Click the play button on the video window to the right to view the storyAt just 7-years-old, Joseph Kindred lives with pain. The bumps and scars on his arms, chest and back all come from bedbug bites.
His dad, William caught some of the bugs to show us.
“It's unbearable. I mean you wake up at one or two in the morning, you're scratching and you see little the bugs crawling,” William said, “It's like something out of a scary movie.”
William says he's captured dozens of the bugs since he moved into Glendale's Oregon Oasis apartments last May.
And he is not alone. Nine families came out to tell us how they are also infested with bedbugs.
They all accused management of doing very little to help with the problem.
The number of bed bugs reported in the Valley is growing so fast that Maricopa Environmental Services Specialist Jay Downey told ABC15 that the county now counts the complaints separately.
“Since April we've started categorizing them separately from our other rodent and varmint complaints.” Since then, there have been 61 complaints.
We went back the next day to Oregon Oasis apartment complex with county inspector Ed Girard.
“What they do is they'll find all kinds of little places to hide,” said Girard, “They've got nothing else to do with their time.”
Girard says the bugs hide in seams or cracks in walls. Just after the inspection, the apartment was sprayed for bugs.
The management of the apartment complex scheduled pest control after tenants filed a formal notice demanding action.
Oregon Oasis management insisted she had paperwork showing that the apartments were sprayed, but said only three apartments were affected. She added that they are committed to stopping the problem.
The county vows to follow-up and make sure the bugs are gone. They can issue fines against the complex, but have not done so yet.
Bedbugs are making a return!-The following is the information the county uses to inspect and treat for bedbugs:
Bedbugs-What are they?Bedbugs are reddish-brown, flattened, oval and wingless, with microscopic hairs that help to give them a banded look. Adults grow to be approximately 4-5mm in length and cannot move quick enough to escape human observation.
Bedbugs-When and how do they feed?Bedbugs generally feed at night. They are attracted by warmth and carbon dioxide. They then pierce the skin with two tubes. One tube injects saliva, while the other withdraws blood. Bed bugs are not known to transmit any infectious agents.
Bedbugs-Where are they found?Bed bugs are very flat and are therefore able to hide in many areas. They prefer to remain hidden in mattress seams, bed frames, box springs, drawers inside bedside tables, behind headboards, in cracks of floorboards, behind peeled wallpaper, in picture frames, in couches, stuffed chairs, seams of curtains, and even clothing.
Bedbugs-What to look for• Peel back bed-sheets and check the mattresses. Check the mattress tag-they are known to hide in this area. A group of bedbugs may be found in the seams, usually surrounded by black fecal matter and/or reddish-brown stains.
• Remove the headboard. Look for tiny black spots (excrement) that is smaller in size than poppy seeds. Look for live bugs at this time.
• Check the bedside table. Open the drawers and look for evidence of insects. Also, look along the wall behind the table because this area is generally overlooked by cleaning staff.
Bedbugs-How to eliminate the problemThoroughly clean the infested rooms, as well as adjacent rooms because the bedbug can easily travel 100 feet along pipes and wires. Scrub the infested surfaces with a stiff brush to dislodge the eggs. Remove and dismantle drawers, frames etc. Everything that can be laundered should be laundered. It is recommended to place the items in tightly sealed bags and washed in hot water and dried in medium to high heat for 20 minutes or longer. Heat, not water kills the bedbugs. Vacuuming is also recommended. Crevice tools should be attached to the vacuum to get into the crevices. After vacuuming, the bag should immediately be removed, tightly sealed (recommended double bagging) and immediately placed into the garbage. A 50/50 mixture of rubbing alcohol and water is recommended to be added to the bag. Fumigation and integrated pest control is also recommended to rid an area of an infestation. Contact a licensed pest control company for more thorough treatment.
