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Common Questions

    Browse F.A.Q. Topics

    Bed Bugs

    • What if a guest who is booked for a continued stay thinks he/she has found bedbugs?
      You will want to be as accommodating as possible, while limiting your liability. Unless they have actually seen a bedbug, offer them another room so that you can have the room checked by a professional to determine if bedbugs are the problem. Offer to advise them of the results of that inspection. If Town and Country Pest Control is your source, we will gladly interact with the guest after our inspection to assure them that 1) bedbugs were not the problem or 2) in the event bedbugs were found, we can communicate with them and reduce their anxiety. At that time, we may advise you to offer them the option of having their clothing laundered and/or their luggage dry cleaned and treated. Our ‘Stop My Bed Bugs’ insurance policy means exactly that - no more bed bugs bugs will be allowed to take control of your building! * Town and Country’s bed bug insurance policy provides a one of a kind six month guarantee included with our initial clean out and all semi-annual preventive renewals.
    • Can Town and Country provide a reference list from past clients?
      We can provide you with a very large reference list of past and present clients, please call them for verification on our impeccable bed bug solution plan. There is no small print, no strings attached and never a contract...just dead bed bugs and happy people. We make dreams come true and nightmares fade away! We will simply have you sign a non-disclosure agrument for the protection of our clients identity.
    • How can you offer such an extraordinary guarantee of 6 months against bed bugs?
      Because Town and Country has done the work that it takes to find a bed bug solution. We have gone above and beyond most other pest control companies when it comes to bed bugs. We decided that we would become the very best bed bug eliminators in the Country or just go back to doing general pest control. Through research, experimentation and countles hours, we became one of the best and we are ready to serve your establishment.
    • Does Town and Country provide any staff support?
      You are obviously in a sensitive position when a guest reports a bed bug sighting or being bitten, but there is a lot you can do before that happens. Everyone, including housekeeping, hotel engineers and front desk employees, should know how management would like the situation handled. We can help you sort that out. We can provide a presentation to any or all of your staff at no charge. They will see and learn about bed bugs and the signs left by bed bugs. It is always better to have the staff find the bed bug before a patron shows up at the desk in a rage.
    • Why does the hospitality industry have a higher rate of bed bug sightings?
      We at Town and Country have that answer. There are three good reasons, and two of them will not be what you want to hear:
      1. The first reason is well known, travelers on vacation from other countries carry them into our hotels. But they are not the significant carriers of bed bugs.
      2. Since the war began in the middle east, the USA has allowed 1000’s of refugees to legally enter the country and multitudes of bed bugs have come too. These countries have no official exterminators and bed bugs have hitch hiked their way into our hotels and apartment complexes each and every day since then.
      3. We also know first hand that most property managers put their tenants up in nearby hotels while the building is being treated for bed bugs. We have even treated a shelter that was loaded with bed bugs. These people where distributed among five local hotels for several days. Weeks later, new patrons are complaining of bites and your hotel gets placed on one of the bed bug registries as being infested.
    • Can we stay in the house while treatment is done?
      While we treat, no people or pets can be in the house for 3 hours. All fish tanks need to be covered and birds removed from the home. Town and Country Bed Bug Solutions will solve the problem the first time around. The preparation process will be minimal in most cases, and rooms can be reentered within hours rather than days or weeks without the fear of new bites.
    • Why are we getting bites with no evidence of bed bugs?
      Many people, who fear the thought of bedbugs or are having what they believe are bedbug rashes, are sold a treatment that is not necessary. Itchy skin bumps can appear for many different reasons and to your relief not be due to bed bug bites. On the other hand, in the early stages, skin sensitive individuals get bites long before the visible evidence is apparent; the baby bed bug can feed and grow without being able to reproduce for more than a month. There may be several weeks between suspecting bedbugs and the live discovery. This time can be very stressful and cause much anxiety. We know that one can loose much sleep and pretty much turn ones life inside out. Do not fear, once the bug is identified we will kill every last one of its relatives.
    • What if I can’t find any evidence?
      That's ok, finding evidence when the case is fairly new can be very difficult with ones untrained eye. (If you are getting new bites on a regular basis and find no evidence, then its time to get our trained professional to your home for a thurough inspection.)
