Bed Bugs Aren't Biting Much in Strongsville (Whew!)

Bed bugs, those nasty mattress-loving insects that bite your legs while you sleep, are creeping -- literally -- into the area.

But so far, there have not been many cases in Strongsville, area exterminators report.

"We've had very few in Strongsville," said Jeff Eichmuller, owner of Peak Pest Control. "We've seen them in Cleveland, and at hotels and universities, in dorm rooms."

Dennis Daniels of Denny's Complete Pest Control said he's handled only one or two bed bug infestations in Strongsville and North Royalton.

"In one case, the husband was a traveling salesman," Daniels said.

The dreaded bugs are known for living in the fabric of mattresses, but they actually hide everywhere -- in dressers, under baseboards, behind faceplates on the wall.

"I've seen them in alarm clocks," Eichmuller said. 

That means that when you get them, you have to pretty much tear your house apart to get rid of them.

"Your heart goes out to people," Daniels said. "It's more painful for homeowners to prepare for us than for us to do the work."

Both companies use a crack-and-crevice insecticide that they spread through every inch of the house -- taking apart beds and dressers, spraying behind pictures, removing faceplates.

Other exterminators use heat, but that has its own risks, including fire, Daniels said, as well as items left in the house melting. Also, he said if the treatment misses any bugs, the chemicals can kill them later, while heat will not.

Female bed bugs can lay five eggs a day and live a year without a blood meal, according to the Cuyahoga County Board of Health.

And they're very, very hard to get rid of, Daniels said, often requiring repeat visits from exterminators.

"If I had a choice between getting bed bugs and cockroaches, I'd choose roaches," he said. "They're that bad."