So you think you have bed bugs? Now what?

By Keith Coddington

Phoenix, Arizona continues to be hit with the bed bug plague.  If you think you are one of the victims of this worldwide problem don’t panic or you could be easily taken advantage of and pay for unnecessary treatment.

Cimex K9’s program provides a third party bed bug detection dog service which results in a fair, honest opinion that almost always saves you money.  Cimex K9 has followed the following protocol for over 4 years with great success.  We have relationships with many local and national pest control companies that added our service to their bed bug programs.  Cimex K9 is the consumer’s friend and never profits from referrals or the sale of any type of bed bug treatment.

So how does our program work?  We specialize in K9 bedbug inspection which is the first step to treatment.  We utilize the most accurate form of inspection available which includes visual inspections along with the use of a specially trained  bed bug dog team that will sniff out any problem areas.

Quite often after an inspection of a suspected area there are no bed bugs present and there is no reason to incur the additional costs of treatment which can be very expensive.

If active or recent bed bug evidence is detected we will show you the proof and thoroughly inspect the surrounding areas.  Rather than treating the entire structure, you will now only have to treat the appropriate locations which will save you hundreds if not thousands of dollars.

We do not offer treatment ourselves but can educate you on the type of treatments available and recommend one of 30+ trusted pest control providers.

The last step of the process is for us to ensure that the treatment was effective.  This inspection is usually performed by us 2-4 weeks after the treatment is complete, but before the guarantee from the treatment expires.  For this process we use a different bed bug dog that is trained to detect only live bed bugs and will ignore the dead bugs and other non-viable bed bug evidence that may be left behind post treatment.

For more information about Bed Bugs consider viewing this page from the University of California - Davis on Bed Bugs.

For more information feel free to call our experts at 888-928-4364

Bed Bugs continue their assault in Arizona

By Keith Coddington

[youtube]http://youtu.be/akCHAPtELo0[/youtube]

Even in Phoenix, AZ, During the colder shorter days of the winter bed bug activity often slows down.  This cyclical pattern seems to be the case nationwide.  Unfortunately for us humans the bed bugs will soon be up to full speed and at work again in the near future.

We here at Cimex K9 are ready as always for the upcoming busy bed bug season.  Bed bug activity in Arizona has increased with each passing year and we are prepared with our Canine Detection Teams to seek and destroy these blood-sucking pests.

We are often asked which areas of the Phoenix metropolitan area have the most bed bug infestations.  This question is difficult to answer.  We have been to every part of Phoenix and the state seeking out bed bugs.  The best answer to this question is simply the more densely populated the area the more likely there is to be bed bugs.  People in transit have a large impact on the bed bug population in Arizona because of the bugs excellent ability to unknowingly hitchhike whether it be to their neighbors or across the world in luggage.

Bed bugs colonize anywhere people spend periods of time stationary in a climate controlled environment.  The highest risk locations for bed bugs are locations which combine large numbers of new people coming and going that remain stationary for period of time.  Bed bugs are very shy creatures and unlike mosquitoes and other blood-suckers are very covert.  They usually only come out from hiding when all things are calm and quiet.

Bed bug treatment options in Phoenix Arizona can be very expensive which also adds to the issue as many victims with infestations are unable to afford proper treatment.  This creates a very high risk situation regarding spreading the infestation to other locations.

Here at Cimex K9 we have offered bed bug detection dog services in Phoenix and the surrounding area for 4 years and we are proud to have an excellent reputation in our field.  We do not offer treatment which provides our customers with a third party point of view since we don’t profit from treatment that may or may not be necessary.

Over the years we have saved our customers a tremendous amount of money with the use of our service.  We save our clients a significant amount of money in two ways.  First of all,  quite often we clear a suspected location clear of bed bugs which saves the customer hundreds to thousands of dollars since treatment is not necessary.  Secondly,  we can pinpoint the locations of the infestations so only the areas that are infested are treated which also saves our customers large sums of money.

For more information about how our service works please read  So you think you have bed bugs? Now what? and watch the attached video for a short sample of how our service works.  If you have any questions please feel free to contact us at 888-928-4364

Arizona is seeing more cases of bed bugs in the workplace!

By Keith Coddington Ever since the “bed bug boom” started several years ago the cases nationwide have continued to soar.  Arizona unfortunately was not spared and has consistently seen the number of cases of bed bugs increase.

Although bed bugs can colonize in just about any area where people are, offices and call centers have recently seen an increase in bed bug activity.  This situation creates a public relations nightmare for the employer due to the stress caused by panicking employees.

Here are some steps to consider to stop the panic and minimize the stress should there be a suspicion of bed bugs in the workplace:

1. Have a pest professional positively identify the insect in question immediately.

2. If it is in fact bed bugs consider a large scale proactive bed bug dog inspection rather than paying for a costly large scale treatment when it may not be necessary.  Hiring highly trained bed bug detection dog teams is a great option in this case.

3. Speak with your employees in private and try to determine if one of them is having an issue at home.  If you don’t figure out where the bugs are coming from no amount of treatment will prevent them from returning.

