Some of the most common pests that infest homes are ants, roaches, silverfish, termites and bedbugs. These pests can be found in both residential and commercial buildings. Bed Bugs are tiny, spherical insects that feed on the blood of animals or humans. Despite their inability to fly, bedbugs can move fast across surfaces, walls, and ceilings. Female bed bugs are capable of laying a large number of eggs throughout their lives.
Before reaching maturity, nymphs, or young bedbugs, shed their skins several times, each time requiring a blood meal. Under optimum conditions, the bugs can mature fully in as little as a month and produce three or more generations every year.
Despite their discomfort, they are not thought to be disease carriers.
When Do Bedbugs Attack?
Bedbugs are most active at night and bite humans as they sleep. They eat by piercing the skin and sucking blood using their extended beak. The bugs feast themselves for three to ten minutes before crawling away unobserved.
The majority of bedbug bites are harmless at first but develop into unpleasant welts later. Bedbug bites are everywhere on the skin when sleeping, unlike flea bites, mainly around the ankles. In addition, unlike flea bites, the edges do not have a red area in the centre.
Itching and welts may be attributed to various sources, such as mosquitoes, by people unaware they have a bedbug infestation. To confirm bedbug bites, you must first locate and identify the insects.
Where Can You Find Bed Bugs?
Bed Bugs can get into your home via baggage, clothing, worn beds and couches, and other items. Their flattened bodies allow them to squeeze into areas as small as the width of a credit card. Unlike ants and bees, Bed Bugs do not build nests, preferring instead to live in groups in dark places.
Initially, they hide in mattresses, box springs, bed frames, and headboards, where they have easy access to individuals to bite in the middle of the night. They may, however, disperse with time, crawling into any crack or protected spot in the bedroom. They could potentially spread to neighbouring rooms or houses.
Because bedbugs are blood-feeding insects, having them in your home is not a symptom of filth. They’re just as likely to be found in spotless homes and hotel rooms as they are in dirty ones.
How to know you have a bedbug infestation in your house?
If you wake up with itching areas where you didn’t have them when you went to sleep, you may have bed bugs, especially if you acquired a secondhand bed or other old furniture around the time the bites started. Other signs of a bedbug infection are:
- Your linens or pillowcases have blood stains on them.
- Bed Bug excrement in dark or rusty colors on sheets and beds, bedclothes, and walls
- In regions where bed bugs hide, look for feces, eggshells, or shed skins.
If you suspect a pest infestation, remove all bedding and inspect it for traces of the bugs or their excrement. Remove the dust cover from the bottom of the box springs to check the seams in the wood structure. Remove the fabric from its stapled position on the wood frame.
Examine the area around the bed, including books, phones, radios, the edge of the carpet, and even electrical plugs. Bedbugs can attach themselves to clothing, so keep an eye on your closet.
If you’re unsure about bedbug signs, contact a professional pest control company.
If you see signs of bedbug infestation in your house, you need to take quick actions to stop it from spreading further. Read along to know the bedbug removal treatments.
Precautions to take to avoid getting bed bugs into your house:
1. Inspect second-hand objects:
Before taking second-hand furniture, beds, and sofas home, inspect them for signs of bed bug infestation.
2. Use a protective cover on mattresses:
To eliminate many hiding locations, use a protective cover that encases mattresses and box springs.
3. Use light-colored covers:
Because of the light color of the encasement, bed bugs are easy to spot.
4. Purchase a high-quality encasement:
Make sure your cover will not rip and inspect it for holes regularly or a body that has been treated with pesticide to keep bed bugs at bay.
5. Declutter your home regularly:
Reduce the amount of clutter in your home to reduce the number of hiding spots for bed bugs.
6. Avoid hitchhikers:
Vacuum frequently to get rid of any hitchhikers.
7. Be careful of the common laundry:
When using shared washing facilities, be cautious. Plastic bags are used to transport objects to be washed (if you have an active infestation, use a new bag for the journey home). Place straight from the dryer into the bag and fold at home.
If you live in a multi-family residence, try to separate your unit by doing the following:
- Installing door sweeps on the bottoms of doors to prevent people from walking along hallways.
- To prevent movement via wall voids, seal cracks and gaps around baseboards, light sockets, and other fixtures.
- Consider investing in a portable heating chamber to treat any objects suspected of harboring bed bugs. If you use one of these units, be sure to read and follow the instructions carefully.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs):
Q. What precautions do we need to take to avoid getting bed bugs into your house?
A. We can use the protective cover that encases mattresses and box springs. Before taking second-hand furniture, beds, and sofas home, inspect them for signs of bed bug infestation. We can reduce the amount of clutter in our home to reduce the number of hiding spots for bed bugs. You can also opt for integrated pest control.
Q. Where are you most likely to get bedbugs?
A. Bed Bugs can get into your home via baggage, clothing, worn beds and couches, and other items. Initially, they hide in mattresses, box springs, bed frames, and headboards, where they have easy access to individuals to bite in the middle of the night. bedbugs are blood-feeding insects, having them in your home is not a symptom of filth.
Q. What steps you can take to prevent bedbugs if you live in a multi-family residence?
A. We have to install the door sweeps on the bottoms of doors to prevent people from walking along hallways. We can use seal cracks and gaps around baseboards, light sockets, and other fixtures to prevent the spreading of bedbugs.