Hiring the Right Company

How do you know if you have hired a knowledgeable bedbug inspection company?

A professional company will inspect the premises by human and dog or by human inspection alone.

We use a K-9 certified bed bug dog detector to sniff out and help pinpoint the bed bugs, we tag the area that dog alerted to, and once Scarlet has finished her scan our handler will go back and search that area for the bedbugs. These bugs hide so well that it may be hard to find them, but there may be castings, droppings or eggs. In a very early infestation the handler may not be able to find the bed bug(s), but our handler makes a very serious attempt to find factual evidence.

Once we have identified a bedbug /bed bug casing we capture the bug as evidence of the infestation. If there is any doubt in the client’s mind then the client is offered the opportunity to take the captured bug down to their local university extension office for proper visual or DNA identification.

There are different varieties of bed bugs, bat bugs, (which are very similar to bed bugs) etc. so having the bug identified by a third party is completely reasonable. Of course, keep in mind, that if you are having the dwelling inspected, you already have some concerns. If you are being bitten, I doubt that you will want to wait on the DNA results to get back from the lab before you begin the heat remediation treatment.

A professional company will be prepared with other tools for the inspection. You may see them using a bed bug scent detection dog, a flashlight to see eggs and nymph (newly hatched bedbugs), a magnifying glass, a crevice tool, a jeweler’s loop, and sometimes a hand held bed bug detection monitor.

What if no bed bugs are detected?

If no bedbugs are found and problems with being bitten continue our company can stop back by in 2 weeks and recheck the home or unit. For added peace of mind- we may recommend that homeowners check into purchasing interceptors. A popular brand is “Climb-ups”. These go under the foot of each bed frame and trap any bugs climbing up or down from the bed. Bed bugs may choose to hide places that do not require going up and down from frame so Climb-ups are only a suggestion. We may also recommend seeing a dermatologist in case the bites or rash are from some other issue like allergies or scabies.

Once we determine that there is a bed bug infestation we give the client an estimate and a to-do list. It states the steps that need to be taken by the homeowner or manager, the cost of heat treating the dwelling, and explains our follow-up scan procedure.

Some companies do not do follow-up visits as they have found that they have good results the first time around. Believing that if bugs return they have been reintroduced by the tenant. Bed Bug Detection & Remediation of S.C. includes two follow-ups scans. One is done directly after heat remediation is completed and the other one is approximately 2 weeks later. If Scarlet detects any live bed bugs or live eggs we will retreat the area as described in our original quote at no additional cost.

If you decide to hire us- we will require a signed and dated contract prior to the heat remediation treatment. It will include a list of things that you will be required to do prior to the heat treatment and you will be given a copy at that time.

Be wary of any company that is all talk with no written proposal, plan of action, follow-up or signed agreement.

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