Bed Bugs & Your Home
What Bed Bugs Mean For Your Household -- And How To Stop Them
Bed bugs are highly adaptable creatures that have become extremely resistant to pesticides, and are virtually immune to insect repellents.
These creatures are experts at hiding, and at hiding their eggs. Even sprays and "bombs" that kill bed bugs on contact cannot penetrate all the crevices where they hide.
No pest can ruin the quality of life for those they affect quite like the bed bug. These night-stalking creatures can virtually ruin your life, leaving you sleepless, jumpy, and covered in itchy, swollen welts.
To make matters worse, bed bugs are also the most persistent and difficult-to-eliminate pest on the market. This can make an infestation a major issue!
What Are Bed Bugs?
Bed bugs are wingless, blood-sucking red-brown insects that are found worldwide and grow up to 7mm in length. They develop from egg, to nymph, to adult in approximately 21 days, and generally live from 4 months to 1 year, although reports of bed bugs living for much longer are common.
The body of a bed bug is flat, allowing it to fit into even the tiniest nooks and crannies in your home. Bed bugs in the nymph stage are even smaller, and are almost microscopic.
Bed bugs spread from home to home by hitchhiking on clothes, luggage, and furniture. Once in your home, they become breeding machines. An article in Time Magazine reported that a bed bug population can lay as many as 10,000 eggs in just three months!
Your local NAPCA Professional is highly qualified and experienced in controlling and eliminating bed bugs, as well as other indigenous pests in your area.
To schedule a pest control quotes with your local specialist, contact us today!
What You Should Know About Bed Bugs
Problems with bed bug infestations have been sharply on the rise in areas throughout North America, particularly in Ohio and New York. In fact, the City Of New York reported 4,088 infestations of bed bugs in 2009, up from just 82 infestations in 2004.
However, this is definitely not an isolated incident! A 2009 survey of pest control professionals across the United States showed that 95% of of these professionals encountered bed bug problems in the past year, up from only 20% in 2000.
This problem is here to stay, and the best way to fight it is vigilance and education. Check out these articles to beef up your bed bug knowledge:
Preventing Bed Bugs
Most pest control professionals agree that identifying a bed bug infestation early on, before they disperse throughout the home, is the single most important thing you can do to prevent a serious infestation.
When traveling, be sure to inspect your room for signs of infestations, and wash and dry all clothes in heat as soon as your trip is over.
Inspect clothing and luggage after traveling, and look over all used furniture carefully before bringing it into your home. It's also important to carefully inspect any apartment, dormitory, or other lodging before moving in, as even a vacated structure can be the location of a significant bed bug population.
Read more about Preventing Bed Bugs
Bed Bug Bites
Bed bug bites most commonly appear on the skin as red, itchy, swollen welts that are sometimes mistaken for mosquito bites. Because of the feeding pattern of bed bugs, these commonly appear in rows or clusters of 2-3 bites.
Because 30% of the population is not allergic to bed bug bites, it can be very easy for a person to transfer them from an infested area unknowingly.
While there is no evidence that bed bugs spread disease, secondary bite infections are not uncommon. Also common with bed bugs are psychological effects that can lead to insomnia, depression, jumpiness, and many similar ill effects.
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Treating For Bed Bugs
When it comes to bed bugs, no single treatment method is 100% effective at eliminating the problem. Instead, an integrated pest control plan that combines several techniques, combined with customer participation, is the key to controlling the problem. A complete treatment process usually involves three or more visits, spread several days apart.
Do-it-yourself techniques for bed bug control can be dangerous and often do more harm than good by driving bed bugs into more remote hiding places. A professional pest control expert is needed. New techniques for controlling bed bugs are emerging every day. Be sure that your technician is certified and up to date on current methods.
Read more about Bed Bug Treatment
Locating A Qualified Bed Bug Control Specialist In Your Area
To minimize the possibility of a bed bug reinfestation, it's vital to find a certified, experienced, and highly qualified pest control expert in your area. That's where NAPCA plays a vital role.
Our association is populated with only the best, most experienced specialists in the industry. Pest control professionals within our network are committed to ongoing training, high standards, and safe practices. To schedule a pest control quote from your local NAPCA specialist, contact us by phone or e-mail today!
