Florida Building Sciences Expert Identifies Bed Bug Infestations

Over the past several years bed bugs have been making the news.  Bed bugs are found across the globe from North and South America, to Africa, Asia and Europe.

Although the presence of bed bugs has traditionally been seen as a problem in developing countries, it has recently been spreading rapidly in parts of the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, and other parts of Europe.

Florida is no exception and bed bugs have been found in homes, apartments, luxury hotels and resorts.  Their presence is not determined by the cleanliness of the living conditions where they are found.

Bed bugs, scientific name Cimex lectularius, are small, flat, parasitic insects that feed solely on the blood of people and animals usually while they sleep. Bed bugs are reddish-brown in color, wingless, range from 1mm to 7mm, and can live several months without a meal.
 
To help combat bed bugs, many Floridians have turned to Advanced Building Assessment to help identify if they are present in homes and businesses.  With Florida’s position as a leading vacation destination, many hotel and rental property owners and managers have also begun to proactively search for signs of the pests to help prevent infestations and the resulting bad publicity.
 
“Bed bug infestations usually occur around or near the areas where people sleep,” reported Eric Osking, M.S., CIEC, President of Advanced Building Assessment.  “Bed bugs typically hide during the day in places such as the seams of mattresses, box springs, bed frames, headboards, dresser tables, inside cracks or crevices, behind wallpaper, or any other clutter or objects around a bed. Because they are so small and are adapt at hiding out of sight, determining if there is a bed bug problem can be a challenge.  Recently, new DNA testing technologies have been developed that are highly accurate for testing for bed bugs in homes and other buildings.”
 
Advanced Building Assessment supports an educational video about bed bugs that can be seen at:
http://youtu.be/gfAt_UAgNqA
 
To learn more about testing for bed bugs or other indoor air quality (IAQ), environmental or property insurance related inspection services, please visit http://www.BldgInspect.com, email advancedba@yahoo.com or call (407) 371-5237.
 
About Advanced Building Assessment, Inc.
Advanced Building Assessment is a leading provider of environmental consulting, home inspection and public adjuster services for clients across Florida.  The company employs professionals with a wide range of certifications and licenses including: Certified Indoor Environmental Consultant (CIEC), Florida Licensed Home Inspector, Certified Mold Inspector and Assessor, Certified Wind and Hurricane Mitigation Inspector, and licensed with the Florida Department of Finance as a Public Insurance Adjuster.

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Paul Cochrane

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Cochrane & Associates, LLC

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