Massive Bed Bug Infestation in Manasquan, NJ

I recently responded to a complaint from tenants in a unit at one of my commercial accounts, an apartment complex in Manasquan, NJ. The tenants were experiencing unexplained bites while in bed, which is a common first sign of bed bugs. Before arrival, I had a strong feeling that this was a bed bug issue. Of course, I needed to conduct a thorough inspection first to confirm my suspicions. 

Starting my inspection in the bedroom, I cautiously peeled the linens and pillows off the bed, looking for signs of bed bugs such as bed bug castes and stains. With bed bugs you want to remove the coverings off any potentially infested items as slowly as possible. NEVER shake or rip any coverings off a potentially infested bed or other furnishings. By doing so, you risk flinging the bed bugs onto other areas of the residence. Bed bugs leave behind pepper-like fecal stains since they consume only blood. You can also find skin castes from molting and very tiny off-white eggs that are coated with a sticky material. To inspect for bed bugs, you need a keen eye, a bright flashlight, and patience to systematically inspect for these evasive insects. When not feeding on their host for their blood meal, these bugs will stay well hidden. While examining the pillows, I turned my attention to the wedge pillow the tenants were using for back support. Along the closed zippered area, I found a live cluster of bed bugs. The overlap of fabric over the zipper created a perfect harborage area. 

Bed bugs will hide in suitcases, boxes, and shoes to be near their food supply (mammal blood), which is usually a human host. Although they are primarily nocturnal and feed while we are sleeping and stationary, they are opportunistic insects and can seek out blood meals during the day, especially in heavy infestations. Bed bugs only require five to ten minutes to engorge themselves with blood. After feeding, they then move to secluded places and hide for five to ten days. During this time in the bed bug life cycle, they do not feed, but instead, digest their meal, mate, and lay eggs.

Now that I knew where the bed bugs were harboring, I was ready to treat and get rid of these biting parasitic insects. Our bed bug treatment is designed to eradicate as many of these bugs as possible in our initial treatment. We do this with a HEPA vacuum whose filer is designed to trap and contain bed bugs. Thorough vacuuming substantially reduces the number of bed bugs. Here, I thoroughly vacuumed the pillows, the seam of the bed, the edges of the bedding frames, the headboard, wall junctures, and even behind electric wall plates. Afterward, I performed a crack and crevice treatment of those areas with a liquid application that specifically targets bed bugs, and is designed to deliver instant and long-lasting results. With bed bugs, we always schedule a follow-up inspection to make sure that the residence is bed bug-free. With bed bugs, the job is complete only when the bed bugs have been eliminated completely, and the residents are not experiencing any more midnight bites.