Bed bugs in the news again...

An interesting study was done recently by a Ph.D. candidate at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln - he looked what happens when we (the host of bed bugs) have upped our blood alcohol content?

Reports of a potential bed bug problem in a local movie theatre came to light this week.  Complaints from the movie-goer has prompted an investigation into the potential problem using a bed bug dectection dog.

News reports indicate no live bed bugs were found. This is good news but bed bugs can be anywhere these days and can be introduced into your home fairly easily.

In an attempt to rid their home of bed bugs, two guys took their couches and chairs outside and set them on FIRE! Now that's heat...

Bad idea! Yes, you guessed it - then their house caught on fire!

Bed bugs have made the news again! This time they have hitched a ride to school.

A Surrey school had the unwanted guests more than a month ago. The school brought in a bed bug detection dog after a parent reported bed bug bites. The dog was brought in to help identify areas with live bed bugs and yes, a couple of desks were found to have bed bugs. The students were moved to another classroom while the desks were removed and the bed bugs eliminated. 

Health Canada has issued a warning on Insectide Chalk being sold in Canada. This product is sold under a few different names but none of them are registered for use in Canada. One of the main components of insecticide chalk is a highly toxic pesticide.

Children are particularly at risk from insecticide chalk because they can easily mistake the product for blackboard or sidewalk chalk and play with it or put it in their mouths. Overexposure to some chemicals found in insecticidal chalk can cause vomiting, stomach pains, convulsions, tremors and loss of consciousness. Serious allergic reactions are also possible.

Introducing the Bed Bug Biosphere!

We love bed bugs so much we decided to invite them into our home.  Well, actually we made them their own home inside an acquarium - they have a bed, side tables, couch and a coffee table.  We put the furniture in, then we dumped the bugs (several dozen of them including eggs and all stages of nymph and adults, as well as some cast skins and dead bugs) into the middle of the habitat.  Within ten minutes the bed bugs had already moved into the furniture. 

Twas the night before Christmas when all through the house, not a creature was stirring not even a mouse....

Well the mice might be sleeping but the bed bugs are out!

Finally, the PackTite is available in Canada!

The PackTite Closet is a portable heat chamber that is great for small items that can't be laundered or placed in a dryer to kill bed bugs. It is a safe, non-chemical way to treat luggage, shoes, toys, and other belongings.

Bed Bugs are in the news again - this time they are making headlines by being found in Metro Vancouver libraries.

Bed bugs in libraries are not new - there have been reports in libraries for years. Usually the bugs are found dead but some have definatley been alive.

Assured Thermal Solutions is proud to announce it has acqiured a bed bug detection dog.  Our bed bug detection dog has undergone hundreds of hours of training over the last several months and we will be putting him to work next week.  Bed bug sniffing dogs are trained in a very similar fashion to how drug and bomb detection dogs are trained - they learn to key in on only that particular odour and they keep going until they pinpoint it.