Bed bugs infest couch in Spring Lake, NJ

Curious as to what live, healthy blood-bloated bed bugs look like? On a recent bed bug job in Spring Lake, NJ, I was able to capture a few of these blood-suckers on video. While performing a bed bug treatment, I found several bed bugs on the back and underside side of a couch nesting inside the seams. Bed bugs, while not feeding, look for the tightest spaces they can. They find security in having pressure on all sides of their bodies. They also look for hiding spots that are close to their human hosts that they’re using for their blood meals. They feed on us when we are staying still, napping, or sleeping. That’s why they are often found infesting mattresses, recliners, couches, and for me, most disturbing of all,  baby cribs.

As you can see, my trusty flashlight and HEPA vacuum with its crack and crevice attachment came in handy today! This woman was well aware that her couch was heavily infested with bed bugs, but it would have been too much of a financial hardship for her to discard it and buy a new one. These situations are always heartbreaking for me, and I told her I would do everything I could, using all of the tools that I have at my disposal, to save her couch from the landfill.

A thorough, systematic inch-by-inch inspection and vacuuming would remove all of the live bed bug activity, and the liquid application would take care of the rest (the sticky eggs, nymphs, and and bed bugs that I may have missed). After vacuuming, I applied a light treatment to all of the potential harborage areas in the home. Even though bed bugs are usually concentrated in specific areas, these infestations spread, especially in their late, heavy stages. Fortunately, the bed bugs did not yet make their way into any other rooms. For now at least, these parasites had all of the “food” (this poor lady’s blood!) that they needed just by spending their days hiding in the couch, patiently waiting for their human host to return.

Bed bugs are exceptionally resilient insects. With these types of infestations, we always return for a two-week follow-up. We want to reinspect and ensure that the bed bug infestation has been successfully resolved.. With today’s treatment, I’m confident that there will be good news.