No More Bed Bugs for One Houston Grandma

Raleigh Jenkins and Houston grandmother Audrey Coffey on the day of bed bug inspection

The opening of the Astrodome and the lunar landing are just a couple of our city’s defining moments that 90-year-old Audrey Coffey has witnessed in her lifetime as a Houston resident. She has raised three children in our city, and those children now have kids of their own. Like the Jenkins of ABC Home & Commercial Services, there are three generations of Coffey’s, which is something both our families can be thankful for. Mrs. Coffey has lived in the fifth ward house where she raised her children since 1946, but for the last year, her home had a problem that caused her both physical and emotional distress – bed bugs.

Bed bugs are a formidable foe that homeowners, renters, and business-owners all over the world might face from time to time. They are nearly invisible to the naked eye, and they feed exclusively on the blood of sleeping humans and animals. They can pop up anywhere from refugee camps on the other side of the planet to a 5-star hotel in New York City. Bed bugs will travel anywhere people travel by latching onto our clothing and belongings as we move from place to place. That’s how these pests became a problem for Mrs. Coffey, whose young granddaughter’s friend unknowingly brought them into their home.

Bed bugs do not pose serious health risks, but they do bite. Usually it is the bites that expose the problem to homeowners. Bed bug bites create a linear pattern on the skin for people affected by them. If there are bed bugs present, you may also see their shed skin or dots of dried blood around the seams of the mattress or other furniture. If you are dealing with bed bugs, it is important to remember that they are not a reflection on you or the condition of your home. These pests will stick around anywhere they are transported to, regardless of how clean that place may be.

Audrey Coffey and her daughter tried over-the-counter products to rid themselves of bed bugs to no avail. ABC typically does not recommend wasting time and money on over-the-counter bed bug sprays because they are only effective when sprayed directly onto the insects, which is difficult to do considering how tiny bed bugs are. However, professional bed bug treatment can be pricey. The Coffey family called the city looking for help, and that is when they were referred to a few local pest control companies and finally settled on ABC.

Frisbee the dog with a GoPro camera

Inspection and treatment day finally came on Thursday April 9th, and the Coffey’s were in for a special treat because ABC’s very own Raleigh Jenkins came out to assist in the task. And so did one of our very special expert bed bug technicians – Frisbee the dog. Dogs can be trained to smell the pheromones produced by insects like bed bugs, so they can locate them quickly. Our bed bug team equipped Frisbee with a GoPro and let him work his bed bug-sniffing magic. Using a camera allows us to get a better view of what Frisbee is encountering.

With Frisbee’s help, ABC located the bed bug hot spots in the home; around beds, under couch cushions, and even behind picture frames. Then came time for treatment. ABC is one of only a few companies in town that provides heat treatment for bed bug control. We use a completely chemical-free heat remediation to increase the temperature inside the home to above 125 degrees. This is the only method of bed bug control that will eliminate all bugs and eggs within a single treatment. The next day, the Coffey home was bed bug free.

This was a very special day for one Houston Grandmother and her family who got to see how ABC uses the latest technology to rid their home of pests. If you are dealing with bed bugs, call ABC at (281) 730-9500 or schedule an appointment today.