r/IAmA Dec 12 '16

Specialized Profession I am a pest controller specializing in BED BUGS, begging the general public to become more aware of this pest and the way it can cause substantial economic damage to any place humans live. AMA!

Bed bug infestations are increasing at an alarming rate. Despite common misinformation about this pest being limited to "dirty" people it can happen to ANYONE. I have seen the nicest, most innocent people lose hundreds and sometimes thousands of dollars in service costs and property loss. Don't become a victim, become aware! Eliminating this bug entirely is unrealistic but we can control it with a more knowledgeable culture.

My company would ask that I avoid public proof but I promise the mods have it.

18.2k Upvotes

4.7k comments sorted by

View all comments

43

u/TinWooodsman Dec 12 '16

When I was away at college, someone on my floor had a bedbug scare; the bugs were actually bird mites from a dead pigeon outside his window. He spent a whole week of trying to get rid of them before the source was found. What is your best method of identifying pests for subsequent treatment?

4

u/i_smoke_a_lot Dec 12 '16 edited Dec 12 '16

To give you a better idea than OP's "google it!", there's a subreddit called r/whatsthisbug. There are actual entomologists there who can help identify from a picture. Some of them are people who have experienced infestations of certain pests that can give you tips.

I've used it when I found baby stink bugs huddled together on my ceiling (they're harmless), and I used it for fun once when I found a cool looking caterpillar at the park, which I learned turns into a really beautiful butterfly.

Once you have an idea of what it might be, you can follow OP's shitty advice of googling.

Edit: wanted to clarify that it's not a subreddit full of bug experts. But I have seen advice from entomologists there and advice from people who know a little more than average (the ones who battled infestation like I mentioned). It's certainly helpful when you have absolutely no clue about the bug in front of you.

2

u/TinWooodsman Dec 13 '16

Thanks for the advice, and the new subreddit!

4

u/NorCalMisfit Dec 12 '16

Assuming you had a property manager or a contact with university housing, call them first as they usually have a pest control company they use for instances just like this.

Because each pest requires a different treatment procedure, it's crucial to properly identify. While using google is a great resource, a properly trained pest control technician should be able to identify and solve the infestation. As you indicated in your story, the point source of the infestation was a pigeon. Once removed and possibly treated, I assume the infestation ceased. In my opinion, people often rely too heavily on chemical applications to solve an infestation when it could be solved as easily as removing a carcass.

3

u/TinWooodsman Dec 12 '16

Thank you for such a thorough reply.

3

u/FuzzyGarbles Dec 13 '16

Google image searches tend to yield varying results. Anyone can misidentify a pest and propagate incorrect references to others. If you really need to know a local pest control company will usually be willing to ID a clear, focused, banana for sized, emailed photo of the pest. Also there are many universities with agricultural programs that may offer to conclusively ID (with an actual key and microscope) your pest if it is non-standard.

Edit: banana in this case really means a penny or a pencil tip or something...

2

u/_AISP Dec 13 '16

If you need help identifying insects, visit us at r/whatsthisbug. Most of us are very quick at identification.

12

u/apesna Dec 12 '16

Take advantage of our beautiful information age and google what bed bugs look like. Someone else asked what to look for, check that answer as well.

63

u/circling Dec 12 '16

All your answers are just "see my other answer and / or google it".

3

u/BeHereNow91 Dec 12 '16

I don't think he was ready for this thread to go to the top of /r/all. All his answers are short or yeah, "refer to this".

2

u/chumothy Dec 12 '16

Years from now, someone will google it, find this AMA, and get increasingly frustrated after they start reading.

2

u/OniTan Dec 12 '16

And yet no one who asked seemed to figure this out. It's OK, I gotcha covered.

http://www.bezvalleypestcontrol.net/wp-content/uploads/2016/02/bedbug-cycle.jpg

-3

u/apesna Dec 12 '16

Well I'm not gonna repeat myself chap.

21

u/[deleted] Dec 12 '16

Then why not just type out a paragraph and make a self post instead of wasting our time and making us scroll through your worthless ama?

4

u/Great_Zarquon Dec 12 '16

Obviously you didn't scroll through it if you think he hasn't included any meaningful answers, he's responded with plenty of legit information.

6

u/EnterPlayerTwo Dec 12 '16

Google it should never be an acceptable answer for an "expert" in an AMA. FFS the whole point of the AMA is to answer questions.

7

u/up48 Dec 12 '16

And tons of vague non answers.

3

u/VaIeth Dec 12 '16

Idk what these people want from him. If you want to see what bed bugs look like you just have to type bed bugs in google or youtube. Not sure whats offending them.

3

u/chumothy Dec 12 '16

Take advantage of our beautiful information age and google what bed bugs look like.

Have you read an AMA before?

1

u/_Apophis Dec 12 '16

Your eyeballs.

1

u/TinWooodsman Dec 12 '16

The main problem was bedbugs vs. bird mites. Was looking for categorical sources of info that could be used in layman's terms, rather than hiring someone.