Despite the many efforts of the government and the private citizens to decrease the rate of bed bug infestation, the pests still continue to rise in number. And little as you might know, you could be their next victim. So what do you do? Do you already know how to kill bed bugs? Be ready for their coming.
Sure thing, like any other pests, bed bugs are preventable. But compared with others, their prevention takes much more time and work.
Basically, there are three major reasons why it is harder to prevent bed bugs than other pests.
- They are sneaky – small and fast-paced are the basic characteristics of bed bugs. That allows them to hide and hitch unnoticed on almost anything.
- They infest not because of dirt or uncleanness – bed bug infestation is not related to hygiene. So no matter how you make your place spotless clean, they could still invade it.
- Anyone could carry them – bed bugs hitch a ride not just on things but also on human beings. And yourself could be a carrier of them. Considering how many people you encounter everyday, it’s hard to keep a tab as to who among them got bed bugs.
But of course, just because bed bugs are more difficult to prevent doesn’t mean you shouldn’t take any effort to block them and just keep them coming. On the contrary, you must work harder to prevent their entry.
Nonetheless, you must always be ready for the worst. And the way to do that is to learn everything that you could about bed bugs – from their detection to their infestation. That way, when you suspect you got them, you know exactly what to do to treat their presence early on and save yourself from the worst that they could bring.
Read the Latest Bed-Bug-Related News
[ic_google_search refresh=”every day at 8:00″ keyword=”bed bugs”]Here are the Frequently Asked Questions about Bed Bugs that could save you from the worst of their effects.
What Do Bed Bugs Look Like?
Bed bugs are small, fast-paced creatures. The combination of those two characteristics makes them the sneaky pests that they are.
There are several house pests often mistaken as bed bugs. Fleas, ticks, carpet beetles and the young of cockroaches are some of them. You need to be able to differentiate those other pests from bed bugs so you could implement the right treatment. And with that, looking at pictures of bed bugs is a big help.
However, you must familiarize yourself not just with the appearance of adult bed bugs but also of their eggs and larvae. The reason is that when doing your inspection, you must look for bed bugs in all stages. You couldn’t possibly eradicate bed bugs completely if you will find and kill just the adults of them.
If you miss the eggs and the larvae, there is big chance that they could start an entirely new infestation. And with that, you would have to deal with more problems and spend more time and money for another bed bug treatment.
Where Do Bed Bugs Come From?
There are many stories about the origin of bed bugs but it is not known where they exactly come from.
However, what is sure is that they could come to your house from anywhere. It’s possible that your or any of your family’s travel to somewhere could have you bring the pests back to your place. Your purchase of a second-hand furniture could also be a cause of an infestation in your home.
There was a point in history though when it was thought that bed bugs were completely eradicated. And basically, that was after the Second World War when DDT was still allowed. But since after it was banned due to its harm to humans, it was said that bed bugs came back. However, apart from just the banning of DDT, here are the other reasons said to have caused the widespread resurgence of the vampire-like pests.
- Increase in local and domestic travels – bed bugs love high-traffic places, particularly, hotels. And because they could hide unnoticed on bags and luggage, travelers tend to unknowingly bring them back home.
- Increase bed bug resistance to chemicals – over the years, it was said that bed bugs have developed strong resistance to pesticides. And so, the continued use of chemical solutions did nothing to stop the coming back of bed bugs.
- Lack of awareness – lack or insufficient knowledge about bed bugs makes one vulnerable to their infestation. Basically, that’s because appropriate steps to prevent and eliminate them are not implemented.
Do Bed Bugs Transmit Diseases?
Bed bugs could bite you and leave you with nasty marks, but they don’t transfer illnesses. They are an annoyance but, they are not considered a physical health hazard.
However, when it comes to your general well-being, it’s a different story. According to a number of reports, bed bugs could also damage your mental stability by specifically causing anxiety and paranoia.
Who’s At Risk of Bed Bug Infestation?
Everybody is basically at risk of bed bug infestation. That means you or anyone else could be the next bed bug victim.
It doesn’t matter where the place is or how clean it is. Bed bugs, regardless of anything, could start an infestation anywhere.
But just like humans, there are also spots that bed bugs love above the others. Specifically, they most love those places of high traffic as it offers them many meal sources. Some of those spots they would likely attack are:
- houses
- apartments
- hotels
- inns
- hospitals
How Fast Do Bed Bugs Multiply?
A female adult bed bug could lay three to four eggs a day. In its lifetime, it could produce more or less 500 eggs. Now, imagine if there are even just 10 female adult bed bugs in your house. In just months, those pests could number thousands.
What Are the Signs of Bed Bug Infestation?
There are a number of things that give away bed bug presence. If you open your eyes to them, you could catch bed bugs very early on their infestation. And needless to say that would make it easier for you to eliminate them completely.
Particularly, the fecal spots of the pests, their shed skins and the musty-sweet smell that they produce are the basic signs of bed bug presence.
