Are Bed Bugs on the Rise?

No-one likes to think of bed bugs, they just conjure up ickiness. However the problem is not going away. We’ve received so many calls this year and completed so many bed bug treatments, from our perspective they seem to be on the rise.

So what do you need to know about bed bugs that you may not already?

1. Bed Bugs are Elusive

By that we mean they are so small and believe it or not, for the size of them, sneaky. They can hide in the most unlikely places, and not the obvious place like in folds of tufts of mattresses; cracks in baseboards, behind pictures, in picture frames, light switches, ceiling fans. Pretty much anywhere you can think of and see that is a potential hiding site for bed bugs. They are so small they can often go undetected.

2. Bed Bugs Can Lay Dormant

If a home is vacant for some time then the bed bugs lay dormant until they have a food source. Each life cycle stage of the bed bug requires a blood meal to complete that process. So each larvae stage can’t molt (shed their skin) until they have taken a blood meal. They can survive for a number of months without a meal. Depending on the temperature and humidity and the stage in the life cycle, they can go 40 – 400 days without a blood meal. That’s potentially a long time!

3. You Can’t Feel a Bed Bug Feeding

Bed bugs are nocturnal and will usually feed at night. They can feed up to 6 times their weight and feed between 3 – 10 minutes. Once they have established a blood source they can quickly get out of control. Each larvae stage can take place quite quickly dependent upon conditions; from 5 weeks to 4 months to complete. The bed bug will inject a natural anesthetic while feeding so you won’t know it’s taking place. You will only really know a few days later and even then not everyone has a reaction to the saliva which has been injected during the feeding. It’s this saliva that can cause the swelling and reactions.

Bed bugs are not to be messed with. More often than not people find out too late that they have a problem and it’s already well established.

What About DIY Treatments?

DIY methods aren’t recommended as they aren’t as effective as the ones a professional uses. We do need a license to use the products we do. You don’t necessarily need to throw all your furniture away either, as some companies who are badly educated or too lazy to do the job properly, use this approach.

We recommend using a professional, and as always do your research beforehand on the company doing the work. We also recommend any item that can be laundered to be washed on hot and dried on high. Once treatment has taken place monitoring should also continue.

Don’t let the bed bugs bite, click on the green envelope to the right to contact us.

The post 3 Things You Need to Know About Bed Bugs appeared first on Four Seasons and HomeTown Pest Control.