Bed bugs are now common throughout California, and controlling them is very challenging. Cooperation among landlords, tenants, and pest management professionals is necessary for our control efforts to be successful.

Learning how to identify, prevent and report bed bugs will help to keep them out of our community.

Let's get started!

Welcome to your new home! Sharing a building with other residents means you are part of a team, helping to keep the community healthy and happy. Keeping pests out of your community will be part of this team work. One pest to watch out for is the common bed bug.

Don't worry: we will all work together to prevent and control bed bugs. If you ever think you might have bed bugs, please notify me immediately.

The sooner we know about the problem, the easier it will be to get rid of the bugs. Let me know if you have any questions.

Here is your copy of the lease, it includes information about identifying and preventing bed bugs and who to contact if you ever think you might have bed bugs.

According to California law, landlords must provide tenants with safe housing, free of pests. They should have a licensed pest control operator inspect for bed bugs when notified.

Landlords are not allowed to show or rent units they know have bed bug infestations. Landlords must also give new tenants written information about bed bugs that includes how to report suspected infestations.

Check the resources page for details on these requirements when you are done with this training module.

I'm sure it's fine. It looks almost brand new. The living room is really coming together!

When bringing a new furniture item into your home, make sure you have inspected for bed bugs. This is especially important for mattresses, beds, bedroom furniture, recliners and sofas.

Hey, guys, I love your new place! Thanks for letting me crash on your couch. I will have to tell you all about my amazing travels.

Bed bugs may enter our buildings by hitchhiking on beds, furniture, and personal items such as purses and backpacks. Once inside our homes, they can hide near places we sleep and rest, coming out to feed on our blood.

Bed bugs can also enter our homes from neighboring units by traveling through the space between walls. They can even move from room to room by crawling under doors! This is why it's so important to report bed bugs as soon as you suspect them: you don't want your problem to become your neighbors problem!

Bed bugs can be seen by the unaided eye if you know where and how to look. Adult bed bugs are reddish brown and a little smaller than an apple seed, while the juveniles, called nymphs, can be tan in color and are about the size of a poppy seed.

Over time, our homes may become cluttered. It's sometimes difficult to find time to tidy up with our busy schedules! Unfortunately, bed bugs love clutter since it provides them with so many hiding spots. Clutter also makes inspections difficult. Once introduced to a cluttered space, bed bugs can hide in many places and begin breeding.

Bed bugs bites can occur on any part of your body while you are sleeping or resting. We all have different reactions to bed bugs bites: some people develop itchy welts or rashes a few days after being bitten, while others show no sign at all after being bitten.

Many other irritants in our daily lives can cause skin reactions such as welts and rashes. Remember that these signs alone do not mean you have a bed bug infestation. Confirmation requires finding and identifying the bugs themselves.

We need to make sure the problem does not get worse and spread to other rooms or to neighbor’s homes. What should you do to get started?

Nice job—You chose correctly. Many people may panic or try and treat on their own.

Nice job—you chose correctly. Many people may try to treat on their own.

If you find or suspect bed bugs in your home, the best thing to do is inform your landlord or property manager right away so the bugs can be controlled.

We need to get our pest control service in there to do a professional inspection and confirm if you have bed bugs or not. If so, they may decide to control the bugs using pesticides or heat. Let’s make sure to follow their instructions closely.

Don’t ever be embarrassed about having bed bugs. Bed bugs can be found in the nicest hotels. All they need is a place to hide and people to bite! Landlords and pest control companies work on bed bugs daily, reporting bed bugs to them right away is the best way to help.

Yep! Here are some bed bugs. So, the first step to treating bed bugs will be organizing your space. I will give you preparation directions after I inspect the living room.

Bed bugs can be brought into any space, however, it’s easier to find them early on if you keep clutter to a minimum and wash your sheets every two weeks. A clean and uncluttered home provides fewer places for bed bugs to hide and makes a professional inspection easier.

I did find some bed bugs in both the living room and bed room. We will come back in a few days for treatment. Here are some directions you should follow to prepare the unit for treatment.

The pest control company serving your community may apply pesticides or perform a heat treatment to kill bed bugs and their eggs. In either case, it’s important to allow them access to your home and to follow their instructions on how to prepare your home for treatment. Their instructions will vary depending on the type of treatment they plan on doing.

This may include removing plants and animals, washing bedding and clothing, reducing clutter, and preparing to leave the space wearing freshly washed clothing. If you need help to prepare because you have disabilities, let your landlord or property manager know.

I’m so glad the tenant followed our instructions. It’s easy to find the bed bugs and make a successful treatment in an orderly space.

Make sure to review the bed bug prevention and management information found on our resources page.

Good job working with your landlord and pest control company to kill the bed bugs this time! Bed bugs may return at any time, so make sure you prevent future infestations by reducing clutter, washing bedding at least every two weeks...

...regularly looking for signs of bed bugs in areas where you sleep or rest, inspecting furniture and personal items that may harbor bed bugs before bringing them into your home, and taking precautions when you travel.

As always, report any suspected infestations to your landlord as soon as possible. Together, we can manage bed bugs and keep our community healthy and safe.

Don't panic, reach out! Your first instinct might be to throw out your bed and get rid of all your stuff. Don't do it! There are ways to treat all the infested items you want to keep, and you don't want to spread the infestation by moving items around.

Report that you suspect bed bugs to your landlord and get the professional help you need right away.

And remember, you are not fighting bed bugs alone. Your landlord and their contracted pest control provider are part of the team.

I bought this pesticide product at the hardware store. It says it kills bed bugs. Lets spray it around the bed and see what happens!

Hang on a second, do it yourself approaches can be dangerous and ineffective. Bed bug control is a job best left to professionals. There may be things you can do to help, like tidying up and vacuuming, but wait for instructions from your landlord and their contracted pest control provider.

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You have completed online training.

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