# Are you dealing with Bedbugs?



## Scottlandlord (May 27, 2010)

Some news today about the NDP's proposed solution to the bedbug issue:

http://www.thestar.com/news/gta/bed...ill-would-force-inspections-on-landlords?bn=1



> New Democrat MPP Cheri DiNovo is pushing for a law forcing landlords to be licensed and their premises inspected for bedbugs, saying Ontario is “doing nothing” to stop the growing scourge of pests.
> 
> “The landlord simply doesn’t get their license renewed if they don’t have a bug-free unit,” the MPP for Parkdale-High Park said Thursday in proposing a private member’s bill.
> 
> ...


The Liberals have chimed in with their plan:



> Liberal MPP Mike Colle (Eglinton-Lawrence).... would require landlords to present prospective tenants with a “bedbug information report” before a lease is signed.


The FRHP have their statement:



> Landlords are “heavily regulated” as is and are required to treat any infestations reported, said Mike Chopowick of the Federation of Rental Housing Providers of Ontario.


And the Ontario Landlords Association for small business landlords gave their thoughts on the NDP bill:



> A group representing landlords who own five units or less—often in the same building where they live themselves—accused DiNovo of “political opportunism” for trying to lump bedbugs in with the larger issue of landlord licensing.
> 
> “Let’s focus on the bedbugs first,” said Stuart Henderson of the Ontario Landlords Association, which encourages its members to inspect and thoroughly clean units when tenants leave.



I'm wondering if people here are dealing with the bedbug issue and, if they are, what their solutions might be.


----------



## spirit (May 9, 2009)

*Nursing home and bed bugs*

My 95 year old mother had her unit infected with bedbugs. All her clothes needed to be washed and dried. Even the wool ones !!!!!Her couch and mattress was disposed of. Unit sprayed. Then two weeks later we needed to remove her hospital bed because they think the bugs were in the mechanical workings. They hide in baseboards, headboards anywhere near a source of food. You that is. Lots of information on the internet. The stress was very difficult for her and she needed to be removed from the unit twice for spraying. The staff told me they are paranoid when they get home and take strict precautions before they enter their homes. I am restricting travel and when I go I will take extra precautions re my luggage. I live in Edmonton and there is a website telling which apartment buildings are infected. Not all of them are low income, there are a few luxury building included. IMHO this is a huge problem and will get only worse.


----------



## GeniusBoy27 (Jun 11, 2010)

I've seen an increasing number of kids in the hospital with bedbugs. The key in getting rid of them is throwing everything in the washer with hot water (including stuffed animals), and anything that can't, should go into an airtight bag for a week.

Then steam clean the place.

For caution purposes, I ask them to repeat it in a week.


----------



## chaudi (Sep 10, 2009)

They are extremely hard to get rid because they are part cock-roach and part fly. They just hide in the walls and floors. Also their bite is very painful and causes welts like a fly bite.

If you rent you can get a big rebate from the LL, call the health inspector asap. You should also be careful that you don't carry them to the next apartment with you better yet make the LL pay for a hotel.

Only thing that really works against them is DDT which you can probably get in china town.


----------



## Berubeland (Sep 6, 2009)

The key in getting rid of them is throwing everything in the washer with hot water (including stuffed animals), and anything that can't, should go into an airtight bag for a week.

Anything that can't be washed must be disposed of or heated to over 140 degrees if it can be. Alternatively bedbugs can be killed in the winter by exposure to sub zero temperatures for 2 weeks minimum. 

I just finished writing a post on it...

http://landlordrescue.ca/wordpress/bed-bug-guide-landlords/

One interesting idea I heard at CAIC from David Horwood another property manager is to allow your tenants the option of upgrading from regular spraying to heat treatment. The difference is about $400 but they don't have to wash anything or dispose of any furniture and the place doesn't have to be sprayed 3 times (66% of all infestations require 3 treatments) 

I think we'll be seeing more heat rooms installed in buildings to prevent tenants from moving them in. Every tenant will have to wait while their property is heated up long enough to kill the bugs

Genius boy mentioned kids. I think the most problematic infection vector will be kids, schools have communal coat storage rooms and those back packs are likely going to be very handy for transporting bed bugs from school to daycare, to home, to sleepovers and play dates. 

I totally agree that landlord licensing is crap for bedbugs. Unless getting a license helps landlord pay for spraying or causes the bedbugs to leave. 

I also think the Right To Know Act is Total Crap too. 