    • Can I do my own inspection?
      We suggest that you first rule out all other possible reasons before blaming bed bugs. Do your own physical inspection by following our bed bug inspection guide. If you find any of the three types of bed bug evidence listed, please save it for our tech to inspect.
    • Do bed bugs transmit any diseases?
      NO. They are known carriers of many diseases, but they have not been shown to be transmitters of these diseases. The reaction to bites is highly variable depending on individual sensitivity. A bite can look like a tiny pin prick or a big, ugly welt. Even a dermatologist may not know what type of insect bit you. The welts and classic triangle pattern seem more common, but they can look similar to mosquito bites, hives, allergies and bee stings.
    • We heard that no one can get rid of bed bugs?
      Individuals that try to treat bed bugs with over the counter treatments fail every time and at great personal expense. These treatments simply don't work and cause the bed bug to actually spread to other rooms of the house. People end up throwing away every thing they own and still fail. Many professional pest control companies even have a difficult time with eliminating bed bugs. Town and Country Pest Control has created a proprietary treatment plan that typically kills every bed bug and all her eggs in one treatment. We never make you throw out any personal items. Our 6 month guarantee is the best out there and provides unsurpassed peace of mind.
    • Does a red itchy mark always mean bed bugs?
      There are many possible reasons for finding red itchy bumps on ones skin. Due to the media panic, bed bugs are often the first to blame.
    • Is it true that you can’t see a bed bug?
      The inspection is done by trained bed bug experts that know exactly what to look for. The bed bug is not easily detected by most people. The babies are clear and three can fit on a pinhead. Adults are the size and color of an apple seed. Only 30% of people that get bit will show a bite reaction. Most people will never see the secretive bed bug until it has been breeding for several months. By then, the bed bug has likely transplated itself in several connecting rooms.
    • What should be expected after the treatment?
      You may see some visible signs of a white dust on the floors, box springs and furniture. This dust will be minimal and can be vacuumed from the center of the floor and wiped down from hard surfaces. Dust around furniture and around baseboards should be left in place for 2 weeks.
    • What needs to be done to prepare for the treatment?
      Remove birds, cats and dogs. Cover fish tanks with a large towel. Put away any open food or drinks, remove blankets, top sheet and pillows from the bed and place them in a bag. (leave the fitted sheet on the mattress) Take these items to the laundry and send them through the dryer for 20 minutes to kill any eggs / bed bugs while the exterminator is treating the unit. The bed bug cycle is 30 days. In the rare case sightings appear after 30 days, capture a live bed bug for us to examine and call for a retreat.
    • Does Town and Country use the Heat or Cold treatment methods?
      The Heat treatments will kill bed bugs, so will extreme cold treatments. We do not use either one of them simply because they provide no residual to kill any bed bugs that escaped the initial treatment. The home can be clear one day and re infested a month later. Money down the drain! We have found that the reparation for heat and cold is very time consuming and expensive. The chance of missing a bed bug is great - the heat is unable to kill bed bugs that may be living in crack, crevices or the baseboards and outlets of an outside wall. The bed bug can crawl away from the heated wall and is saved by the coolness of the outer wall, then returns as the heat dissipates. The heat cannot be used on many personal electronics without damage. We often find bed bugs living in these items, leaving them to re infest after they are brought back into the room after treatment. The cold process has many of the same disadvantages, such as a lack of residual and potential damage to anything electronic or made of plastic. This includes TV's, DVD players, cable boxes, etc...Our proprietary residual process kills nearly every bed bug in hours, and keeps killing when and if a new one enters.
    • How can Town and Country provide a 6 month guarantee?
      Town and Country's proactive plan provides a full 6 month guarantee on each and every residential house. No one that we know of will provide a guarantee of six months. Most other companies only provide a 30 day guarantee. While these companies are still trying to figure out how to kill a bedbug, we have lept through the black hole. Most bed bugs are killed on the first day, plus we prevent re infestations by applying our proprietary residual treatment.
    • How do bed bugs find their way into a home?
