Bed Bug Pest Control – Are They Living With You?
The chances that homes in your neighborhood have bed bugs is pretty high. Several recent studies outline some frightening statistics. Home, daycare centers, apartments, dorms, public transportation, rest homes, hotels, and airplanes were listed as sites most likely to have bed bugs.
What this tells us is that if you travel on public transportation, you can pick up bed bugs nearly every day. If you fly, you could pick up bed bugs. If your child goes to a daycare that has bed bugs, they can easily bring them home with you. That also means that your vehicle may have bed bugs. Are you going to lunch with your friends? Their vehicle may have bed bugs. Moving into a new apartment or dorm – it could have bed bugs. Are you going on vacation? That beautiful condo, hotel, hostel, Airbnb, beachside bungalow may have bed bugs.
The reality is that bed bugs have adapted beautifully to live with humanity, and for a good reason. Most species of bed bugs prefer human blood over animal blood. That means bed bugs are a predator of humankind. They exist to drink our blood.
The Spread of Bed Bugs
The primary way that bed bugs move is on humans or in human luggage. That is why they appear in unlikely locations such as on airplanes – full of luggage, in taxis – moves many different people from one spot to the next, on public transportation – moves a lot of people every single day. Anywhere people congregate and then move to another location is a spot where bed bugs can spread to a new area. How many different people stayed in that motel room you just rented? Did any of them bring bed bugs with them?
It is through the movement of people that bed bugs spread, and that process opens up the potential for homes to become infested with bed bugs. Even schools have bed bugs. How many kids share the school with your children? Each house, each child, becomes a potential source of infestation of public and private schools.
How Do You Know if Bed Bugs Are In Your Home?
The most obvious clue is unexplained bites. The bed bug bite looks similar to the bite from a mosquito. They both use the same type of mouth-part to extract blood. That long, needle-like proboscis is highly developed to siphon blood from you to them quickly. The longer they feed, the more dangerous it becomes for them. So, they are quick about their dirty deed.
They use a small amount of anticoagulant to keep the blood flowing until they are full. That means you may see tiny spots of dried blood on your bedding, especially sheets and pillowcases. If you pull back the sheets, you may find bed bugs in your bed. They are nocturnal, and they hide during the day. They may hide between the mattress pad and mattress, in the crevices of your bed’s frame, behind baseboards, etc. We sleep at night, which is when they feed, and that is why they are called bed bugs.
Not sure if your home has bed bugs? Give us a call. We do bed bug inspections and can help you determine if your house is free of these pests or infested.