I did have a good idea about expanding the program that is currently used for restaurants to apartment buildings. A nice green sign by the door indicates no known problems, a yellow sign means one or two units currently being sprayed and dealt with, red sign means run for your life, major problem or suites reported and not sprayed. Every building has to have a sign, CONDO's included. 

This way there is no way for the landlord to "forget" to give the documents to the tenant and a significant incentive to deal with the problem ASAP. bottom line is you won't be renting very much with a yellow or red sign.Furthermore, buildings who deal with it right away won't be penalized for 5 years. As for landlord licensing what are they going to do if a landlord doesn't get a license or keep it? Spank him? Give him a fine he won't pay? Sell his building? That'll be effective after it takes 10 years to go through the courts. A law without a good what if, is useless. Imagine if the cops gave out lollipops instead of speeding tickets. Every one is familiar with this program already so the learning curve is pretty simple for people. No need to develop a new system, just expand a system in spot, hire more staff, print more signs, it's simple. 

The other problem is this one...landlords really can't afford it. Especially those renting one bedrooms with heat and hydro included for $650 per month. There are very slim margins in this business and none of them account for paying possibly thousands of $$ per unit for pest control. It just isn't happening. Landlords are not going to go bankrupt so they can get rid of bedbugs. I can guarantee that no landlord has ever brought in a jar of bedbugs to his/her building to "seed" the units. You can't really blame them for not wanting to pay $$$ to get rid of something they had absolutely no control or responsibility for.


----------



## Spidey (May 11, 2009)

_The Liberals have chimed in with their plan:

Quote:
Liberal MPP Mike Colle (Eglinton-Lawrence).... would require landlords to present prospective tenants with a “bedbug information report” before a lease is signed. _

It strikes me as extremely hypocritical that those who would regulate free market landlords are the same ones pushing social housing developments. Social housing has massive problems with bedbugs, cockroaches and a host of other problems that generally wouldn't be tolerated if these buildings were run by the private sector. It seems when the government is the landlord they are unable to meet the requirements that they expect of the free market.


----------



## Berubeland (Sep 6, 2009)

Good Point Spidey

Toronto Community Housing is exempt from the Landlord & Tenant Board, their tenants can't get rent abatements for lack of maintenance, bedbugs, cockroaches etc. 

Here's a good article with a link to a W5 show about Toronto Public Housing

http://www.moneysmartsblog.com/slumlords/


----------



## Jungle (Feb 17, 2010)

Does the GOV or public really know the same bed bug problems exists in :

Hotels
Movie theatre
Stores
Hostals
Hospitals

Should the people bringing in bed bugs be held accountable and responsible for the costs ? I'm starting to feel really itchy right now..


----------



## Berubeland (Sep 6, 2009)

Jungle said:


> Does the GOV or public really know the same bed bug problems exists in :
> 
> Hotels
> Movie theatre
> ...


Yes they know and no I'm not sure people should be held accountable for the costs, it's really become a societal problem, What we really need are low cost solutions that work. Landlords shouldn't be held responsible either for the cost of fixing it. Again they don't bring them in. 

Unfortunately we've had the methods available to us for years and we know what to do with all kinds of pest infestations. We have to spray in blocks. That is expensive, it requires everyone involved to cooperate with the spraying etc. (Spraying in blocks means spraying the infested unit and all the surrounding ones as well) For cockroaches, we don't do it... and it costs like $20 - $40 per unit to spray. With bed bugs it cost me $750 to spray one unit (3 times) to kill them. Can you imagine spraying 5 units? It's just not affordable. 

We know how to make old elevators work better too, you replace them with new elevators  at 3 million a pop, thought we just keep repairing them. The problem is we need cheap solutions.


----------



## Jungle (Feb 17, 2010)

Check this: They had to shut down Victoria Serect in NYC because of bed bugs in the store.

http://www.helium.com/items/1939452...mporarily-closes-victorias-secret-in-new-york

So picture this: You spay your unit to prevent bed bugs. Your new tenant tries on some panties at the local Victoria Secret. And now your unit has bed bugs..


----------



## Berubeland (Sep 6, 2009)

A while back, Goldman Sach's execs were not the only blood sucking creeps to be found in their office. 

http://abcnews.go.com/Business/goldman-sachs-sprays-jersey-city-office-bed-bugs/story?id=10917635

And further down the article, Fox News also had a problem.


