She said “They DON’T CARE!” when I asked why they don’t implement regular bed bug inspections. Hum, let us look at this for what it is.
Some properties owners gasp at the cost of a single bed bug inspection and treatment – but because bed bugs are mandatory to treat, they grudgingly write a check for inspection and treatment. Then when the professional finishes and suggests regular inspections in order to stay on top of possibilities and future “infestations”, they decline.
They would rather “wait” until the next complaint – call in the troops and do it all over again. I think to myself, “Gees, they must have a lot of money to do it that way”. Problem is that they just don’t get it, so let’s try to “Splain it”.
Problem: Property owner calls and says, “One” of their tenants complained of a possible bed bug problem in a two-bedroom unit, on the third floor of a 32 unit building. You ask all kinds of questions to qualify how often the problem has occurred, ya da ya da, to see if they know anything about bed bugs or have ever dealt with bed bugs in the past. You then do the inspection, the dog alerts and you find plenty of live bed bugs tucked away in the baseboards.
As a professional, appreciating the nature of bed bugs, you know the possibilities of the “source of the bed bugs” may be in one of the surrounding units and tell the owner from the evidence you found that you need to inspect all shared wall units adjacent to the unit, up one floor, down one floor and left and right from the unit and across the hallway from the unit. (5 units altogether) The cost would only be 20 for each additional unit. They decline and say, “Just inspect this one unit and get it over”.
OK, you are now done with your “single” inspection. (Very well knowing there is a bigger problem). The pest control company comes in and does his thing and its over for now…
- Dog team inspection cost: 250
- Pest Control Treatment for unit: $600.00 (with 14 day follow-up)
Total $850
The sad truth for this owner is that your suspicion was that the “source” could be in one of the surrounding units and because they didn’t want to spend the money, two weeks later, people are complaining in the unit above and below the original unit you inspected which are both two-bedroom units as well.
Therefore, you get a call from the owner once again. You go in, inspect the complaining units above and below and the original unit, and find that the “original source” was as you suspected, in the unit below. The dog also alerted on the unit above, but it was not at infestation levels. Now since this is a 32 unit building, there are more units below and alongside of the “source” unit you just inspected, which could also be the “source” from which the unit below may have gotten them. You know that this problem is significant throughout the building and need to inspect surrounding units as well.
Again, you suggest that you inspect the surrounding units of this “source” unit you just discovered. Once again, the owner declines and asks you to inspect ONLY the units that they received a complaint from.
The Pest Controller comes in and treats both units (surrounding the original unit they did a week before) whereas “if” the bed bugs were noticed when they came the first time the cost for doing several units would have been much less than what they are now about to pay.
- Dog Team Inspection: $270 (250+20)
- Pest Control Treatment for 2 units with Follow-up: $1,200.00,
Total $1,470.00
Then another week goes by and the “original unit” is now complaining again.
Here you go again,
· Dog Team Inspection: $250.00
· Pest Control Treatment: $600.00
Total $ 850.00
Grand Total of $3,170.00 doing it the “property owners” way.
As you can see, this becomes a vicious circle causing owners to dig deeper into their pocket books. Meanwhile the bed bugs are moving through the building at record speed and it will be a matter of time when the whole building will have bed bugs to some degree. This is where the ignorance of owners lays.
Assuming now that the landlord had done the right thing and had all adjacent units inspected by a dog right from the start:
· Initial charge for 1 unit: 250
· Additional units: 4 at $20.00 each for a total of $80
· Again, source is found to be under the original complaining unit, so we inspect the adjacent units: 4 of them: 4 @ $20 each for a total of $80
Total for Dog inspection: $410
Assuming the dog alerted on the complaining unit and the source unit below:
· Pest Control Treatment for these units: $1,200.00 with Follow-up
Grand Total: $410 + 1,200 = $1,610.00, a savings of $1,560.
Now let’s suppose that the real “Infestation” comes from the guy who lives on the floor under the unit you thought could be the source. Remember, many people are not affected by the bites of bed bugs and months, sometimes years can go by until they do anything about them.
Don’t let this happen to you! We can come in, teach you the process so you understand the long-term consequences of not knowing where bed bugs are or chasing and forcing them into other parts of your building and get you up to speed so your pocket book doesn’t have to suffer like this example above.
Solution: Call us and find out about our complete program and save yourself from long-term bed bugs draining your pocket book!
