Bed Bug Infestation Causing Issues
Bed bugs can be very problematic. They can even cause health issues. So when a hotel or business or even an apartment becomes infected everyone takes it seriously.
According to recent news, the residents at an Canoga Park apartment complex are fed up. They repeatedly have to fight off bed bug infestations. The apartment complex is the Riata Luxury Apartment Homes. The apartment complex is located in the 8500 block of De Soto Avenue.
Lori Sievers and her fiancee live in the building that they say their monthly rent is $1,000 a month. They think that is ridiculous to pay that much when the bed bugs are eating them alive.
Another tenant, Susan Durant and her husband also say that their apartment is infested as well. It’s so bad that it’s making this couple sick.
The group of tenants have been begging the onsite manager to do something, but they aren’t getting any help. You can tell they aren’t lying due to the fresh bites and scars all over their bodies.
Sievers decided to take some sort of action and organized some resident meetings to hopefully help address this issue. Instead of getting help, she was served with a violation notice, stating that meetings on the property weren’t allowed. Seriously?!
When KTLA asked the On-site manager about the bed bug problem her reply was:
That’s not true, and I refuse, that’s not true.
Then later, she changed her statement saying that she didn’t say that it wasn’t true. She also claimed that they had scheduled and refused the service. She also said that she has proof of that.
The apartments are owned by “Halt-Ten Riata LP”. News sites haven’t been able to reach any of the owners by the phone.
Bed Bug
Bed bugs have several names, the most common is bed bug but the scientific name is Cimex Lectularius for the most common bed bugs in the United States.
In case you didn’t know, bed bugs are parasitic insects. They usually and they prefer to drink on human blood.
The bed bug usually likes to stay in warm houses and in or near the beds or in the bedding of the home. The bugs are most active at nigh, however they are not nocturnal insects. Most of the time the bugs can feed from the host without even being noticed.
Of course with any type of insect, bed bugs can cause various health effects. Some of those effects might be: skin rashes, psychological effects, and other allergic symptoms. Luckily, bed bugs aren’t known to carry any type of pathogens as disease vectors.
If you think you might have a bed bug rash, the best thing to do is search your bedding. The first thing they’ll ask is if you found any bed bugs. It’s easier to treat if you have actually seen the insect.
The bed bug has been around for quite some time. They’ve been known as a human parasite for over thousands of years. In the 1940’s is when they were mostly eradicated in the developed world. However, they have increased a lot since 1995, mainly due to pesticide resistance. Also due to the fact that the government has put bans on a lot of the effective pesticides.
Since the world is becoming more and more populated, there has been quite an increase of bed bug bites and out breaks.
How to Get Rid of Bed Bug Infestations
The first suggestion to get rid of an bed bug infestation is to bag and launder the affected items at around 122 degrees Fahrenheit. anything that can’t be laundered can sometimes be decontaminated by heating the items.
If you have individual items that are small enough to be wrapped ina plastic bag then you can place the item in the bag and place it into a hot, sunny location for at least a few days.
Bedbugs also can succumb to cold temperatures, which are below freezing. However, it takes a little longer to freeze them out. It takes at least two weeks to freeze the bed bugs to get rid of them.
If you’re trying to get rid of them in the home by freezing them out then chances are that your attempt will be very unsuccessful.
Steps to Take to Get Rid of Bed Bugs
Wash all linen on hot, dry on hot setting. Gather all linen, cloth and leather bags, mattress covers, clothing, teddy bears… etc. Machine wash on hot – wash the laundry bag also. Tumble dry on hot. Steam kills bed bugs. Some metropolitan areas offer bed bug laundry and dry cleaning services which have the added benefits of proven methods for killing bed bugs and bagging or storing cleaned items so they do not become re-infested while the home is still being exterminated.
If something cannot be washed or discarded (such as a valuable leather purse) spray with non-toxic bed bug spray (such as diatomaceous earth), seal in a plastic bag and leave for a few months.
Dry clean to remove odor if need be.
You may also try to steam them out. Someone can use a simple home steamer if you have one or even maybe borrow one from your local hardware store. You can even maybe use a home kettle to try to steam them out, make sure to add a flexible tube to the kettle first. Steam should kill all of the bed bugs and even their eggs. Make sure you do a good job of it and even steam spray all corners and seams.
You can also go the pesticide or insecticide route. Residual insecticides can be used as spot treatments to reach the cracks and crevices of where the bugs might be hiding. You can find most of these pesticide sprays already available in an aerosol spray, however a lot of time that will just make the bed bugs scatter, making getting rid of them even harder.
Make sure to repeat the insecticide treatment. Especially if the bed bugs are still present two weeks after the first treatment.
Daniel A. Gibalevich
DAG Law Firm
