In earlier times bed bugs were a matter of great distress and concern only in rural and developing areas, but if you live in California you would be aware that this is not the case anymore. Bed bugs are not only running rampant throughout California but all through the United States, so much that they are now considered a risk to public health.
According to the American College of Allergy, Asthma, and Immunology, risks posed by bed bugs in California can often cause allergies, anaphylaxis and sometimes result in Asthma attacks. Itching, blisters, swelling, and other forms of skin reactions.
They can also cause skin infections. Although bed bugs on their own do not cause skin infections, the reactions from the bite itself can cause the person to scratch the skin too hard and make the bite become infected, leading to other more serious health problems.
Bites from bed bugs sometimes cause insomnia. It could also cause anxiety disorders, stress, fear, and general body reactions.
Bed bugs have become increasingly difficult to control especially once they have entered a particular residence. They often hide in the dark and are hard to see. They have also gained resistance to a lot of pesticides and so they are an ever-increasing problem especially as they are very easy to transport from one place to another.
In case of an infestation in your home, the first thing to do is to inform your landlord about the incident. Your landlord then must carry out a bug elimination process in the house.
However, in a situation where the landlord does not take up the case, the tenant can also decide to handle the situation personally or with the help of experts in bed bug eradication.
The laws existing in California also define how things should go between tenants and landlords in case of bed bug issues.
California’s Bed Bug Laws and Habitability Requirements
Due to the worsening condition of bed bug infestation, some provisions have been made regarding rentals especially for Landlords.
First of all, landlords are not allowed to rent out a place if they are aware the unit is infested by bed bugs.
Also, landlords must inform their tenants on how to look out for infestations and also to report directly to the landlords once an infestation is suspected.
Landlords are also prohibited from mistreating tenants who report bed bug infestations or increasing their rents as a result of the situation. Landlords must also hire licensed pest control operators within two days of getting a notice from tenants.
Tenants, on the other hand, must cooperate with their landlords and pest control experts for unit inspections and in serious cases, possibly evacuate the premises.
Although there is no spelled out method of preventing this widespread bed bug infestation n California, as even the most immaculate and orderly neighborhoods, hotels and motels get infested, everyone needs to be aware of the problem and cooperate towards keeping the property clean and do regular pest control maintenance check-ups to minimize the risks of a bed bug infestation.