Students moving out and moving in
- Inspect used furniture before bringing it home, and avoid curbside mattresses
- Put clothes from a dorm or apartment straight into the dryer on high heat when you move
- Vacuum suitcases and backpacks before storing them
- Use mattress encasements in a new apartment
Homes around Chandler get the bed bugs inspection at the bath trap first, because that is where the activity usually starts.
We do not use foggers, which do not reach bed bugs and can scatter them into neighboring units.
We do not tell you to throw out your furniture by default. And we do not call the job finished after one visit without checking for survivors.
After treatment
Keep sleeping in your bed after treatment. If you move to the couch or another room, bed bugs follow you and spread the problem.
Keep the encasements on, leave the treated areas alone, and watch for new bites or spots between visits so the technician knows where to focus at the follow-up.
If you see new activity after the last visit, call; a small pocket that survived is much easier to clear than a new infestation.
Furniture and electronics
Bed bugs hide in couch seams, recliner mechanisms, dresser joints, picture frames and even the backs of electronics near the bed. Most furniture can be treated.
A few items that are badly infested and of little value, like a torn box spring or a cheap futon, are sometimes easier to throw away, wrapped in plastic and marked so no one picks them up from the curb.
The technician will help you decide item by item.
Hotels and short-term rentals
Tempe's hotels and short-term rentals near ASU and the airport see constant guest turnover.
Fast inspection and treatment of a reported room, plus checks of adjoining rooms, limits the spread. Owners and managers can call to set up an inspection routine.
Where bed bugs show up near Chandler
Call as soon as you suspect bed bugs. Early cases are much easier and cheaper to clear. Call now.
Where bed bugs show up near South Tempe
- Species: the common bed bug, *Cimex lectularius*, flat, reddish brown and about the size of an apple seed when grown.
- Hiding places: mattress seams, box springs, bed frames, headboards, couches, baseboards and outlet covers near the bed.
- Life cycle: eggs hatch in about a week to ten days, and young bed bugs need a blood meal at each of five stages.
- Survival: adults can live for months without feeding, so an empty room does not starve them out.
- Heat: held at about 120°F or higher long enough, bed bugs and eggs die, but a hot car or garage in an Arizona summer does not reliably reach every hiding spot.