      There are many ways that bed bugs can be introduced:
      • Family, Friends and Visitors are the number one transplanters of bed bugs. If any of these people have bed bug problems at home, ask that they not visit until their bed bug issue has been professionally eradicated.
      • Used furniture and bedding can host bed bugs.
      • Public transportation will always be a concern, bed bugs can come out from under a seat and easily hitch a ride home.
      • Other well known methods are on a wheel chair, in prosthetic legs, wallets, purses, magazines, latops, computer chairs and many other personal items.
      • There is really no end to the many ways a bed bug can be transplanted. Just be alert.
    • Can bed bugs really be eliminated from our home?
      The constant fear and threat of a bed bug infestation is very real. We can quickly eliminate a bed bug infestation from any size home. We are absolutely sure that we can clear and eliminate every single hidden bed bug from your home. Very few pest control companies can make this claim.
    • Bed Bug Infestation
      When you consider the high rate of reproduction and the distance that bedbugs can travel, an extreme infestation of a single apartment or condo can create a domino effect. As the bedbug population grows, the pressure for more food can send insects scurrying through the wall voids or down the hallway. Before long, the infestation in one apartment can move to another, spread to a whole floor, then move between floors. Most of the time, there are no solid barriers between apartments or condos, so a light switch or outlet cover provides direct access to the next unit and conditions they favor, both darkness and the close quarters. Once in the wall void, their search is aided by carbon dioxide exhaled by the occupants in an adjoining living area. The higher the occupancy, the more attractive the new space.
    • Bed Bug Food
      Bedbugs have a food preference, humans. This preference is so strong that they are more likely to travel a good distance to seek humans than feed on a pet that is easily accessible. Women and children are generally more sensitive to bites, although men do get bitten. Two people can even sleep in the same bed, and one person will be bitten while the other is not, though it is more likely that both are being bitten, but one is more sensitive to the allergen in the bedbugs saliva than the other person. Tasty tidbit. The most likely time for bedbugs to feed is just before sunrise.
    • Bed Bugs Attraction
      Bedbugs are attracted to the carbon dioxide that you exhale. Bedbugs come out for feeding when they detect the presence of carbon dioxide, which humans produce upon exhaling. Since they prefer darkness, this one sensory asset is their guide to where you are. It dictates where they will live, which is usually going to be no more than 10 or 20 feet from where you sleep. It also guides their movement if they have to find other food sources.
    • Bed Bug Breeding
      One female can lay up to 12 eggs per day, or about 500 in her lifespan and the eggs have a sticky coating which easily attaches to objects. One insemination of a female allows her to lay eggs for a month; however, she is subjected to dozens of inseminations during a month's time. The copulation, called traumatic insemination, is brutal; the male jabs at any section of the female's body and even jabs other males. Fertilization occurs almost anywhere in the body cavity of the female where it is injected, and she will lay eggs throughout her lifetime as long as she has regular feedings. So, one fertilized female bedbug introduced to a home can begin the infestation because she remains perpetually fertile.
    • Bed Bug Speed
      They can travel up to 100 feet for feeding, although they prefer to be 10 to 20 feet from their host. Consider that a very small bedroom is 10 x10 feet. In apartment buildings and condominiums, 100 feet gives them a lot of range which they usually take advantage of by moving both outward horizontally and upward to levels above by way of the wall voids. In a single family home with at least one person, the bedbug would remain very close to their human food source by living in a mattress, box spring, headboard, bed frame, nightstand, etc. If the population increases, the pressure for more food moves them out further and further into the home. This is when the possibility of hitchhiking insects or their eggs increases, and you may spread the infestation outside of the home.
    • Bed Bug Fasting
      They can be dormant and live without feeding for long periods of time depending on temperatures (colder--less time, warmer--more time). The nymphs (younger stages) can only live a few months without feeding because they have to have a blood feeding to go to the next life stage. Adults can go six months or longer without feeding.

    Hotels and Hospitality

    • What if a guest who is booked for a continued stay thinks he/she has found bedbugs?
