Pests We Treat - Severe bed bug infestation in Ocean, NJ
An elderly woman who resides in an Ocean Township, NJ apartment was concerned about a possible bed bug infestation in her residence. She called her property manager, and he promptly contacted Cowleys bed bug team to investigate the situation.
When I arrived, I greeted the customer and she invited me into her living room. Often, locating bed bugs is an arduous process because these small elusive bugs hide in the tiniest of nooks and crannies in a home, and only venture out at night to seek their blood meal. However, every so often, I run across a bed bug infestation so severe that the bugs are out in all their glory not even bothering to hide. That was the case here. Upon entering the living room, I saw within seconds bed bugs crawling all over the walls and furniture. This infestation was as severe as it gets, and what we designate at Cowleys as a high-level infestation. With such a severe infestation in the living room, I suspected that the bedroom was just as bad, or worse. Sure enough, when I inspected the bedroom it took no time at all to see that her mattress was severely infested. I shutter at the thought of the bed bug bites that this poor elderly woman had endured.
From my experience, bed bug infestations in residences occupied by the elderly tend to be more severe. While it is important for apartment managers to stay on top of bed bugs, it is especially important in those high-density complexes with a high percentage of elderly tenants. The same vigilance goes for specialized facilities like nursing homes and group homes for the disabled. Older people may not have the wherewithal to notice the subtle clues in the early stages of an infestation because of diminished eyesight or physical challenges. For example, because of reduced sensitivities or diminished mental capacities, the elderly may not even be aware that they are being bitten. Also, many seniors are on corticosteroid medications for conditions like asthma or rheumatoid arthritis so they are less responsive to the allergens from bed bug bites.
Because of the severity of this infestation and the importance of bed bug containment in an apartment complex, this was a bona fide emergency. The apartment would be treated as soon as possible and given our “full court press.” Cowleys has developed detailed fiel d-tested bed bug protocols from our years of experience in treating these infestations. We know what it takes to resolve the most stubborn bed bug infestation.
A severe infestation like the one in this apartment unit is an intensive five-week process that includes an initial treatment and two follow-ups. We return in order to make sure that any residual bugs that may have escaped an earlier treatment are killed. The apartment will be intensively vacuumed, steamed, and chemically treated. While we are usually able to salvage most furniture, in this case, the mattress had to go. It was so infested that we immediately sealed it in a plastic encasement and removed it from the premises. Although this particular infestation is as bad as it gets, when we are done, this unit will be bed-bug free. We will stay on the job and do whatever it takes to make sure that this infestation is successfully resolved. While this elderly tenant was worried, she was also put at ease that we were there to handle the problem. The best part of my job is helping people like her.