See answers to frequently asked questions about bed bugs, their detection and their removal.

1. Capital K9 Bed Bug Solutions
Answers To Commonly Asked Bed
Bug Questions

2. What does a bed bug look like?
 There are seven stages to the bed bug life cycle
– a bed bug will look different during each of
these separate stages. Bed bugs can also look
different depending on when and how often
they’ve fed. If it’s flying or jumping, it’s not a bed
bug; bed bugs do not have wings and do not fly
or jump.

3. Can I still have bed bugs even if
I’m not getting bitten?
 About one-third of the population does not react
to bed bug bites. We have encountered
numerous situations where two people are
sharing a bed and one person is reacting to bites
and the other is not. It is unlikely that you will feel
a bed bug bite, as the bug is able to anesthetize
the food source (you!) while feeding. Visible bed
bug bites serve as an early warning sign that
there may be a bed bug problem, so those who
don’t react run the risk of a bug infestation quickly
getting out of hand because it takes longer to see
physical evidence of the problem.

4. What does a bed bug bite look
like?
 Everyone reacts to the bites differently. Some
people don’t react, some react immediately, and
some react after a few days. The bites can result
in large welts or rashes. Bed bugs often (but not
always) leave a row of bites, which is one way to
distinguish these bites from mosquitos or fleas. It
is difficult to diagnose a bed bug infestation
based solely on bites.

5. Are there any other signs of bed
bug activity?
 An unchecked bed bug introduction will eventually be
very evident in your home and you will see molted
bed bug castings, fecal spotting, and eventually live
bugs. Low-level bed bug infestations are difficult to
detect because bed bugs are nocturnal, generally
feeding between 3-5 am. They like to hide in tight
cracks and crevices and may be very difficult to find in
the early stages. In more advanced infestations, bugs
will be seen crawling on the walls during the day and
night, and fecal spotting is often seen on
mattresses, in the corners of rooms near the ceilings
and around electrical sockets.

6. What do I do if I see a bug?
 If you see a bug that you believe might be a bed bug, your best
bet is to contain the bug for identification. Take a piece of clear
tape and pick up the bug with the sticky side of the tape and
place it in a zip lock bag. Alternatively, if you have a high-
resolution camera, take a picture of the bug so you can share it
with your pest control professional. Your next step is to contact a
pest control company. Bed bugs are ranked as the most difficult
pest to treat by pest control operators and the over–the-counter
remedies available are not as effective as the products available
to licensed pest professionals. Further, if you are considering
having a k9 come out to search your home, do not spray any
over-the-counter chemicals, as we will have to wait 30 days
before we can conduct a search. Lastly, try not to disturb the
area where you initially saw the bug, as this might cause the
bugs to scatter making treatment more difficult.

7. What about do-it-yourself
treatments?
 The resurgence of bed bugs has created a huge market for over-
the-counter bed bug products and natural remedies. Many
products available to customers make big promises but lack
scientific research to support their claims. In fact, the Federal
Trade Commission has gotten involved, warning consumers
against deceptive marketing claims with different natural bed bug
remedies. Some of more well- known brands do offer sprays
and fogs that will kill some bed bugs on contact. The challenges
with these products is that bed bugs have increasingly become
resistant to chemicals, making these products ineffective in many
cases and you must kill each bug on contact in order to be
effective. Since bed bugs are nocturnal and like to hide, finding
each bug and eliminating every bug on your own presents a real
problem. Using too many chemicals or using them incorrectly
can be hazardous to your health. Given your poor likelihood of
success combined with the potential risks posed by using the
chemicals, experts agree that bed bug treatments should be left
to the professionals.

8. If you come out to my home will all my neighbors
know that I’m concerned about bed bugs?
 Our vehicles are unmarked and our clothing is
inconspicuous. Further, we are completely
committed to total confidentiality. We will only
share information if directed by you.

9. What happens if I have bed bugs?
 We are a fully licensed pest control company and
we specialize in bed bug extermination. If we
conduct a search and determine you have bed
bugs, you are under no obligation to go with us
for the treatment. However, we believe that once
you meet our trained technicians you will want to
use us for the remediation and in most cases we
are able to deduct the price of the inspection from
the treatment costs.

10. Why our Process is Better
 Capital K9 Pest Solutions specializes in the
detection and elimination of bed bugs. We use
the most effective products on the market applied
by some of the most skilled and knowledgeable
technicians in the industry. Our confidence in our
technicians and technique allows us to offer
guaranteed quality service to all of our customers.
When dealing with Capital K9 as a customer, you
will see that we strive to go above and beyond
expectations of your typical pest control company.