Cape Kil finds bedbugs on the move in Southeast Mo.

Did you know?

88 percent of bed bugs are resistant to common pesticides sold at hardware stores.

Bedbugs aren't just an old wives tale but a 21st-century pest that's in the Heartland. As terrific hitchhikers, bedbugs come into homes on luggage and inside used furniture. Bedbugs are parasitic pests that prefer human blood. Difficult to detect, adults are colored brown and are about the size of a small tick. The "teenage" nymph stage, however, is half the size of a pin head and nearly translucent. Cryptic bedbugs bite while their victims sleep and inject an anesthesia into their prey. Most people awake to find itchy red welts on their skin.

Controlling bedbugs is difficult because 88 percent of them are resistant to the common pesticides sold at the hardware store. That's why Elizabeth Knote, president of Cape Kil attended the Purdue University Annual Pest Management Conference for her 29th consecutive year. At this meeting Ms. Knote learned about cutting-edge products and techniques which control resistant bedbugs. Ms. Knote is a graduate of Purdue University with a BS degree in chemical engineering. The university trained technicians at Cape Kil average 20 years of experience with the company.

Cape Kil has served the Heartland for over 60 years. Call 573-334-3002 to learn about Cape Kil's greener methods to control termites, brown recluse spiders and rodents. Or visit their office and Do-It-Yourself Center at 33 N. Frederick St.