1. Global Interiors It’s a BedBug Invasion, And we are losing!

2. Just an old wives' tale? Bedbugs have infested Hotels across the country. Reports state this invasion is spreading into Hospitals, Apartments, Businesses and Homes. Finding Bedbugs in your home has nothing to do with poor hygiene or cleanliness. Bedbug infestations have increased 5000 percent since 2000! Bedbugs have developed a resistance to pesticides.

3. 80% of Hotels have Bedbug Issues! What are effective solutions?  Mattress encasements  Temperature control  Chemical treatments  Pest management

4. Temperature Control Bedbugs are very sensitive to heat and are rapidly killed when exposed to temperatures over 120°F. If your are using heat to kill the bed bugs, monitoring with a thermometer is prudent, with a target internal temperature of at least 120°F. Bedbugs also will succumb to cold temperatures below 32°F, but the freezing temperatures must be maintained for several days. Consequently, throughout much of the country, heating tends to be a faster, more reliable option than chilling.

5. Chemical Treatments Traditional Bedbug treatments usually contain Pyrethroid insecticides. These chemicals kill bedbugs effectively, but they may be hazardous to your health and damage the environment.

6. Pest management Another strategy to deal with Bed bugs is Integrated Pest Management (IPM), it combines a variety of practical techniques and products that pose the lowest risk to our health and to the environment.

7. Mattress Encasements Encasements are proving to be a valuable preventative tool in dwellings that has not experienced a problem. Encasements restrict the movement of bed bugs to the outside of the encasement, preventing an infestation from establishing itself in the mattress and box spring. Bed bugs are more quickly detected and eliminated from the outside of the encasement as opposed to the inside of the mattress and box spring.

8. Mattress Encasements Encasements protect newly purchased beds – Many people cannot rest unless their infested bed is discarded. Encasements provide them with a layer of protection after a new bed is introduced into the home. – Encasements prevent the new mattress and box spring from becoming infested by bed bugs that are still present, left undetected or uncontrolled after treatment.

9. Mattress Encasements Encasements enable salvage of infested beds and bedding. – Let’s face it…it is expensive to replace these items. Any bedbugs or eggs still in or on the mattress and box spring are trapped in the encasement and over time will die from starvation.

10. Mattress Encasements Encasements increase infestation control. – It is costly and time consuming to inspect and apply control measures to beds, mattresses and box springs. – Encasements trap the bugs and eggs inside restricting bed bug activity to the exterior of the encasement, which is more easily dealt with. – Encasements protect your mattresses and box springs for many years without the need for additional treatments.

11. Are all Encasements created equal? – Not all encasements are created equal, they must be bedbug escape proof. Inspect seams of encasement to make sure stitching is small enough to prevent insect from getting through. Inspect zipper to ensure that when left open, even a fraction of an inch, there is a mechanism to prevent the insects from escaping Is the material strong enough to prevent tearing. – Must be bedbug bite proof. Has the encasement been specifically engineered to prevent bedbugs from biting through the fabric to the sleeping occupant of the bed? – Allergy encasements are not designed to keep bedbugs out. Encasements should be specifically tested and labeled for bedbugs.

12. Will the bed bugs encased be able to survive? How long? Bed bugs properly encased will eventually die from starvation. The adult bed bug, depending on conditions, can live for over a year without a blood meal. The nymphs (babies) can live up to three months without a blood meal. Needless to say, the performance of your encasement is vital to controlling these insects. If they can't bite you they don't eat, they die.

13. Can I exterminate bed bugs in my home simply by using bedding encasements? If bedbugs are infesting your mattress and box spring, you can “exterminate” them by simply encasing your items in laboratory tested bed bug encasements. Encasements will not exterminate bedbugs in other areas of the room. By encasing your mattresses and box springs you are controlling the main areas of bedbug infestations.