How Do Bed Bugs Get Into Bed
Bed bugs are transported with luggage, clothing and other articles, often ‘hitching’ a ride on people and belongings from one location to another. Bed Bugs do bite, and not just at night; in severe infestations, they can be active throughout the day, even feeding on you while you’re sitting on your couch watching your favorite show. You may see small spots of blood on your bed linens where the bed bugs have excreted after a feeding. The blood has a sickly sweet odor. You can also look for blood stains, shed skins, and live bed bugs in and around cracks in the flooring, bedside furniture, and in the cracks and crevices of your mattress and boxspring.
Bed bugs life cycle: From the egg to adult the bed bug has five nymph stages before becoming an adult. The adults and nymphs leave their harboring area to feed every 2 to 3 days. Bed bugs feed on you for 3 to 7 minutes, generally at night, before returning to their harboring area, which is usually within twenty feet from their ‘feeding area’, but serious infestations can occur throughout your home. Adult bed bugs can survive for up to eighteen months without a blood meal, the nymphs and early stages of the bed bug cannot survive as long without a feeding.
Adverse skin reactions: Some people have an adverse skin reaction to the bite of bed bugs. The bed bug injects an anti-coagulant chemical into the bloodstream of its host, which prevents the blood from clotting. This allows the bed bug to suck out the blood until it is fully engorged. One bed bug can leave multiple marks from one feeding. The resulting reaction of the anti-coagulant chemical around the bite site can be severe, particularly for people with sensitive skin. Scratching is difficult to resist but this can cause an infection of the bite area. If this is a likely problem, you should consult your doctor to obtain appropriate medication.
How To Eradicate Bed Bugs
Technician steaming for bed bugs around baseboards.
Technician applying a pesticide behind faceplates.
Controlling Bed Bugs
A professional pest control operator should be used to ensure safe effective control of a bed bug infestation. First, a thorough inspection of the area with the possible infestation is carried out before proceeding with control procedures. All potential daytime harboring areas must be located and treated with an insecticide labeled for this purpose. Do not attempt ‘do-it-yourself’ pest control using a surface spray on bed linens or mattresses. Such a use could be a danger to the health and safety of the occupants. Our pest management professional will use specialized equipment and only pesticides labeled for bed bugs. In some circumstances we recommend the safer synthetic insecticide dust or spray be used. In cases of severe infestations, high-temperature steam may be used on mattresses and other infested furniture and along baseboards. The high temperature will kill all stages of a bed bug including the eggs.
What can you do?
All clothing, bed linen, curtains, fabrics, hangings and the like must laundered prior to the bed bug treatment. Removing any unnecessary belongings from around the sleeping area can also help by eliminating hiding spaces for the bed bugs. In apartment/hotel type of setups, the entire premises should be inspected regularly for signs of bedbug infestation. Prevention of a severe bed bug infestation throughout an entire building is more likely if regular attention is provided. Use a licensed pest control operator for periodic inspections and treatments in any commercial lodging situation where bed bug infestations are likely to be a problem. Our Pest Control company can solve all of your bed bug issues, call today for an appointment.
