Pests We Treat - Bed bugs on mattress in Oceanport, NJ

Some very concerned tenants who was renting an apartment in Oceanport, NJ contacted their landlord because they believed that they were getting bed bug bites. Usually, mysterious, unexplained bites are the first sign of a bed bug infestation, especially in their early stages. If bed bug activity is suspected, you should not wait until you have definitive proof. It is best to have a professional service perform a bed bug inspection so that, if there is a problem, the infestation can be resolved early while it is still localized and has not become entrenched. Here, the landlord did the right thing and contacted Cowleys for bed bug specialists to perform a thorough inspection of the apartment. And a bed bu inspection has to be just that — thorough. This bed bugs hide in the tightest cracks and crevices they can find, and a superficial inspection just doesn’t cut it.

Upon arrival, the tenants told us that they were especially concerned about the couches in their living room. So, we began our search there. We methodically inspected the cushions as we carefully removed them from the couch one by one. It is important to handle furnishings delicately so that the bugs aren’t dislodged. The cushions were clean. Next, we looked into the couch seams with our flashlights to see if any pests were hiding. Still, nothing. We tipped the couches forward and inspected the bottom. Once again, nothing. During a bed bug inspection, it is just as important to determine where there is not bed bug activity as where there is in order to rule out areas where treatment is not necessary. 

We then asked the tenants if we could inspect their bedrooms. They were happy to oblige. We went upstairs to the master bedroom, and slowly began to remove the linens from the mattress. There were no fecal stains on the sheets or pillows. Next, we lifted the mattress of the boxspring and inspected all of the mattress seams. Still nothing. We then lifted the box spring. Our persistence paid off. We found the evidence. There were blood spots as well as a live bed bug on the old encasement.  

These particular tenants has a bed bug issue several years prior, so they knew the drill. Bed bug treatment is a cooperative effort and the effectiveness of the treatment depends on how well the areas are prepared prior to treatment. It is important to reduce as much clutter from the rooms as possible because clutter means more potential harborage areas. Fortunately, these tenants kept their place quite neat and orderly so there wasn’t much prep work to be done. We awere able to schedule treatment for the following day, and they were completely ready to go.