      You will want to be as accommodating as possible, while limiting your liability. Unless they have actually seen a bedbug, offer them another room so that you can have the room checked by a professional to determine if bedbugs are the problem. Offer to advise them of the results of that inspection. If Town and Country Pest Control is your source, we will gladly interact with the guest after our inspection to assure them that 1) bedbugs were not the problem or 2) in the event bedbugs were found, we can communicate with them and reduce their anxiety. At that time, we may advise you to offer them the option of having their clothing laundered and/or their luggage dry cleaned and treated. Our ‘Stop My Bed Bugs’ insurance policy means exactly that - no more bed bugs bugs will be allowed to take control of your building! * Town and Country’s bed bug insurance policy provides a one of a kind six month guarantee included with our initial clean out and all semi-annual preventive renewals.
    • Can Town and Country provide a reference list from past clients?
      We can provide you with a very large reference list of past and present clients, please call them for verification on our impeccable bed bug solution plan. There is no small print, no strings attached and never a contract...just dead bed bugs and happy people. We make dreams come true and nightmares fade away! We will simply have you sign a non-disclosure agrument for the protection of our clients identity.
    • How can you offer such an extraordinary guarantee of 6 months against bed bugs?
      Because Town and Country has done the work that it takes to find a bed bug solution. We have gone above and beyond most other pest control companies when it comes to bed bugs. We decided that we would become the very best bed bug eliminators in the Country or just go back to doing general pest control. Through research, experimentation and countles hours, we became one of the best and we are ready to serve your establishment.
    • Does Town and Country provide any staff support?
      You are obviously in a sensitive position when a guest reports a bed bug sighting or being bitten, but there is a lot you can do before that happens. Everyone, including housekeeping, hotel engineers and front desk employees, should know how management would like the situation handled. We can help you sort that out. We can provide a presentation to any or all of your staff at no charge. They will see and learn about bed bugs and the signs left by bed bugs. It is always better to have the staff find the bed bug before a patron shows up at the desk in a rage.
    • Why does the hospitality industry have a higher rate of bed bug sightings?
      We at Town and Country have that answer. There are three good reasons, and two of them will not be what you want to hear:
      1. The first reason is well known, travelers on vacation from other countries carry them into our hotels. But they are not the significant carriers of bed bugs.
      2. Since the war began in the middle east, the USA has allowed 1000’s of refugees to legally enter the country and multitudes of bed bugs have come too. These countries have no official exterminators and bed bugs have hitch hiked their way into our hotels and apartment complexes each and every day since then.
      3. We also know first hand that most property managers put their tenants up in nearby hotels while the building is being treated for bed bugs. We have even treated a shelter that was loaded with bed bugs. These people where distributed among five local hotels for several days. Weeks later, new patrons are complaining of bites and your hotel gets placed on one of the bed bug registries as being infested.

    Insects

    • What if a guest who is booked for a continued stay thinks he/she has found bedbugs?
      You will want to be as accommodating as possible, while limiting your liability. Unless they have actually seen a bedbug, offer them another room so that you can have the room checked by a professional to determine if bedbugs are the problem. Offer to advise them of the results of that inspection. If Town and Country Pest Control is your source, we will gladly interact with the guest after our inspection to assure them that 1) bedbugs were not the problem or 2) in the event bedbugs were found, we can communicate with them and reduce their anxiety. At that time, we may advise you to offer them the option of having their clothing laundered and/or their luggage dry cleaned and treated. Our ‘Stop My Bed Bugs’ insurance policy means exactly that - no more bed bugs bugs will be allowed to take control of your building! * Town and Country’s bed bug insurance policy provides a one of a kind six month guarantee included with our initial clean out and all semi-annual preventive renewals.
    • Can Town and Country provide a reference list from past clients?
      We can provide you with a very large reference list of past and present clients, please call them for verification on our impeccable bed bug solution plan. There is no small print, no strings attached and never a contract...just dead bed bugs and happy people. We make dreams come true and nightmares fade away! We will simply have you sign a non-disclosure agrument for the protection of our clients identity.
    • How can you offer such an extraordinary guarantee of 6 months against bed bugs?
      Because Town and Country has done the work that it takes to find a bed bug solution. We have gone above and beyond most other pest control companies when it comes to bed bugs. We decided that we would become the very best bed bug eliminators in the Country or just go back to doing general pest control. Through research, experimentation and countles hours, we became one of the best and we are ready to serve your establishment.