----------



## Jungle (Feb 17, 2010)

Here is the link for the self reported bed bug registry:

http://bedbugregistry.com/

The Eastern seaboard is RED..


----------



## Scottlandlord (May 27, 2010)

This Toronto Star report shows why all small business landlords should support (as I do) the Ontario Landlords Association for small business landlords.

Look at their comments compared to the FRHP (the large corporate lobby group). 

*Bedbugs ARE a problem. And we all need to come together to find fair and good solutions.

The NDP just see a political opportunity in it and don't care about tenants and landlords facing the real problems.*

If you invest in rental properties, fight for your rights and make sure your voices are heard! Unlike berubeland's views of the landlord business (which is all about self-promotion and catching landlord money) I believe we can all work together as Ontarians to reform the entire industry to help real estate investors and good tenants!


----------



## Cal (Jun 17, 2009)

Scottlandlord said:


> This Toronto Star report shows why all small business landlords should support (as I do) the Ontario Landlords Association for small business landlords.
> 
> Look at their comments compared to the FRHP (the large corporate lobby group).
> 
> ...


Well it would help if you posted a link to the article you referenced.

But what is wrong with catching us landlords more money....I fail to see your point there...

Edit: you should list your recommendations as to how to reform the RE industry...actually that should be another thread altogether.


----------



## Scottlandlord (May 27, 2010)

Cal said:


> But what is wrong with catching us landlords more money....I fail to see your point there...


What do you mean? You want to be the scapegoat?

The link was in the first post. 

http://www.thestar.com/news/gta/bed...ill-would-force-inspections-on-landlords?bn=1


----------



## CanadianCapitalist (Mar 31, 2009)

Scottlandlord said:


> If you invest in rental properties, fight for your rights and make sure your voices are heard! Unlike berubeland's views of the landlord business (which is all about self-promotion and catching landlord money) I believe we can all work together as Ontarians to reform the entire industry to help real estate investors and good tenants!


What's the relevance of berubeland's views of the landlord business have to deal with bedbugs? Berubeland has replied with a thoughtful post to your original question. You are welcome to express your views but you are crossing a line (and forum rules) when you personally attack another member.


----------



## dagman1 (Mar 3, 2010)

But he's a professional!--sorry, that's a PROFESSIONAL, in caps.


----------



## Scottlandlord (May 27, 2010)

dagman1 said:


> But he's a professional!--sorry, that's a PROFESSIONAL, in caps.


You're funny. Admin. might want to take a loot at rachelle's personal attacks on me in several threads.

I'm professional in the fact that if my business was a property management company in Ontario where the Ontario Landlord and Tenant Board is the legislative authority..._I'd be licensed to be able to go before the Ontario Landlord and Tenant Board for my clients._


----------



## Jungle (Feb 17, 2010)

Scottlandlord said:


> You're funny. Admin. might want to take a loot at rachelle's personal attacks on me in several threads.
> 
> I'm professional in the fact that if my business was a property management company in Ontario where the Ontario Landlord and Tenant Board is the legislative authority..._I'd be licensed to be able to go before the Ontario Landlord and Tenant Board for my clients._


I think we all get it.. You believe she should be licenced... Got it. 
/thread(s)


----------



## MoneyGal (Apr 24, 2009)

The whole discussion about "professionals" and the importance of registration/licensing etc. seems slightly out-of-place on a board that has a really strong contingent of DIY investors and encourages and promotes the move *away* from "professional" (defined as "licensed") investment advisors. 

Or is that just me?


----------



## Berubeland (Sep 6, 2009)

_I'm professional in the fact that if my business was a property management company in Ontario where the Ontario Landlord and Tenant Board is the legislative authority...I'd be licensed to be able to go before the Ontario Landlord and Tenant Board for my clients._re

A property manager is a specialized generalist  our main function is to protect the integrity of the physical plant and financial health of the asset. Here's a more comprehensive list of what we would be expected to know/do in our day to day duties. 

1.	Hire, manage and evaluate, site personnel, and/or off-site management staff, or contracted management firms, directly or through others.

2.	Identify staffing requirements and develop, or approve job descriptions and/or develop and monitor, or approve human resource policies and training and development plans.

3.	Identify, implement and monitor, or approve, energy use/ conservation programs for the property.

4.	Determine which item or services for the property are to be purchased, prepare specifications, solicit and evaluate bids for contract services, negotiate or approve contracts and monitor contracts.

