News
BEDBUGS BEWARE
July 18, 2011
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| Bedbugs must’ve learned a thing or two from Cockroach 101—they’ve evolved to be resistant to many household and common pesticides, are often in hard-to-reach spaces, and difficult to get rid of. They're everywhere, but 70% come from residential dwellings, says Cimetics senior executive Mike Eisenberg, whose firm solely focuses on Cimex lectularius (Latin for bedbug). He estimates the new norm for infestation will be 10% to 15% of all residential units—thank a dearth of ineffective pesticides, an increase in travel, and more people buying used furniture from places like Craigslist. This isn’t solely an urban problem (although calls to 311 are decreasing as residents and landlords gain bedbug know-how). It's showing up in Long Island and NJ ‘burbs as well. |
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| But the heat is on—Cimetics has found success in on-site thermal remediation used alongside traditional methods (bedbug-sniffing beagles, physical removal, steam and chemical treatments, encasements, vacuuming, and habitat modification). Bedbugs, nymphs, and eggs die at temps above 122 degrees, Mike says, so Cimetics modified a 26’-long trailer with a computer control center and propane heating, which can be driven straight to the source. Stock the truck with your infested goods, wait for the trailer to heat them up to a core 122 degrees (not hot enough to melt your TV, Pez collection, or much else), and voilà—your items, which might have been tossed out previously, are bedbug free in an hour. |
