Buying a new home is exciting, especially if it is your first. However, because it is such a huge investment, doing your due diligence to make sure there are no major problems before committing is critical. Bed bugs are very small insects that can make a huge nuisance of themselves with their painful bites. While an infestation may not necessarily prevent your purchase, bed bug removal should absolutely take place before you sign on the dotted line. You don’t want to inherit someone else’s problem.
How the Bed Bugs Got There?
Bed bugs have become an increasingly common problem over the last 20 years or so, especially in urban areas. Contrary to popular belief, an infestation of bed bugs doesn’t necessarily mean that the home was dirty or not well cared for. It is more likely that the previous owners of the home unknowingly brought the bed bugs home in their luggage from a vacation. If they bought secondhand furniture, the bed bugs may have been hidden inside. Bed bugs are small and flat, about the size of an apple seed as adults, so they have the ability to hide in very small cracks and crevices, such as the openings of electrical outlets. They are most active at night, so most people do not see them, although they find evidence of them later.
How Buyers Can Find Out if the Home Has Bed Bugs?
A professional home inspection should identify whether the home is infested with bed bugs. However, this is a step you usually don’t take until you are far along in the purchase process. You probably want to know about any bed bug problem before you make the decision to buy.
When the owners of a house list it for sale, they are required to list any known issues that could affect the health and safety of the buyer if the defects are not readily visible. This could include past and present bed bug infestations. Unfortunately, sellers do not always comply with this requirement, whether out of embarrassment or fear that it could prevent the home from selling. Another possibility is that the seller is not aware of the bed bug infestation.
Because information from the seller is not always reliable, it is a good idea to know the signs of bed bug infestation so that you can identify them if you see any. After the initial viewing but before deciding to buy, you should perform a cursory examination of the property specifically checking for bedbugs. This may involve disturbing the present owner’s furniture, so it is a good idea to get permission first. You should inspect the bedrooms first; since bed bugs feed on humans as they sleep, that is where they are most likely to be. Look for small, rust-coloured feces in the corners of the room and stains of the same colour on the furniture, lifting up mattresses and cushions if you can. Inspect behind headboards and around bed frames. If you don’t find the bed bugs themselves, you may find the shells that they leave behind as the juvenile bed bugs grow older and outgrow their exoskeletons.
What To Do if There Are Bed Bugs?
If you find out about a bed bug infestation before signing any contracts, you may decide not to buy the house. If you decide to proceed anyway, you may ask the seller to deal with the problem as a condition of the sale. However, if you do not find out about the infestation until after the sale is final, the bed bugs become your responsibility.
Do-it-yourself solutions may not deal with the problem completely and may be dangerous due to the poisonous chemicals used. For this reason, professional pest control in Guelph is the best way to handle bed bug infestation. Truly Nolen is experienced at dealing with this pest. Our treatments are quick, thorough, and safe, so contact us today.