Caution: Don't Let the Bed Bugs Bite

Copyright (c) 2010 Janet Webb

Once thought restricted to flea-bag motels and rooming houses for the underprivileged, now the frightening bedbug news is the menace now showing up in the finest homes in America, upscale retailers and even the toniest hotels. Not only are bedbugs infesting homes, but now the pests are attacking real estate transactions.

A bedbug infestation in a Chicago building of condo units caused purchasers to sue property management for failing to alert them of the problem prior to purchasing; the condo buyers won that suit. And in New York, the governor is expected to approve legislation that would require landlords to disclose any reports of bedbugs in their properties in the previous year - before the lease is signed.

What is clear is that landlords, home sellers and their agents are going to be asked "the bedbug question" in any negotiations for rental or purchase decisions going forward and if the lessor or seller isn't prepared, the deal could fall apart.

This could happen anywhere in the country. Just a month ago, a pest control company headquartered in Memphis, Tennessee, Terminix issued the Top Ten Bedbug Infested Cities in the U.S. This was based on the company's call volume through its 350 service centers throughout the country. New York City topped the list, followed closely by Philadelphia, Detroit, Cincinnati, and Chicago. Denver landed #6 on the itchy list, with Columbus and Dayton, Ohio, Washington, D.C., and Los Angeles rounding out the Top Ten.

Home sellers and rental property owners often take great pains to prepare their properties for sale or rent, and that list may now have to include and inspection for, and mitigation of, a bedbug infestation. Experts agree that it is better to prospectively address potential issues rather than to react to a negative inspection, which is why, for instance, many home sellers repair or replace roofs, gutters, dripping faucets and the like before the mortgage company sends out an inspector and potentially delays a closing.

There are differences in opinion on how a bedbug infestation ought to be addressed. Bedbugs are found most often in beds, of course - thus the name - because they feed on human and animal blood and the bedroom offers ample opportunity. However bedbugs also are known to cling to upholstered furniture, carpets and drapes, as well as congregating in baseboards and electrical outlets.

Pest-control companies, like Terminix, use a variety of chemical-based treatments to attack bedbugs, but these types of treatments are not recommended for bedding and many people don't favor chemical treatments.

The alternative is heat; a temperature of 135 degrees Fahrenheit is well known to be lethal to bedbugs and their eggs. Indeed, bedbug experts agree that for clothing a hot clothes dryer is the most effective solution for eradicating bedbugs.

For bedding, upholstery, carpets and drapes the most effective mean of ridding a home of bedbugs is steam cleaning. Professional steam cleaning and carpet cleaning companies use the very latest in technology to deliver cleaning of these items at approximately 150 degrees Fahrenheit, more than enough to kill bedbugs, and the process also removes the dead bugs and their larvae. Heat at this level and delivered by steam is also appropriate for baseboards and electrical outlets - it won't harm the wood, drywall or wiring - so steam cleaning can effectively address each of the problem areas.

Bedbugs, long thought of as vermin only prevalent in run-down boarding houses and tenements, have made a comeback in the United States in the last 10 years and have been reported in the finest hotels and homes in many American cities. The pests were virtually eliminated in this country in the years following World War II with the use of such powerful pesticides as DDT, however DDT was banned in the early 1970s by the U.S. government as a pernicious health hazard. The recent bedbug resurgence.S. has been attributed to a rise in international travel.

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<!DOCTYPE HTML PUBLIC '-//W3C//DTD HTML 4.01 Transitional//EN' 'http://www.w3.org/TR/html4/loose.dtd'><html><head><title>Articles Back Link | Caution: Don't Let the Bed Bugs Bite</title></head><body><h3>Caution: Don't Let the Bed Bugs Bite</h3><br><br> By: Janet Webb<br><br><p><p>Copyright (c) 2010 Janet Webb</P><p>Once thought restricted to flea-bag motels and rooming houses for the underprivileged, now the frightening bedbug news is the menace now showing up in the finest homes in America, upscale retailers and even the toniest hotels. Not only are bedbugs infesting homes, but now the pests are attacking real estate transactions.</P><p>A bedbug infestation in a Chicago building of condo units caused purchasers to sue property management for failing to alert them of the problem prior to purchasing; the condo buyers won that suit. And in New York, the governor is expected to approve legislation that would require landlords to disclose any reports of bedbugs in their properties in the previous year - before the lease is signed.</P><p>What is clear is that landlords, home sellers and their agents are going to be asked "the bedbug question" in any negotiations for rental or purchase decisions going forward and if the lessor or seller isn't prepared, the deal could fall apart.</P><p>This could happen anywhere in the country. Just a month ago, a pest control company headquartered in Memphis, Tennessee, Terminix issued the Top Ten Bedbug Infested Cities in the U.S. This was based on the company's call volume through its 350 service centers throughout the country. New York City topped the list, followed closely by Philadelphia, Detroit, Cincinnati, and Chicago. Denver landed #6 on the itchy list, with Columbus and Dayton, Ohio, Washington, D.C., and Los Angeles rounding out the Top Ten.</P><p>Home sellers and rental property owners often take great pains to prepare their properties for sale or rent, and that list may now have to include and inspection for, and mitigation of, a bedbug infestation. Experts agree that it is better to prospectively address potential issues rather than to react to a negative inspection, which is why, for instance, many home sellers repair or replace roofs, gutters, dripping faucets and the like before the mortgage company sends out an inspector and potentially delays a closing.</P><p>There are differences in opinion on how a bedbug infestation ought to be addressed. Bedbugs are found most often in beds, of course - thus the name - because they feed on human and animal blood and the bedroom offers ample opportunity. However bedbugs also are known to cling to upholstered furniture, carpets and drapes, as well as congregating in baseboards and electrical outlets.</P><p>Pest-control companies, like Terminix, use a variety of chemical-based treatments to attack bedbugs, but these types of treatments are not recommended for bedding and many people don't favor chemical treatments.</P><p>The alternative is heat; a temperature of 135 degrees Fahrenheit is well known to be lethal to bedbugs and their eggs. Indeed, bedbug experts agree that for clothing a hot clothes dryer is the most effective solution for eradicating bedbugs.</P><p>For bedding, upholstery, carpets and drapes the most effective mean of ridding a home of bedbugs is steam cleaning. Professional steam cleaning and carpet cleaning companies use the very latest in technology to deliver cleaning of these items at approximately 150 degrees Fahrenheit, more than enough to kill bedbugs, and the process also removes the dead bugs and their larvae. Heat at this level and delivered by steam is also appropriate for baseboards and electrical outlets - it won't harm the wood, drywall or wiring - so steam cleaning can effectively address each of the problem areas.</P><p></P><p>Bedbugs, long thought of as vermin only prevalent in run-down boarding houses and tenements, have made a comeback in the United States in the last 10 years and have been reported in the finest hotels and homes in many American cities. The pests were virtually eliminated in this country in the years following World War II with the use of such powerful pesticides as DDT, however DDT was banned in the early 1970s by the U.S. government as a pernicious health hazard. The recent bedbug resurgence.S. has been attributed to a rise in international travel.<br></P></p> <br><br> <b>Author Resource:-></b>  <br><br><b>Article From</b> <a href='http://www.articlesbacklink.com/'>Articles Back Link</a><br></body></html>