- Fecal spots – these are small dark stains that are often found in crevices, cracks of furniture and seams of couches and beds.
- Shed skins – bed bugs molt five times in their lives. If you see any of their shells in your house, that’s a red flag. That means they are close and just bidding their time to attack.
- Musty-sweet smell – an infestation of bed bugs makes a room smelling musty-sweet. So if you could smell any part of your house smelling like it, that should prompt you to inspect for the pests.
Where Do Bed Bugs Hide?
Pictures of bed bugs could tell you how small they are. Their adults are just as tiny as an apple seed. And with that size, they could basically sneak-in on anything, even on book pages. However, they most love to hide in cracks and crevices of furniture, walls and ceiling.
Among the pieces of furniture, beds are the most-frequently infested by the pests just as their name suggests. But apart from it, they also love to make a home in couches and closets.
How Long After Being Bitten by Bed Bugs Will the Marks Appear?
Every person responds differently to bed bug bites. Their marks could show-up hours to days after the biting. But because bed bugs bite painlessly, there no specific time-range as to when exactly the rashes would appear. Some people though don’t have any reaction to the bite and therefore, develop no rash at all.
The marks of bed bug bites usually appear in small and red bumps. Apart from that, they also come out itchy. To relieve the itch, anti-histamines are often prescribed to bed bug victims.
Just like bed bugs, bed bug bites are also often mistaken as that of other insects or caused by a medical condition.
Usually, they are overlooked as:
- tick bites
- chicken pox
- scabies
- hives
How to Prevent Bed Bugs?
There are several specific steps to prevent bed bug presence. But in general, inspection is the key to bed bug prevention. Any item must be first inspected for bed bugs before letting it inside your house. Every possible bed bug hide-out, you must also regularly check for any sign of the pests’ presence.
How to Treat Bed Bug Infestation?
In case bed bugs get past your preventive measures, you must take immediate action. The earlier you get rid of them the easier and less expensive would be your bed bug treatment. But what are your treatment choices?
You have several options for methods of bed bug elimination. You could hire a bed bug exterminator to do the work for you. You could find the pests yourself and vacuum them all. You could also implement a heat and cold treatment to kill bed bugs.
However, if you want an easy yet inexpensive and effective treatment, you could use a bed bug spray instead. It offers a very convenient bed bug elimination process without compromising the quality of the treatment just as long as you pick the right solution?
So what is that right solution? More than effective, your choice for a bed bug spray should also be safe. And that exactly is what Bed Bug Bully. Approved by FIFRA 25(b), it is pesticide-exempt. That means your use of it emits no chemical risks that could threaten your health or of anyone else.
Try it today and see for yourself how well it works.
What’s New About Bed Bug Bully?
[ic_google_news refresh=”every day at 8:00″ keyword=”bed bug bully”]
Bed Bug Bully is different from all the other bed bug sprays I tried. I’ve never been bitten by the pests since I applied it.I highly recommend this product.
[…] Bed Bugs FAQs – Important Information for Effective Treatment of Bed Bug Infestation […]
[…] Bed Bugs FAQs – Important Information for Effective Treatment of Bed Bug Infestation […]
[…] the situation, Stojic said that the company’s normal operations were ongoing. The bed bug treatment, she added, was scheduled over the […]
[…] Since he moved in to Star Apartments, Christopher Stratton said he hadn’t had a good night sleep. No thanks to bed bugs. […]
[…] to the piece, the heat makes the bed bug treatment method a real challenge for pest-control professionals particularly in locations where there are […]
[…] affected room was quarantined. And after school, it was sprayed with a pesticide. Another stronger bed bug treatment was also scheduled for it this weekend, stated the school […]
[…] said that the complex’s old age and lack of sanitation are to blame for the bed bug problem. Apart from him, his sister and another neighbor also had to deal with bed bugs that both already […]
[…] Bed bugs are no longer just characters in a rhyme. For the past few years, they have become a real-life nuisance. And there are thousands of reported bed bug infestations all over the country that could prove that true. But over time, methods and techniques were discovered and rediscovered to counter their presence. One potential method gaining attention today is the possible use of kidney leaves to trap the bloodsucking bed bugs. […]
[…] you live, bed bugs could be your guests. But they are some of those visitors that you would never want for a visit. […]
[…] Bed Bugs FAQs – Important Information for Effective Treatment of Bed Bug Infestation […]
[…] Bed Bugs FAQs – Important Information for Effective Treatment of Bed Bug Infestation […]
[…] Bed Bugs FAQs – Important Information for Effective Treatment of Bed Bug Infestation […]
[…] Bed Bugs FAQs – Important Information for Effective Treatment of Bed Bug Infestation […]
[…] Bed Bugs FAQs – Important Information for Effective Treatment of Bed Bug Infestation […]
[…] Bed Bugs FAQs – Important Information for Effective Treatment of Bed Bug Infestation […]