    • Does Town and Country provide any staff support?
      You are obviously in a sensitive position when a guest reports a bed bug sighting or being bitten, but there is a lot you can do before that happens. Everyone, including housekeeping, hotel engineers and front desk employees, should know how management would like the situation handled. We can help you sort that out. We can provide a presentation to any or all of your staff at no charge. They will see and learn about bed bugs and the signs left by bed bugs. It is always better to have the staff find the bed bug before a patron shows up at the desk in a rage.
    • Why does the hospitality industry have a higher rate of bed bug sightings?
      We at Town and Country have that answer. There are three good reasons, and two of them will not be what you want to hear:
      1. The first reason is well known, travelers on vacation from other countries carry them into our hotels. But they are not the significant carriers of bed bugs.
      2. Since the war began in the middle east, the USA has allowed 1000’s of refugees to legally enter the country and multitudes of bed bugs have come too. These countries have no official exterminators and bed bugs have hitch hiked their way into our hotels and apartment complexes each and every day since then.
      3. We also know first hand that most property managers put their tenants up in nearby hotels while the building is being treated for bed bugs. We have even treated a shelter that was loaded with bed bugs. These people where distributed among five local hotels for several days. Weeks later, new patrons are complaining of bites and your hotel gets placed on one of the bed bug registries as being infested.
    • Can we stay in the house while treatment is done?
      While we treat, no people or pets can be in the house for 3 hours. All fish tanks need to be covered and birds removed from the home. Town and Country Bed Bug Solutions will solve the problem the first time around. The preparation process will be minimal in most cases, and rooms can be reentered within hours rather than days or weeks without the fear of new bites.
    • Why are we getting bites with no evidence of bed bugs?
      Many people, who fear the thought of bedbugs or are having what they believe are bedbug rashes, are sold a treatment that is not necessary. Itchy skin bumps can appear for many different reasons and to your relief not be due to bed bug bites. On the other hand, in the early stages, skin sensitive individuals get bites long before the visible evidence is apparent; the baby bed bug can feed and grow without being able to reproduce for more than a month. There may be several weeks between suspecting bedbugs and the live discovery. This time can be very stressful and cause much anxiety. We know that one can loose much sleep and pretty much turn ones life inside out. Do not fear, once the bug is identified we will kill every last one of its relatives.
    • What if I can’t find any evidence?
      That's ok, finding evidence when the case is fairly new can be very difficult with ones untrained eye. (If you are getting new bites on a regular basis and find no evidence, then its time to get our trained professional to your home for a thurough inspection.)
    • Can I do my own inspection?
      We suggest that you first rule out all other possible reasons before blaming bed bugs. Do your own physical inspection by following our bed bug inspection guide. If you find any of the three types of bed bug evidence listed, please save it for our tech to inspect.
    • Do bed bugs transmit any diseases?
      NO. They are known carriers of many diseases, but they have not been shown to be transmitters of these diseases. The reaction to bites is highly variable depending on individual sensitivity. A bite can look like a tiny pin prick or a big, ugly welt. Even a dermatologist may not know what type of insect bit you. The welts and classic triangle pattern seem more common, but they can look similar to mosquito bites, hives, allergies and bee stings.
    • We heard that no one can get rid of bed bugs?
      Individuals that try to treat bed bugs with over the counter treatments fail every time and at great personal expense. These treatments simply don't work and cause the bed bug to actually spread to other rooms of the house. People end up throwing away every thing they own and still fail. Many professional pest control companies even have a difficult time with eliminating bed bugs. Town and Country Pest Control has created a proprietary treatment plan that typically kills every bed bug and all her eggs in one treatment. We never make you throw out any personal items. Our 6 month guarantee is the best out there and provides unsurpassed peace of mind.
    • Does a red itchy mark always mean bed bugs?
      There are many possible reasons for finding red itchy bumps on ones skin. Due to the media panic, bed bugs are often the first to blame.
    • Is it true that you can’t see a bed bug?
