How do you get Bed Bugs?
Unfortunately, it is easy to pick up bed bugs in many places, such as hotels, stores, offices, and gyms. Places people hang out, which means you can get them anywhere. Bed bugs are small so it is easy for them to hide in luggage, purses, briefcases and other personal belongings – even you. Once you have them inside it is almost impossible to control them without the help of an experienced pest professional. The best thing you can do if you find you have bed bugs, is to get them treated early.
Bed bugs like to live in small secluded places where they are not likely to be noticed. They feed solely on blood, so they come out to feed when they have a host such as a person in a nice warm bed. They are typically found in cracks and crevices, especially on the seams of mattresses. Infested mattresses, bedding, furniture, or around baseboards may show brown or black stains where fecal matter is deposited after bugs eat. You may also see tan bug shells as the juveniles shed their skin as they grow and the casing will be left in their hiding spots. Bed bugs are also visible, being 4 to 5 mm in length. You can see adult bed bugs with the naked eye as they are about the size of an apple seed. Usually an infested home will show easily seen bugs on the underside and seams of mattresses as this is a cozy spot for bed bugs to hang out until feeding time, when their next meal will be easily accessible. They need to be near people or pets to feed, and body heat is what draws them in for a nice meal.
What to do
- To keep bed bug risk to a minimum, inspect any second-hand furniture before bringing it into your home.
- Inspect your home after trips, moving or overnight guests
- Launder using high temperatures to wash and dry your bedding.
- Declutter your home, giving bed bugs fewer places to hide.
- Vacuum places you suspect bed bugs
- Over-the-counter sprays prove largely ineffective in treating bed bug infestations.
You can gain short term relief by high temperature laundering and by using the vacuum, but these are not permanent solutions. If you have bed bugs on your mattress cover or sheets it is very likely the bugs and their eggs are also present in the mattress. To rid your home of bed bugs you will need the help of a pest removal specialist. Call IPM Pest and Termite Management in Lexington, Kentucky. Your pest removal experts for over 20 years, IPM Pest and Termite Management will take care of your problem quickly and efficiently.
