Bed Bug Notice

Pursuant to California Civil Code section 1954.603, North County Property Group is hereby posting this notice to:

Any persons applying for a North County Property Group residential rental property, in the process of signing a lease for a North County Property Group residential rental property, or currently a tenant residing in a North County Property Group residential rental property.

Information about Bed Bugs

Bed Bug Appearance: Bed bugs have six legs. Adult bed bugs have flat bodies about 1/4 of an inch in length. Their color can vary from red and brown to copper colored. Young bed bugs are very small. Their bodies are about 1/16 of an inch in length. They have almost no color. When a bed bug feeds, its body swells, may lengthen, and becomes bright red, sometimes making it appear to be a different insect. Bed bugs do not fly. They can either crawl or be carried from place to place on objects, people, or animals. Bed bugs can be hard to find and identify because they are tiny and try to stay hidden.

Life Cycle and Reproduction: An average bed bug lives for about 10 months. Female bed bugs lay one to five eggs per day. Bed bugs grow to full adulthood in about 21 days. Bed bugs can survive for months without feeding.

Bed Bug Bites: Because bed bugs usually feed at night, most people are bitten in their sleep and do not realize they were bitten. A person’s reaction to insect bites is an immune response and so varies from person to person. Sometimes the red welts caused by the bites will not be noticed until many days after a person was bitten, if at all.Here are some common signs and symptoms of a possible bed bug infestation:

• Small red to reddish brown fecal spots on mattresses, box springs, bed frames, mattresses, linens, upholstery, or walls.
• Molted bed bug skins, white, sticky eggs, or empty eggshells.
• Very heavily infested areas may have a characteristically sweet odor.
• Red, itchy bite marks, especially on the legs, arms, and other body parts exposed while sleeping. However, some people do not show bed bug lesions on their bodies even though bed bugs may have fed on them.

For More Information: Visit the official websites of the United States Environmental Protection Agency and the National Pest Management Association:

• http://www2.epa.gov/bedbugs/
• http://www.pestworld.org/all-things-bed-bugs/

Prompt Reporting: Bed bug infestation can be brought into the household from everywhere. The sooner we know about it, the sooner the condition can be treated.

• Controlling bed bugs is uniquely challenging, as bed bug resistance to existing insecticidal control measures is significant. Cooperation among landlords, tenants, and pest control operators is required for successful control. With cooperation among landlords, tenants, and pest control operators, most bed bug infestations can be successfully controlled.
• Effective control is more likely to occur when landlords and tenants are informed of the best practices for bed bug control.
• Early detection and reporting of bed bugs is an important component required for preventing bed bug infestations. Tenants should not face retaliation for reporting a problem.
• Lack of cooperation by landlords and tenants can undermine pest control operator efforts to identify the presence of bed bugs and control an infestation. Depending on the treatment strategy, it is often critical that tenants cooperate with pest control operators by reducing clutter, washing clothes, or performing other activities.

If you find or suspect a bed bug infestation, please notify the management immediately. And describe any signs of infestation, so that the problem can be addressed promptly. Even a few bugs can rapidly multiply to create a major infestation that can spread from room to room.