      The inspection is done by trained bed bug experts that know exactly what to look for. The bed bug is not easily detected by most people. The babies are clear and three can fit on a pinhead. Adults are the size and color of an apple seed. Only 30% of people that get bit will show a bite reaction. Most people will never see the secretive bed bug until it has been breeding for several months. By then, the bed bug has likely transplated itself in several connecting rooms.
    • What should be expected after the treatment?
      You may see some visible signs of a white dust on the floors, box springs and furniture. This dust will be minimal and can be vacuumed from the center of the floor and wiped down from hard surfaces. Dust around furniture and around baseboards should be left in place for 2 weeks.
    • What needs to be done to prepare for the treatment?
      Remove birds, cats and dogs. Cover fish tanks with a large towel. Put away any open food or drinks, remove blankets, top sheet and pillows from the bed and place them in a bag. (leave the fitted sheet on the mattress) Take these items to the laundry and send them through the dryer for 20 minutes to kill any eggs / bed bugs while the exterminator is treating the unit. The bed bug cycle is 30 days. In the rare case sightings appear after 30 days, capture a live bed bug for us to examine and call for a retreat.
    • Does Town and Country use the Heat or Cold treatment methods?
      The Heat treatments will kill bed bugs, so will extreme cold treatments. We do not use either one of them simply because they provide no residual to kill any bed bugs that escaped the initial treatment. The home can be clear one day and re infested a month later. Money down the drain! We have found that the reparation for heat and cold is very time consuming and expensive. The chance of missing a bed bug is great - the heat is unable to kill bed bugs that may be living in crack, crevices or the baseboards and outlets of an outside wall. The bed bug can crawl away from the heated wall and is saved by the coolness of the outer wall, then returns as the heat dissipates. The heat cannot be used on many personal electronics without damage. We often find bed bugs living in these items, leaving them to re infest after they are brought back into the room after treatment. The cold process has many of the same disadvantages, such as a lack of residual and potential damage to anything electronic or made of plastic. This includes TV's, DVD players, cable boxes, etc...Our proprietary residual process kills nearly every bed bug in hours, and keeps killing when and if a new one enters.
    • How can Town and Country provide a 6 month guarantee?
      Town and Country's proactive plan provides a full 6 month guarantee on each and every residential house. No one that we know of will provide a guarantee of six months. Most other companies only provide a 30 day guarantee. While these companies are still trying to figure out how to kill a bedbug, we have lept through the black hole. Most bed bugs are killed on the first day, plus we prevent re infestations by applying our proprietary residual treatment.
    • How do bed bugs find their way into a home?
      There are many ways that bed bugs can be introduced:
      • Family, Friends and Visitors are the number one transplanters of bed bugs. If any of these people have bed bug problems at home, ask that they not visit until their bed bug issue has been professionally eradicated.
      • Used furniture and bedding can host bed bugs.
      • Public transportation will always be a concern, bed bugs can come out from under a seat and easily hitch a ride home.
      • Other well known methods are on a wheel chair, in prosthetic legs, wallets, purses, magazines, latops, computer chairs and many other personal items.
      • There is really no end to the many ways a bed bug can be transplanted. Just be alert.
    • Can bed bugs really be eliminated from our home?
      The constant fear and threat of a bed bug infestation is very real. We can quickly eliminate a bed bug infestation from any size home. We are absolutely sure that we can clear and eliminate every single hidden bed bug from your home. Very few pest control companies can make this claim.
    • Bed Bug Infestation
      When you consider the high rate of reproduction and the distance that bedbugs can travel, an extreme infestation of a single apartment or condo can create a domino effect. As the bedbug population grows, the pressure for more food can send insects scurrying through the wall voids or down the hallway. Before long, the infestation in one apartment can move to another, spread to a whole floor, then move between floors. Most of the time, there are no solid barriers between apartments or condos, so a light switch or outlet cover provides direct access to the next unit and conditions they favor, both darkness and the close quarters. Once in the wall void, their search is aided by carbon dioxide exhaled by the occupants in an adjoining living area. The higher the occupancy, the more attractive the new space.
