Are bed bugs bringing you down? Contact a local pest exterminator to get a free quote today! Treating for bed bugs is a difficult process. It takes detection, treatment, and long-term monitoring to complete.
What Are Bed Bugs?
Well, bed bugs aren’t the cute little creatures from your childhood “Don’t let the bed bugs bite” saying. They are tiny, flat bugs that like to feed off of human blood! They frequent mattresses and bed sheets but can also be found on furniture or in wall outlets. They are generally as small as an apple seed and look red or brown, depending on when the bug last ate. Bed bugs live off of the blood of their host and feed mostly at night when the host is sleeping.
- How To Spot Bed Bugs- Since bedbugs are so small, you will have to get up close to the seams and cracks in your mattress to look for them. They can be under the mattress or on surrounding furniture.
- Finding an Exoskeleton- If you cannot find the bed bug itself you can look for its exoskeleton, which a bedbug sheds whenever it grows. These empty skins look like an outline of the bed bug itself. You should be able to see the horizontal abdominal lines of the bug, as well as a cast of the bug’s six legs.
- Bite Marks- Bed bugs feed off of you, quite like a mosquito would. Therefore one indication that you could have bed bugs would be if you have unexplained bite marks on your body. The bite marks tend to be in a straight or zigzag line and can feel itchy and irritating. The bites are round, red, and raised. They can appear on any exposed skin, like arms, hands, neck, feet, and legs.
Hiring A Professional
One of the surest ways to find out if you have bed bugs or not is to call your local pest control expert in Charlotte, NC. They will have the knowledge and skills to be able to identify if there is a pest problem or not.
Exterminating Bed Bugs
Getting rid of bed bugs can be a very difficult, emotional process. Female bed bugs can reproduce rapidly, lying up to 500 eggs in their lifetime. A small infestation can turn into a major one very quickly. That is why as soon as you suspect you have bed bugs you should contact a pest control specialist. There are some things you can do at home to help control bed bugs while waiting for an exterminator to come. The first is to vacuum all areas of your house, including your mattresses. It is important to make sure that you vacuum all cracks and crevasses and empty the vacuum bag immediately after use. Washing and drying all of your bed sheets, towels, clothes, and other fabrics can also help. The high heat from the drier will make sure that bed bugs and their eggs die.
If you have objects that can not be washed and dried in your laundry machine then you can freeze them for a couple of days to kill any bed bugs or their eggs. The temperature will need to be below 32 degrees for at least two days to work. Again, these are things you can do at home to help control your bed bug problem but doing these things alone will not be an effective solution. The best thing you can do to get rid of bed bugs is to call one of our professionals today.