Saturday, June 21, 2008

Bedbugs and buying a home

It is law that a home can not be sold without a termite inspection...along with termite inspections some real estate agents offer home inspections, radon inspections, mold inspections, home inspections, but why not bed bug inspections? How do you know if the family that is moving out did not or are not experiencing a bed bug infestation? This question is especially important when renting an apartment unit. Apartment complexes are notorious for bed bug problems and there is no way of knowing that the tenants that left were not experiencing a bed bug problem before they moved out. The excitement of your new place can be ruined overnight without looking into this. Literally. Why not ask for a bed bug inspection before you move in. The rental agent or the real estate agent might think you are nuts, but it is your right to know.

Saturday, June 14, 2008

Bed Bug Evidence Photos




Do I have bedbugs?

The question of bed bugs or not comes up often and can drive people crazy. People get bumps that can be bed bug bites, flea bites, scabies, bird mites, poison ivy or plant rash, a viral infection. How can you determine if you have bed bugs?
Here is a good bed bug inspection to perform to help pin point the fact of having or not having bed bugs. Use a strong flashlight. You are looking for live bugs, bug casing or pieces, spots or many blood colored or brown spots clustered together, eggs.

  1. Take all the bedding, sheets, mattress covers off the bed and look for bugs running first.
  2. If none are found then look in the mattress buttons, pull back the tufts around the mattress, cover each inch. Inspect every nook and cranny.
  3. Flip mattress over and do the same.
  4. Take mattress off the bed and do the same for the box spring.
  5. Take the fabric cover off of the bottom of the box spring and look.
  6. Inspect the bed frame.
  7. Check the bedding, sheets, and blankets for blood spots.

You can see some pictures of this evidence in my post Bed Bug Evidence Photo

If nothing is found and you are still not convinced then the best way to put your mind at ease is to hire a bedbug sniffing dog to come in and inspect. Dogs can be trained to sniff for explosives, termites, mold, and now bed bugs. Happy hunting.