    • Bed Bug Food
      Bedbugs have a food preference, humans. This preference is so strong that they are more likely to travel a good distance to seek humans than feed on a pet that is easily accessible. Women and children are generally more sensitive to bites, although men do get bitten. Two people can even sleep in the same bed, and one person will be bitten while the other is not, though it is more likely that both are being bitten, but one is more sensitive to the allergen in the bedbugs saliva than the other person. Tasty tidbit. The most likely time for bedbugs to feed is just before sunrise.
    • Bed Bugs Attraction
      Bedbugs are attracted to the carbon dioxide that you exhale. Bedbugs come out for feeding when they detect the presence of carbon dioxide, which humans produce upon exhaling. Since they prefer darkness, this one sensory asset is their guide to where you are. It dictates where they will live, which is usually going to be no more than 10 or 20 feet from where you sleep. It also guides their movement if they have to find other food sources.
    • Bed Bug Breeding
      One female can lay up to 12 eggs per day, or about 500 in her lifespan and the eggs have a sticky coating which easily attaches to objects. One insemination of a female allows her to lay eggs for a month; however, she is subjected to dozens of inseminations during a month's time. The copulation, called traumatic insemination, is brutal; the male jabs at any section of the female's body and even jabs other males. Fertilization occurs almost anywhere in the body cavity of the female where it is injected, and she will lay eggs throughout her lifetime as long as she has regular feedings. So, one fertilized female bedbug introduced to a home can begin the infestation because she remains perpetually fertile.
    • Bed Bug Speed
      They can travel up to 100 feet for feeding, although they prefer to be 10 to 20 feet from their host. Consider that a very small bedroom is 10 x10 feet. In apartment buildings and condominiums, 100 feet gives them a lot of range which they usually take advantage of by moving both outward horizontally and upward to levels above by way of the wall voids. In a single family home with at least one person, the bedbug would remain very close to their human food source by living in a mattress, box spring, headboard, bed frame, nightstand, etc. If the population increases, the pressure for more food moves them out further and further into the home. This is when the possibility of hitchhiking insects or their eggs increases, and you may spread the infestation outside of the home.
    • Bed Bug Fasting
      They can be dormant and live without feeding for long periods of time depending on temperatures (colder--less time, warmer--more time). The nymphs (younger stages) can only live a few months without feeding because they have to have a blood feeding to go to the next life stage. Adults can go six months or longer without feeding.

    Residential Homes

    • Can we stay in the house while treatment is done?
      While we treat, no people or pets can be in the house for 3 hours. All fish tanks need to be covered and birds removed from the home. Town and Country Bed Bug Solutions will solve the problem the first time around. The preparation process will be minimal in most cases, and rooms can be reentered within hours rather than days or weeks without the fear of new bites.
    • Why are we getting bites with no evidence of bed bugs?
      Many people, who fear the thought of bedbugs or are having what they believe are bedbug rashes, are sold a treatment that is not necessary. Itchy skin bumps can appear for many different reasons and to your relief not be due to bed bug bites. On the other hand, in the early stages, skin sensitive individuals get bites long before the visible evidence is apparent; the baby bed bug can feed and grow without being able to reproduce for more than a month. There may be several weeks between suspecting bedbugs and the live discovery. This time can be very stressful and cause much anxiety. We know that one can loose much sleep and pretty much turn ones life inside out. Do not fear, once the bug is identified we will kill every last one of its relatives.
    • What if I can’t find any evidence?
      That's ok, finding evidence when the case is fairly new can be very difficult with ones untrained eye. (If you are getting new bites on a regular basis and find no evidence, then its time to get our trained professional to your home for a thurough inspection.)
    • Can I do my own inspection?
      We suggest that you first rule out all other possible reasons before blaming bed bugs. Do your own physical inspection by following our bed bug inspection guide. If you find any of the three types of bed bug evidence listed, please save it for our tech to inspect.
    • Do bed bugs transmit any diseases?
      NO. They are known carriers of many diseases, but they have not been shown to be transmitters of these diseases. The reaction to bites is highly variable depending on individual sensitivity. A bite can look like a tiny pin prick or a big, ugly welt. Even a dermatologist may not know what type of insect bit you. The welts and classic triangle pattern seem more common, but they can look similar to mosquito bites, hives, allergies and bee stings.
    • We heard that no one can get rid of bed bugs?
