Janesville's Bed Bug Removal Expert
These creepy crawlers love feeding on people while they sleep and love to hide when not hungry. If you are experiencing any of the following, while unsettling, you might have a bed bug problem. Luckily, Best Defense Pest Solutions is a certified bed bug treatment professional.
Signs of Bed Bugs
Bed bugs are small brownish and oval in shape insects that live off of the blood of animals and humans. After feeding, their bodies swell and turn a more reddish color. They tend to be hard to find since they are mostly active at night and are about the size of an apple seed at adult age. While they don't fly, they move very quickly around floors, walls, and ceilings. Female bed bugs are able to lay hundreds of eggs and these eggs are about the size of a speck of dust, which is why if you suspect you have bed bugs, contact a professional bed bug exterminator right away.
Itchy red spots on your skin is considered the most noticeable sign of a bed bug problem. Similar to a mosquito bite, their bites are small, red, and can be itchy. However, not everyone reacts the same to bed bug bites. Its possible to have bed bugs and have no physical reaction.
The National Health Service (NHS) suggests that an unpleasant, musty smell in your bedroom can be a sign of bedbugs. These critters release pheromones, and if large quantities are around in a single room, the smell can be quite strong
You might of squashed some bed bugs without meaning to...whoops. Bed bugs like to feed at night while you're sleeping and if you wake up with bloody dots on your skin and/or sheets, it may signal a bed bug issue. Consider having your house inspected for bed bugs.
Bed bugs leave fecal stains wherever they have accumulated in large numbers. Dark spots on mattresses and/or bed sheets and husk-like specks shells along your headboard is a convincing sign bed bugs are present.
Where Do Bed Bugs Hide?
Bed bugs are attracted to many different warm-blooded vertebrate hosts like dogs and cats, however, humans are the preferred host. Bed bugs are highly skilled at staying out of sight and considering their small size and opportunistic character, they're hard to spot unless your a trained professional. Below are they most common and best places bed bugs like to hide.
Where Do Bed Bugs Hide During The Day?
For the most part, bed bugs are nocturnal and feed on people while they sleep, but will leave their hiding spot if hungry enough. Bed bug also love hiding in clothing, linens and under clutter.
Where Do They Hide In Public Areas?
These pests need to be transported by a person or an object in order to move long distances. Unfortunately, taxis, buses, airplane seats and second hand clothing and furniture are prone to bed bugs; hitching a free ride to an unsuspecting traveler.
Check behind mirrors
Check behind headboard
Check inside and underneath dressers and nightstands
Check mattress, boxsprings and bed frame
Check baseboards and loose carpeting
Check rugs and other furniture
Are you suspecting bed bugs or found their clues like the ones mentioned above? Contact a licensed pest control professional such as Best Defense Pest Solutions to inspect your home.
How To Get Rid Of Bed Bugs?
Getting rid of bed bugs starts with taking action!
Treating for bed bugs is complex, and due to their reproductive nature and skilled hide-and-seek abilities, professional treatment is often necessary.
Steps You Can Take To Remove Bed Bugs
Fortunately, you can get rid of these annoying bloodsuckers and there are things you can do if you have a bed bug infestation.
Identify All Infested Areas
Their tiny bodies allow them to squeeze into tiny areas like the seems of a mattress and folds of curtains. Use a flashlight and magnifying glass and check for the bed bug signs mentioned above. If you do find a bug, use tape to capture it and place it in a sealed jar for your exterminator to identify if it really is a bed bug or something else.
Contain The Infestation
If bed bugs are in your home, you need to keep them contained and prevent them from multiplying. A quick and easy way to trap bed bugs is with your vacuum. Run the vacuum over any possible hiding places. Refer to diagram above for possible hiding places.
Prep For Bed Bug Treatment
Make sure all your linens, carpets, drapes, clothing, and other hiding places have been cleaned or thrown out. Pick up books, magazines, clothes, and anything else that’s lying on your floor and under your bed. Throw out whatever you can. Make sure not to move items from an infested room to a clean one — you could spread the bugs.
Kill The Bed Bugs
For small infestations, you can try washing bedding and clothes in hot water for at least 30 minutes. Then dry in high heat for another 30 minutes. Clean your mattress, couches and other infested areas with a steamer. After cleaning your mattress, use a protector to completely cover your mattress and boxspring. If these methods don't wipe them out, you may need a pro with the proper equipment.
Get The Pros Involved
Pest control companies have the advantage of using chemicals and other treatments that aren’t available to you. They have insecticides that kill bugs on contact, and those that stay inside furniture and cracks. Depending on your infestation level, treatments range in terms of when you can re-enter the treated room(s). You may have to stay out of the treated rooms for a few hours until the insecticides have dried.
Keep The Bed Bugs Out
Once the bed bugs are gone, you'll want to ensure they don't surprise you again.
Bed Bug Prevention Tips:- Don’t leave papers, magazines, clothes, or other items on the floor.
- Cover your mattress and box spring with a bedbug cover and zip it up all the way.
- Vacuum and wash bedding, furniture, curtains, and carpets often.
- Check and seal cracks around light sockets, baseboards, and electrical outlets so bedbugs can’t sneak in.
- Check for bed bugs in hotel rooms when you travel to avoid bringing them home with you.