Before you spend money on treatment, an inspection answers 2 things: is it truly a bed bug, and how far has it spread? In a Berkeley house with 5 roommates or a walk-up building on the Southside, the second answer sets the scope and the price.
When to Book an Inspection
- You wake up with new bites after sleeping at home.
- Black dots appear on a sheet seam, mattress tag or pillowcase.
- You found a small brown insect or a pale shell close to the bed.
- You recently moved, hosted a guest, came back from a trip or picked up used furniture.
What We Check
We start where people sleep and sit for hours: mattress seams and labels, the underside of the box spring, bed frame joints, headboards, nightstands, sofa cushions and desk chairs. Next come baseboards, outlets and curtain folds. In Berkeley craftsman and brown shingle houses we also check built-in bookcases, window seats, picture rails and the gaps around old door casings.
How the Visit Goes
- Quick questionsWhen the bites started, who sleeps in which room and any recent trips or moves.
- Sleeping areasEvery bedroom gets checked before living rooms and study spaces.
- Show and tellYou see each find as we spot it, and most get photographed.
- Written resultsYou learn which rooms are affected and which treatments fit.
A Record Berkeley Renters Can Use
About 6 in 10 Berkeley households rent, and under AB 551 a landlord must pass a licensed inspector's findings to affected tenants within 2 business days. Our written report gives a Northside student, an Elmwood duplex owner or a West Berkeley building manager the same clear account of where the bugs are.
Before We Arrive
- Leave the bed made and in place, because the spots and skins we look for are on it.
- Skip sprays, dusts and foggers for a few days ahead of the visit.
Inspection Questions
One roommate has bites and the other 3 do not. Could the whole house have bed bugs?
It is possible. Many people never react to bed bug bites, so bites only tell you who reacts, not where the bugs live. We look for eggs, shed skins and dark spotting in every bedroom of a shared house.
What if my inspection finds nothing but I keep waking up with bites?
We often suggest a K9 search or a repeat visual check in 2 to 3 weeks. A young infestation can be a handful of bugs tucked in a bed frame joint or behind an outlet cover, and other causes such as fleas or mites are worth ruling out too.
How your call is handled: Bed Bug Control CA handles bed bug work from the first inspection to the final check. A licensed technician comes out to your Berkeley address to look for signs. Nothing is treated until you approve the price in writing.