      Individuals that try to treat bed bugs with over the counter treatments fail every time and at great personal expense. These treatments simply don't work and cause the bed bug to actually spread to other rooms of the house. People end up throwing away every thing they own and still fail. Many professional pest control companies even have a difficult time with eliminating bed bugs. Town and Country Pest Control has created a proprietary treatment plan that typically kills every bed bug and all her eggs in one treatment. We never make you throw out any personal items. Our 6 month guarantee is the best out there and provides unsurpassed peace of mind.
    • Does a red itchy mark always mean bed bugs?
      There are many possible reasons for finding red itchy bumps on ones skin. Due to the media panic, bed bugs are often the first to blame.
    • Is it true that you can’t see a bed bug?
      The inspection is done by trained bed bug experts that know exactly what to look for. The bed bug is not easily detected by most people. The babies are clear and three can fit on a pinhead. Adults are the size and color of an apple seed. Only 30% of people that get bit will show a bite reaction. Most people will never see the secretive bed bug until it has been breeding for several months. By then, the bed bug has likely transplated itself in several connecting rooms.
    • What should be expected after the treatment?
      You may see some visible signs of a white dust on the floors, box springs and furniture. This dust will be minimal and can be vacuumed from the center of the floor and wiped down from hard surfaces. Dust around furniture and around baseboards should be left in place for 2 weeks.
    • What needs to be done to prepare for the treatment?
      Remove birds, cats and dogs. Cover fish tanks with a large towel. Put away any open food or drinks, remove blankets, top sheet and pillows from the bed and place them in a bag. (leave the fitted sheet on the mattress) Take these items to the laundry and send them through the dryer for 20 minutes to kill any eggs / bed bugs while the exterminator is treating the unit. The bed bug cycle is 30 days. In the rare case sightings appear after 30 days, capture a live bed bug for us to examine and call for a retreat.
    • Does Town and Country use the Heat or Cold treatment methods?
      The Heat treatments will kill bed bugs, so will extreme cold treatments. We do not use either one of them simply because they provide no residual to kill any bed bugs that escaped the initial treatment. The home can be clear one day and re infested a month later. Money down the drain! We have found that the reparation for heat and cold is very time consuming and expensive. The chance of missing a bed bug is great - the heat is unable to kill bed bugs that may be living in crack, crevices or the baseboards and outlets of an outside wall. The bed bug can crawl away from the heated wall and is saved by the coolness of the outer wall, then returns as the heat dissipates. The heat cannot be used on many personal electronics without damage. We often find bed bugs living in these items, leaving them to re infest after they are brought back into the room after treatment. The cold process has many of the same disadvantages, such as a lack of residual and potential damage to anything electronic or made of plastic. This includes TV's, DVD players, cable boxes, etc...Our proprietary residual process kills nearly every bed bug in hours, and keeps killing when and if a new one enters.
    • How can Town and Country provide a 6 month guarantee?
      Town and Country's proactive plan provides a full 6 month guarantee on each and every residential house. No one that we know of will provide a guarantee of six months. Most other companies only provide a 30 day guarantee. While these companies are still trying to figure out how to kill a bedbug, we have lept through the black hole. Most bed bugs are killed on the first day, plus we prevent re infestations by applying our proprietary residual treatment.
    • How do bed bugs find their way into a home?
      There are many ways that bed bugs can be introduced:
      • Family, Friends and Visitors are the number one transplanters of bed bugs. If any of these people have bed bug problems at home, ask that they not visit until their bed bug issue has been professionally eradicated.
      • Used furniture and bedding can host bed bugs.
      • Public transportation will always be a concern, bed bugs can come out from under a seat and easily hitch a ride home.
      • Other well known methods are on a wheel chair, in prosthetic legs, wallets, purses, magazines, latops, computer chairs and many other personal items.
      • There is really no end to the many ways a bed bug can be transplanted. Just be alert.
    • Can bed bugs really be eliminated from our home?
      The constant fear and threat of a bed bug infestation is very real. We can quickly eliminate a bed bug infestation from any size home. We are absolutely sure that we can clear and eliminate every single hidden bed bug from your home. Very few pest control companies can make this claim.

    Contact Town & Country for a quote today!

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