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Peeling off the backing underneath couch to inspect for bed bugs?
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gotbb
newbite
Joined: Aug '12
Posts: 26online
Posted 9 months ago
Sat Aug 18 2012 16:28:02
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I'm inspecting my sofa for BBs. My sofa is brown and the bottom cushions are attached to the couch so it's making the job a little more difficult. Anyway, I've checked are the zipper seams of the top cushions and some of the seams around the couch and didn't find anything. The one spot were I found about 5-6 shedded skins and a few adult BBs were along the bottom of the rear of the couch where there is a felt backing stapled to the wooden frame. I'm tempted to unstaple the backing and inspect the insides of the couch. I hesitate only because I'd have to go out and buy a staple gun in order to staple it back together. Has anyone gone through the trouble of doing this?
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oldtimer
Joined: May '07
Posts: 1,969offline
Posted 9 months ago
Sun Aug 19 2012 9:20:08
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Removing the dust covers on the underside of furniture and mattress box springs is routine for a thorough bed bug inspection.
Replacing the cover is optional... I would not bother to replace the cover until your bed bug infestation is eradicated... so that the space can be re-inspected easily.
You can always borrow a staple gun... if you wish to reinstall it, but these dust covers don't really serve any useful purpose... The primary function of the cover is to obstruct a visual examination of a common bed bug harborage area.
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gotbb
newbite
Joined: Aug '12
Posts: 26online
Posted 9 months ago
Sun Aug 19 2012 12:18:33
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Thanks. Sounds like ripping them off is routine for inspection.
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oldtimer
Joined: May '07
Posts: 1,969offline
Posted 9 months ago
Sun Aug 19 2012 18:03:50
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Ripping the cover off is common,,, but you can use a staple remover, small knife blade or a flat screw driver to remove the staples easily if you want to re-install the cover later.
The cover needs to be removed to perform a proper visual inspection or apply pesticides properly in the void space.
The cover functions to provide a privacy screen for the bugs... a dust cover will not prevent the BBs from gaining access into an ideal space to harbor and lay eggs.
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gotbb
newbite
Joined: Aug '12
Posts: 26online
Posted 9 months ago
Sun Aug 19 2012 19:20:25
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Thanks for the reply. So I cut open the backing and can't find any evidence of BBs inside. There's just too many cracks and crevices I can't get at. I just did a cursory look at some of the wooden members and peeled back some of the fabric at some of the joints. Like I said before, I just spotted a few dead ones along the back part of the couch where the backing is stapled to the sofa.
Would spraying the inside with a citronella mixture spray expose any hiding spots?
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