Freezing out bed bugs

They feed almost exclusively at night, make their best effort to hide during the day and prey on people when they're least suspecting it.

Their primary food source? Human blood.

Taking all that into account, it's fair to say bed bugs share a lot in common with your everyday vampire, but one Lower Mainland company is at the forefront of new technology to eradicate the household pests.

Canadian Pest Control Ltd. is set to roll out a natural combatant in the war on bed bugs, called Cryonite.

"Cryonite is a freezing process. It turns CO2 in a gas canister, the same as you have in the back of a restaurant to turn pop into fizzy pop, into super cold snow, which is blown out under pressure," said Brett Johnston (pictured), general manager of Canadian Pest Control. "The super cold particles of snow hit the bug, shock the bug, and they cannot adapt to the massive drop in temperature -- and they die from shock."

Though used in Europe and the U.S. for decades, Cryonite was only recently given the regulatory green light by the federal government. Johnston's company will be the first in Metro Vancouver to roll out the new technology, and he expects to be offering it to customers this month.

Other methods used to kill bed bugs have traditionally involved pesticides, heat treatments, steamers and vacuums. Cryonite, however, is a more efficient way to kill the bugs, and the process can be completed quickly without masks, respirators or the use of any pesticides. In fact, those having their properties treated with Cryonite can remain in their homes while the process takes place.

Johnston said the bug's proliferation locally is likely due to the multitude of cultures that use Vancouver as their starting point before scattering across the region and province.

In the world of bed bugs, cleanliness is next to godliness. Reducing clutter and keeping your home clean are two of the best ways to keep bed bugs out of your life. Check underneath mattresses, bed boards and box springs for dried blood spots or dark, pepper-like materials, which are often the bed bug's entrails.

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Freezing out bed bugs