4. Word will quickly spread through the workplace when news of a bed bug infestation gets out.  Be open and honest with everyone and keep them informed that you are taking the best steps possible which should not only include treatment, but proactive periodic inspections of the facility.

5. Have employees prepared for bed bug sightings.  Offices are not the ideal place for a bed bug colony to inhabit.  Workers will without a doubt see a bug or two wandering even after a treatment.  Patience is key in these situations because if a chemical treatment was applied it does not kill every bug instantly and needs time to take effect.  Often a smaller scale K9 inspection in the area of the sighting is in order which not only confirms there is no colony established, but it puts everyone at ease.

We here at Cimex K9 have dealt with this situation numerous times and understand how sensitive conditions in the workplace can be.  It is amazing to see how quickly the panic, stress and drama is reduced when your employees see that you hire a service such as ours to take care of the matter.  We are a third party inspection bed bug detection dog service that does not profit from treatments.  We have a network of over 30 pest control providers that can take care of the issue using various methods once the problem is positively identified by us.

If you have an issue in the workplace please call us immediately at 888-928-4364 so we can at least point you in the right direction.

Importance of inspecting vacant rental units for Bed Bug infestations

By Keith Coddington

[youtube=http://youtu.be/WQDFhtKi4VY]

As the bed bug epidemic continues in Arizona more and more property management firms and landlords are utilizing bed bug detection canines in their treatment protocol and prior to tenant occupation.  This not only protects the landlord from unintentionally exposing their new tenant to an infestation, but it also protects the landlord during the entire lease as the tenant would likely be responsible for treatment of bed bugs if all was clear prior to occupation.

Inspections of vacant units are very quick, but effective.  It would take quite a bit of time just to pull up the carpets and to remove the outlet covers and you still would not be able to complete an inspection as thorough as a canine as it is impossible to see every into every crack and crevice.

Please take the time to watch the short video of Ross from Cimex K9 perform a typical inspection of a vacant unit.

Cimex K9 is a fully licensed pest control company based in Phoenix, Arizona that specializes solely in Canine Bed Bug Inspections.  Our certified founder and K-9 teams have many years of dog training and detection dog handling experience.  Using our dog handling expertise and extensive pest control training we provide an unbiased third-party perspective because we are not going to profit from the sale of unnecessary treatments.  We realize most customers are in a frantic state of mind when they realize they have possibly been exposed to bed bugs and we can help you get through this, by first confirming if you even have a bed bug issue and secondly if necessary putting you in touch with some reputable pest control companies to start the treatment process.

Please call Keith Coddington at Cimex K9, LLC for more information.

Phoenix welcomes a new certified bed bug dog.

By Keith Coddington Cimex K9 of Phoenix, AZ would like to introduce our latest certified bed bug dog, Kohl.

Kohl is a 2 year old Dutch Shepherd.  All of Cimex K9s dogs are either owner surrenders or from rescue organizations.  Although Kohl comes from an excellent breeding line, he was too much for his prior owner to handle due to his strong desire to work.

Although Kohl has this very strong work ethic he is also a very sweet boy that loves other dogs and people.  He is remarkably calm while doing his job detecting bed bugs for how much energy and drive he possesses.  His stamina and focus while on the job is second to none which makes him a pleasure to work with.

Just as with all of our dogs, Kohl is trained to passively alert meaning he will sit and point when he detects bed bug odor.    All of the handlers at Cimex K9 were third party certified with Kohl this January.

Besides detecting bed bugs, Kohl also loves competeing in dock diving competitions.  During his first competition in January of 2012 he placed 2^nd in the senior division of the Splash Dogs Competition in Tempe, AZ.

For more information on Cimex K9s bed bug detection services call 888-928-4364

Many Arizona Businesses to implement Proactive Bed Bug Dog Inspections

Cimex K9 has been offering bed bug dog detection services since 2009.  Most of our clients are located in the Phoenix metropolitan area, but we service the entire state. April 12, 2014

Unfortunately for Arizonians the bed bug epidemic undoubtedly is just in the beginning stages.  We here at Cimex K9 have noticed a drastic increase in bed bug activity this winter not only in Phoenix but throughout the entire state.  Unlike past years where the bed bug activity seemed to decrease during the winter months this year has shown a drastic increase in activity from our perspective.

Many businesses throughout the state have decided to take a proactive approach using our bed bug detection dog service rather than waiting for customer complaints.  This service help protects the reputation of the business, provides peace of mind and allows infestations to be discovered in the very early stages which allow treatments to be easier and less expensive.

We recommend most establishments adopt a quarterly inspection schedule to provide adequate monitoring to practically eliminate the possibility of customers encountering bed bugs.

There are products on the market for bed bug monitoring and detection, however nothing can beat Cimex K9’s impeccable track record.  Over the past two years at the thousands of properties we have inspected our search teams have yet to let a customer down by not letting even the smallest infestation go unnoticed and ensuring every canine alert is in fact an active infestation.

Please contact us for more information.  Feel free to check our track record with the Better Business Bureau and additional references are available on request!

Keith Coddington

President

Cimex K9, LLC

888-928-4364