5.	Oversee operation of building systems, supervise employees or monitor contractors who perform routine maintenance and repair work, and/or oversee planning and construction of tenant improvements and interior design.

6.	Design and implement and monitor, or approve, preventative maintenance programs for the property.

7.	Establish or maintain and enforce the property’s operating policies and procedures and occupancy/usage guidelines.

8.	Establish, maintain and monitor adherence to, or approve the property’s record keeping system.

9.	Identify, analyze and implement or approve capital improvements or replacement programs including but not limited to maintenance or remodeling programs and resident/tenant improvements.

10.	Perform regular property inspections and take appropriate action in accordance with established policies and procedures.

11.	Design and implement, or approve resident/tenant retention, orientation and property familiarization programs.

12.	Routinely communicate with occupants of the property concerning level of service and other management matters and/or investigate and resolve resident / tenant complaints.

13.	Administer the leasing and lease renewal process and / or negotiate or approve leases. 

14.	Prepare, market and show leasable space.

15.	Prepare, approve or execute a marketing plan for the property. 

16.	Analyze market conditions and recommend or approve the property’s rental rates.

17.	Design, implement or approve life-safety and emergency preparedness programs for the property.

18.	Develop, implement or approve a risk management program for the property and / or identify the property’s insurable risks and recommend secure and monitor insurance coverages.

19.	Recommend and / or initiate legal actions for violations of leases, contracts or governing documents, including but not limited to evictions and filing of liens.

20.	Ensure the property’s compliance with government and environmental regulations.

21.	Process and/ or monitor, or approve property payables.

22.	Supervise property collections, including the handling of property receipts, journal entries, records of account, bank deposits, and delinquent accounts.

23.	Prepare, present and implement annual property budgets, including capital expenditure budgets, or review, authorize and monitor such budgets prepared by others.

24.	Prepare, analyze or approve the property’s financial and operating statements and variance reports.

25.	Approve major deviations from the budget, exclusive of emergencies.

26.	Identify, analyze the property’s financial requirements and financing options and / or replacement reserve requirements, and recommend funding sources to the owner.

27.	Estimate and monitor the market value of the property and assess the implications that estimates of value have for the owner; determine the reasonableness of assessed value and insurable value.

28.	Identify, analyze and propose alternate uses of the property and implement or approve a plan to change the property’s us (e.g. converting a residential building to commercial use).

29.	Read and interpret loan document requirements. 

30.	Establish or maintain management controls and analyze the property’s performance. 

31.	Identify and recommend or approve, real estate assets for acquisition or disposition. 

32.	Determine the goals and objectives of the property owner.

33.	Evaluate real estate tax assessments and recommend an appeal strategy to the owner when appropriate.

34.	Prepare a management plan for the property.

35.	Identify and recommend, or approve alternate sources of income for the property and implement programs accordingly.

Of the 35 items listed, only items 19, 21 and 22 have anything to do with legal problems and the Landlord & Tenant Act (among other legal risks). 

In my career, I've accumulated a whole lot of different knowledge about buildings, there's a lot of professional designations I could get, I know an awful lot about boilers, I'm not getting a gas fitter's license. I know a lot about plumbing, I'm not getting a plumber's license. I even know more than I'd like to know about bed bugs, I'm not getting my pest control license. 

My very first job, when I was a baby property manager straight out of college after graduation was about 150 doors, in a collection of about 50 houses that were duplexes, triplexes and quadruplexes and mixed use commercial buildings. 

I also held a job where I was the principal involved in doing every single eviction for a 428 unit building, among my other duties, including but not limited to...renting apartments, doing market surveys to determine rent pricing, dealing with the 25% vacancy rate, implementing a resident referral program, negotiating rent increases (because of our promotional discount), dealing with tenants, removing asbestos from our underground garage, upgrading the use of the top two floors from regular suites to penthouse suites and digging out $150,000 worth of collections from storage files and submitting them to collections. 

Then I started my own company. My goal is to continually learn new skills and improve my services and stay up to date. For instance I already know that there are going to be legislative changes that will no longer allow me to evict any bad tenants in the rare instance where I screw up and rent to bad tenant. (None this year 2010 so far and 1 last year) even buildings will have to apply for an exemption to be allowed to use their inhouse legal reps. I myself am not going to quit my business and take three years of schooling to be able to represent landlords at the Board for one eviction every couple years. I will be announcing an alliance with a paralegal in the next few months and expanding my companies services to include evictions. 

