Bed Bugs: Your Worst Nightmare

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Bed bugs are the bane of any home or business, and it’s important you get any infestation identified and dealt with quickly by a professional. These small creatures quickly make sleeping and resting a nightmare, and their itchy bites can be a huge distraction during the day. Although bed bugs will likely be around for millennia, there’s no reason why you have to give them free accommodation.

What Are Bed Bugs?

Bed bugs are little insects that feed on blood. To do that, they must feed on people while they’re sleeping (or very still), which is why they’re associated with bedding. Bedbugs, scientifically known as Cimex lectularius, are small, reddish-brown parasitic insects that feed exclusively on blood. Despite their name, bedbugs can infest various areas of a home, not just beds. Understanding their behavior, signs of infestation, health risks, prevention techniques, and control measures is essential for homeowners to correctly identify these pests. Typically, adult bedbugs are about 3/16 of an inch, and because the adults are oval and maroon, at a quick glance they may look a little bit like an apple seed, flax seed, or be mistaken for a very small cockroach. If you get bedbugs, you're most likely going to pickup adult hitchhikers. 

Biology and Behavior:

Bedbugs are nocturnal insects that typically hide in cracks and crevices during the day and emerge at night to feed on sleeping humans or animals. These pests are flat and oval-shaped, with a reddish-brown coloration, and can range in size from 1 to 7 millimeters, depending on their life stage and feeding status. Bedbugs undergo incomplete metamorphosis, progressing through five immature stages (nymphs) before reaching adulthood. They require blood meals to molt through each stage and reproduce, with females capable of laying hundreds of eggs over their lifetime.

We have professionals specializing in bed bugs who can generally estimate how long an infestation has been going on for upon inspection. The earlier the infestation has been caught, the more precisely we can estimate when the first bug(s) landed. During your bedbug treatment we will identify any susceptibility to bedbug reinfestation in your lifestyle and give you all the tools you need to help prevent you from getting bedbugs ever again (we hope)! If needed, we also offer ongoing bedbug monitoring services so that your if your risks are unavoidable (you offer an airbnb or vacation retreat for example), your bedbugs will be found early. The sooner you find and get professional treatment, the less the treatment will cost.

Signs of Infestation:

Detecting signs of a bedbug infestation early is crucial for effective control. Common indicators include:

1. Bite Marks: Everyone is different, but bedbug bites often appear as small, red welts in clusters or rows on exposed skin, such as the face, neck, arms, and legs where your body meets the bed.

2. Blood Stains: Smears or spots of blood on bedding, mattresses, or clothing may indicate bedbug feeding activity.

3. Dark Spots: Tiny dark spots or fecal stains on bedding, furniture, or walls, which are digested blood excretions from bedbugs.

4. Musty Odor: A sweet, musty odor in infested areas, attributed to bedbug secretions, pheromones, or their presence in large numbers.

Health Risks:

While bedbugs are classified as a nuisance pest because they do not transmit diseases directly, their bites can cause itching, discomfort, and allergic reactions in some individuals. Just the thought of bedbugs can quickly cause traumatic emotional and psychological distress. Scratching bedbug bites can lead to secondary infections, and prolonged infestations may cause emotional distress, anxiety, and sleep disturbances. 

Although they can survive for up to 6 months without feeding, but they won't do that if there is a food source anywhere nearby. There's a lot of misinformation out there on these, so don’t try to eliminante these yourself. Bedbug extermination and client care are our specialty; we'll help you every step of the way, answer any questions you have about bedbug behavior and biology, and provide prevention tools and techniques you can use in the future so that hopefully you never end up with bedbugs again! 

Contact us to schedule your appointment with one of our specialized licensed pest control professionals who can develop a customized treatment plan that has your best interest at heart!