Continuing from Wednesday…
The refusal to treat the apartment not only hurts the tenants that live within the unit, but every other tenant that lives within the building. Bed bugs will not only infest one unit, they will infest the entire building in a short period of time. Adult size bed bugs are about the size of an apple seed, nymphs are smaller, and eggs are about the size of a pin head. Their tiny size and hitchhiking ability make them a pest like no other. Bed bugs will hide in walls, under carpets, behind baseboards, in soft and hard furniture, and even electronics. Apartment units are extremely susceptible to mass bed bug infestations because many tenants are afraid to tell their landlords that they have the pests for fear of being evicted. Because many landlords refuse to pay for treatment of the bugs and many renters do not have the funds to pay for pest control services, bed bugs will quickly multiply out of control.
WDAM.com reported on July 9, 2012 that after the renters in this story sought help from the media outlet, the complex manager and the maintenance man appeared with spray cans unannounced at the apartment to “exterminate”. Sadly, this type of extermination procedure will likely make matters worse for everyone in the entire apartment complex.
Bed bug eradication requires a specialized treatment protocol. Rarely do you find anyone who is able to get a handle on these bloodsuckers without the help of a licensed pest control professional. With other tenants reporting bed bugs, and mattresses appearing at the dumpster, spraying one apartment with cans of pesticide will drive the bed bugs into the next unit thereby spreading infestation. Without proper preparation and eradication, there is no hope that the original apartment will be bed bug free even for one day!
Apartment owners and homeowners should always call a pest control professional in Ocean County, NJ for proper bed bug eradication.