To directly address the issue of "self promotion" uhmmm I'm in business, I have to self promote and there's not a thing wrong with that. There's also nothing wrong with "catching landlord's money" certainly the people who choose to use my services see value in them. In my business if I don't make more for the landlord than I cost, I'm done. Finally I've never, since I've been coming to this forum, had to explain what I do, how I do it and my qualifications over and over again. Quite frankly, I'd rather just come here and comment helpfully on threads like I used to do before.

The entire basis of internet forums is based on taking people and their advice at face value and with a grain of salt. For all I know you could all be aliens with three eyes and forked tongues (although this is not likely  )


----------



## Cal (Jun 17, 2009)

Kind of a funny article in a way...I mean....if a LL has a building say 24 units, and 1 unit has bed bugs, he wouldn't be able to renew his license, and all of the other 23 families/tenants would be out of a home.

Of course any good LL would hire an exterminator....regardless of cost, so that the problem does not spread. As word of mouth about something like that would probably be even worse for business.

I get that the cost of the assessment would basically be self funding, but how much does that suck for the LL, when after hiring the exterminator, the tenant simply moves back in (after vacating premises for a few days after exterminator sprays) and uses the same bed sheets, and restarts the whole mess. You can't make the tenant get new bedsheets and pillows.

I also don't understand why the article states that the OLA only represents LL who own 5 units or less, maybe moreso why they only represent those LL's.

I get the intention of the rules, to reduce the bedbug problem, and/or to regulate LL's, depending upon how you interpret the article. Both are difficult issues to tackle. Even with LL licensing, there would still be illegal rentals, just as there is now in areas that are not zoned as such. And bedbugs...well...they have been around for how long and have not been eliminated thus far. Perhaps with more attention they will create a spray or something instead of steaming.


----------



## dagman1 (Mar 3, 2010)

Scottlandlord said:


> I'm professional in the fact that if my business was a property management company in Ontario where the Ontario Landlord and Tenant Board is the legislative authority..._I'd be licensed to be able to go before the Ontario Landlord and Tenant Board for my clients._


Whatever license you think you have, you don't need it to appear before the Landlord and Tenant Board. For someone who claims to be a professional, you sure don't know much about your own job.


----------



## chaudi (Sep 10, 2009)

Check this link maybe you'll find your building:
http://bedbugregistry.com/metro/toronto/


----------



## Scottlandlord (May 27, 2010)

dagman1 said:


> Whatever license you think you have, you don't need it to appear before the Landlord and Tenant Board. For someone who claims to be a professional, you sure don't know much about your own job.


Should I report you for a silly attack? Or simply pass it off as your ignorance?

If you are representing a landlord appearing before the Board, you need to be licensed.

I will await your apology.


----------



## Berubeland (Sep 6, 2009)

These are just a few of the exemptions...

Not practising law or providing legal services

(8) For the purposes of this Act, the following persons shall be deemed not to be practising law or providing legal services:

1. A person who is acting in the normal course of carrying on a profession or occupation governed by another Act of the Legislature, or an Act of Parliament, that regulates specifically the activities of persons engaged in that profession or occupation.

2. An employee or officer of a corporation who selects, drafts, completes or revises a document for the use of the corporation or to which the corporation is a party.

3. An individual who is acting on his or her own behalf, whether in relation to a document, a proceeding or otherwise.

4. An employee or a volunteer representative of a trade union who is acting on behalf of the union or a member of the union in connection with a grievance, a labour negotiation, an arbitration proceeding or a proceeding before an administrative tribunal.

5. A person or a member of a class of persons prescribed by the by-laws, in the circumstances prescribed by the by-laws. 2006, c. 21, Sched. C, s. 2 (10).


----------



## dagman1 (Mar 3, 2010)

Scottlandlord said:


> Should I report you for a silly attack? Or simply pass it off as your ignorance?
> 
> If you are representing a landlord appearing before the Board, you need to be licensed.
> 
> I will await your apology.


Okay I'm wrong. I didn't realize to get paid to do it you needed to be licensed.

In any case, you make a good case for increasing the barriers to entry as a licensed agent.


----------



## Scottlandlord (May 27, 2010)

Berubeland said:


> These are just a few of the exemptions...
> 
> Not practising law or providing legal services
> 
> ...


This is your career right? And you are online giving "legal advice." This is not an attack but...

