About Bed Bugs
Bed Bugs are becoming more and more prevalent in the media with infestations increasing throughout the country. It’s important for you to be aware of the implications an infestation can cause if they are transported into your home. Once bed bugs have entered your home, it’s not an easy task to remove them.
Bed Bugs are about the length of the eraser on the end of a pencil (6-7mm long). The male has a pointed abdomen while the female is more rounded when viewed from above, both with flattened bodies. In their adult stage, bed bugs are brown to orange in color with elongated beaks with which they use to take blood from their food source.
Bed Bugs’ life cycle lasts about 5 weeks from egg to egg producer, then they may live as long as a few years. They favor conditions with 75-80% relative humidity and temperatures around 80 degrees, although they can remain active in temperatures as low as 44 degrees. Bed bugs prefer to reside in warm, dark places…usually the cracks and crevices of your bed so they are near their food source.
All stages of the life cycle feed on blood; the nymphs (early life stage) need to do so in order to progress to the next life stage, which they do 5 times before becoming adults. Even so, bed bugs can survive for 3 to 4 months without feeding, some even up to a year. Because of their life longevity and a reproduction rate of 200-500 eggs in a lifetime, laying several per day, infestations happen quickly and can be difficult to control if not treated in the early stages.
How to Detect Bed Bugs
As their name suggests, bed bugs can usually be found on beds. Although this is most typical, they are also likely to hide in the crevices of furniture in your bedroom. Begin by inspecting your bed frame and mattress for signs of bed bugs. They leave behind black residue in the form of small specks which should be most visible around the corners and edges of your mattress.
Another, perhaps easier, way to detect bed bugs is if you’re being bitten while you sleep. While everyone that comes in contact with bed bugs will have a different reaction to their bites, they usually create small, red bumps or welts on the skin that itch.
How to Prevent Bed Bugs
Because bed bugs travel well, they are easily transported into your home from other sites of infestation…such as hotel rooms, friends or relatives’ homes, college students’ dorm rooms or apartments, etc…by getting into your luggage and clothes. It’s also common to bring them into your home with used furniture or second-hand clothing. To avoid this, inspect all luggage from traveling before bringing it into your home. Wash all your clothes immediately before hanging them in your closets and leave any suitcases or bags in a garage, storage room, or other area that is not close to the rooms you and your family sleep in. When vacationing, check your bed before sleeping (see How to Detect Bed Bugs above). Do not put your clothing or suitcases on the beds and keep luggage zipped when not in use. Utilizing the luggage stand most hotels provide is a great way to keep items away from floors and walls, minimizing the risk of bringing bed bugs back home with you.
Bed Bug Treatments
There are various methods used to detect and treat bed bug infestations. Give us a call at Gallatin Pest Control 561-746-1929.
Bed Bugs are becoming more and more prevalent in the media with infestations increasing throughout the country. It’s important for you to be aware of the implications an infestation can cause if they are transported into your home. Once bed bugs have entered your home, it’s not an easy task to remove them.
Bed Bugs are about the length of the eraser on the end of a pencil (6-7mm long). The male has a pointed abdomen while the female is more rounded when viewed from above, both with flattened bodies. In their adult stage, bed bugs are brown to orange in color with elongated beaks with which they use to take blood from their food source.
Bed Bugs’ life cycle lasts about 5 weeks from egg to egg producer, then they may live as long as a few years. They favor conditions with 75-80% relative humidity and temperatures around 80 degrees, although they can remain active in temperatures as low as 44 degrees. Bed bugs prefer to reside in warm, dark places…usually the cracks and crevices of your bed so they are near their food source.
All stages of the life cycle feed on blood; the nymphs (early life stage) need to do so in order to progress to the next life stage, which they do 5 times before becoming adults. Even so, bed bugs can survive for 3 to 4 months without feeding, some even up to a year. Because of their life longevity and a reproduction rate of 200-500 eggs in a lifetime, laying several per day, infestations happen quickly and can be difficult to control if not treated in the early stages.
How to Detect Bed Bugs
As their name suggests, bed bugs can usually be found on beds. Although this is most typical, they are also likely to hide in the crevices of furniture in your bedroom. Begin by inspecting your bed frame and mattress for signs of bed bugs. They leave behind black residue in the form of small specks which should be most visible around the corners and edges of your mattress.
Another, perhaps easier, way to detect bed bugs is if you’re being bitten while you sleep. While everyone that comes in contact with bed bugs will have a different reaction to their bites, they usually create small, red bumps or welts on the skin that itch.
How to Prevent Bed Bugs
Because bed bugs travel well, they are easily transported into your home from other sites of infestation…such as hotel rooms, friends or relatives’ homes, college students’ dorm rooms or apartments, etc…by getting into your luggage and clothes. It’s also common to bring them into your home with used furniture or second-hand clothing. To avoid this, inspect all luggage from traveling before bringing it into your home. Wash all your clothes immediately before hanging them in your closets and leave any suitcases or bags in a garage, storage room, or other area that is not close to the rooms you and your family sleep in. When vacationing, check your bed before sleeping (see How to Detect Bed Bugs above). Do not put your clothing or suitcases on the beds and keep luggage zipped when not in use. Utilizing the luggage stand most hotels provide is a great way to keep items away from floors and walls, minimizing the risk of bringing bed bugs back home with you.
Bed Bug Treatments
There are various methods used to detect and treat bed bug infestations. Give us a call at Gallatin Pest Control 561-746-1929.