"Debra Patterson is not entirely free of the tiny, biting bed bugs that recently ravaged her Lakeland home, forcing her to toss bedding and much of her furnishings and contributing to a loss of sleep.
Even now, weeks after repetitive chemical treatments rendered her two-bedroom apartment bug free, Patterson, 55, imagines the blood-feeding night critters on her skin and scurrying in the dark.
“I've been in Florida my entire life and I've never experienced something like that,” she said. “And if you're really paranoid of bugs like I am, it will really do something to you.”
Similar to a tick in size and shape, Cimex lectularius is making a comeback after a nearly 50-year absence, though some experts say numbers are leveling off after peeking over the past 10 years.
While especially prevalent in the Midwest and in colder climates, the bugs that even give pest control workers the willies appear to be taking Central Florida by storm, and not just in hotels and motels.
Bed bugs are a problem in all segments of society, from college dormitories to homeless shelters.
Talbot House Ministries in Lakeland has been bedeviled by the insects for months. After repeated attempts to eradicate the pests with insecticide, the shelter turned to a pest control company that used steam heat to penetrate baseboards, cracks and crevices."
Turning to a pest control company is often what is needed to rid your home of these hard to kill pests. However, the company that was chosen used Fumigation as a method to treat her home. An expensive, non-discrete method that requires the home owner to throw away their household items.
Before treating her home for the insects, the exterminator made it painfully clear to Patterson that tossing infected furnishings – a mattress and box spring, sofa, love seat, cushioned dining room chairs, a wardrobe – would protect her from re-infestation.
Having recently losing a job she had held for 13 years, and suffering from the crippling symptoms of fibromyalgia, a disorder causing pain throughout the body, along with chronic fatigue, Patterson said she was distraught over the episode of dealing with bed bugs.
She pitched her furnishings. Took every cloth item in her household to a laundromat. Borrowed a cot to sleep on. And sits on a folding camp chair to watch TV.
“It's awful, I felt like I was about to lose my mind,” she said. “I didn't even want to come home.”
At EcoForce Heat Systems we offer Heat Remediation strategies that are discrete, cost effective and that DO NOT require the customer to throw their belongings away. Heat is the best way to eliminate bed bugs. Heat Treatments introduce hot air into the home through ducts, bed bugs have a very low heat tolerance and cannot survive in temperatures between 120-140 degrees.
We offer heat treatments as low as $250 for an equipment rental, whole home treatments, K9 inspections through a 3rd party company, and we guarantee our work. Our technicians are professional, highly trained and skilled in bed bug remediation-because that's all we do. Our company focuses 100% of our efforts on BED BUGS.
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To read the full article:
http://www.theledger.com/article/20131014/news/131019583?p=3&tc=pg
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