*My suggestion is:*

1. You simply take the courses you need to take. These courses will teach you a lot about the current laws and rules. I know they must be challenging for you, but you can go online and lots of us will help you. 

2. Study hard and pass the tests. This means you study hard, learn the rules of the industry and are up to date on how the system works. Sure you only finished High School. That's fine. However, many of us who are successful not only believe in education, we have sacrificed to learn more and continued on. Are you anti-education?

3. Excellent Professionals vs. Used Car saleswomen: There are thousands of people who have followed the rules and are now legal to go before the Board. Why can't you join them? What is "SPECIAL" about these thousands of others over you? That they are dedicated to their jobs...instead of spending 10hrs/day on their blogs?

In all honestly and in all fairness, I simply suggest Berubeland take the need courses (and pass them) to BE ABLE TO ACTUALLY APPEAR BEFORE THE LANDLORD AND TENANT BOARD on behalf of its clients.

This is honest and fair advice.

Personally, after what you have shown here not only would I NOT hire you to manage my properties, I wouldn't hire you to clean them.


----------



## Cal (Jun 17, 2009)

Stink bugs next?:

http://www.thestar.com/news/world/article/867003--the-next-insect-invasion-stink-bugs?bn=1


----------



## CanadianCapitalist (Mar 31, 2009)

Scottlandlord said:


> *My suggestion is:*
> 
> 3. Excellent Professionals vs. Used Car saleswomen: There are thousands of people who have followed the rules and are now legal to go before the Board. Why can't you join them? What is "SPECIAL" about these thousands of others over you? That they are dedicated to their jobs...instead of spending 10hrs/day on their blogs?
> 
> ...


You've already said like a million times that you think Berubeland should get licensed. I for one have got the message. And Berubeland responded to this in an earlier post.

"I myself am not going to quit my business and take three years of schooling to be able to represent landlords at the Board for one eviction every couple years. I will be announcing an alliance with a paralegal in the next few months and expanding my companies services to include evictions."

I suggest that how Berbueland wants to run her business is up to her.


----------



## Berubeland (Sep 6, 2009)

The red ribbon means with honours.


----------



## Berubeland (Sep 6, 2009)

Scottlandlord said:


> This is your career right? And you are online giving "legal advice." This is not an attack but...
> 
> *My suggestion is:*
> 
> ...


 
_
NOTICE

From: Education
To: Rachelle Berube 


Subject: Results on your CAAMP Ontario Mortgage Agent Course


Congratulations! You have successfully passed CAAMP's Ontario Mortgage Agent Course (COMAC). The certificates of successful completion are sent by regular letter mail. Please allow two to three weeks for delivery.

Please note that grades are not released; only pass status is confirmed. Please save this email for your records. CAAMP reports all the names of those who pass the course to FSCO on a regular basis._

Scottlandlord - I am not anti-education but rather anti-stupidity. Nor do I ever, ever, worry about passing any tests. 

Kindly apologize for your usual attacks, which are both unwarranted and nasty. If you can come on here and demand apologies, I think it's only fair that you give them when you are so totally and utterly wrong.


----------



## Scottlandlord (May 27, 2010)

Berubeland said:


> _
> NOTICE
> 
> From: Education
> ...


Essentially everyone who breathes passes. The key is actually getting a profitable job. Good luck!


----------



## andrewf (Mar 1, 2010)

^ Someone has a chip on his shoulder.


----------



## IHH (Apr 3, 2012)

*that only works for lice*



GeniusBoy27 said:


> I've seen an increasing number of kids in the hospital with bedbugs. The key in getting rid of them is throwing everything in the washer with hot water (including stuffed animals), and anything that can't, should go into an airtight bag for a week.
> 
> Then steam clean the place.
> 
> For caution purposes, I ask them to repeat it in a week.


Bed bugs can live for 18 months without food. To kill them some companies use heat....50 degrees celcius for four hours....this is not a do it yourself option.


----------



## Just a Guy (Mar 27, 2012)

I know a guy with couple of units in a building that is owned by multiple people. One unit was going into foreclosure, and the owner walked away leaving his drug-using tenants to do what they wanted, which included allowing homeless people access. This, of course, brought in the bugs, which were originally contained to the one unit. They got the place sprayed, and worked on evicting the unit (the condo board had to do it, not the owner, so it took a while) and the bugs spread after the first spraying.

Basically, they guy kept his places empty while the spraying happened (they did a three round one after the first spraying). It can be tough, especially when it's not even your fault.


----------

