Mar 14, 2023 | Bed Bug
Augusta Bed Bug Control: Prevention Tips
Bed bugs are one of the few pests that you hope you never find in your home. These fearsome insects bring itchy bites, crawling hordes, and ruined furniture. Bed bugs are one of the most difficult pests to get rid of. Identifying them and acting quickly is the first step in your plan of action. Here’s what to do if you find yourself in a bed bug situation.
Identify the Problem
After proper identification, determining where the bed bugs came from is the next step. If you live in an apartment building, be sure to notify your landlord immediately, as they might hold the responsibility of providing bed bug control treatments. If you live in a single-family home, then begin by inspecting all areas of your home to understand the full extent of the bed bug infestation.
Keep the Infestation from Spreading
Once you discover the extent of the infestation, now is the time to keep it from spreading. Here are some helpful bed bug prevention tips:
- Purchase protective plastic covers for your mattress and box spring. This will trap the bugs inside and they will eventually die.
- Discard infested furniture responsibly. If infested with bed bugs, be sure to destroy the furniture so no one else will grab it.
- Seal any other furniture items in plastic to ensure bed bugs are trapped.
Call Your Local Pest Control Company
Tackling bed bugs is a difficult task, especially alone. If you’ve done the above, but are still experiencing an infestation, then reach out to your local pest control company. They will have licensed professionals who can determine the best plan of action to rid your home of bed bugs.
Mar 6, 2023 | Bed Bug
Tennessee Bed Bug Control: Identification & Prevention
Once infested, it can be extremely difficult to get rid of bed bugs. These “hitchhiking” bugs find refuge in our beds, furniture, and clothes, often feeding on humans or pets for a blood meal to survive. The first step in avoiding these insects is understanding how they can enter our Murfreesboro homes, so you can place appropriate precautions. Check out how these bed bugs get inside our homes and what you can do to prevent them below.
Where do Bed Bugs Come From?
Bed bugs are often called the “hitchhiking” pest, referring to their ability to latch onto items and travel long distances. These pests can be found where humans tend to congregate and spend extended time, including public transportation, libraries, and hotel rooms. This often can make travel season the perfect time for these bed bugs to latch onto your travel items and follow you home. Additionally, bed bugs are known to latch onto items transferred from one house to another, such as secondhand furniture, mattresses, box springs, and couches.
How Can I Avoid Bed Bugs?
If you’re traveling, be cautious of the hotel room you’re staying in. Once you arrive at the hotel room, inspect places where bed bugs can hide, looking for live insects, blood stains, and eggs throughout your room. If a larger bed bug infestation is present, you’ll smell a sweet, musty odor.
Likewise, once you’ve returned home from your trip, unpack your luggage outside instead of bringing it inside. Since bed bugs cannot withstand high temperatures, take all your clothes and wash them immediately, running them through a high-heat dryer cycle to help eliminate them. Consider storing your luggage in outside places such as garages or storage closets. Before you purchase secondhand furniture, inspect all used couches, mattresses, or box springs for bed bugs and other pests.
I Have Bed Bugs, What Next?
If you’ve spotted signs of bed bugs or seen live bugs in your home, you need to act fast to get rid of them. While there are several do-it-yourself methods to eliminate bed bugs, it’s best to call a professional for help. Your nearest pest control company is trained in the latest treatment methods to eliminate and prevent bed bugs. These professionals will give your home an in-depth inspection and then implement the best treatment and bed bug control plan customized to your home.
Feb 23, 2023 | Bed Bug
Bed bugs are small, apple seed-sized insects. They are flat and oval with horizontal ridges across their bodies. They don’t have wings but can move extremely fast. They can leave mosquito-like bites all over your body and can be an itchy problem.
Coming home from a vacation or even a day out shouldn’t result in a bed bug infestation. If you discover you brought home these common pests, it’s crunch time to keep them from spreading to other areas of your home.
The first thing you should do is identify the pest and verify it is a bed bug. If you believe it is a bed bug, then giving your local bed bug control company a call is the best option. Here are some other things you can do in the meantime:
- Purchase protective covers for your mattress and box springs.
- Discard furniture responsibly, by destroying or marking with a sign noting it has bed bugs.
- Seal all other furniture in plastic bags to ensure bed bugs stay out.
Give your local pest control company a call today. Their highly trained pest professionals will be able to rid your home of bed bugs and give you back your peace of mind.
Feb 21, 2023 | Bed Bug
Alabama Bed Bug Control: Identification & Prevention
Having a bed bug infestation can be devasting and removing them can be a long and tedious process. To avoid these pests altogether, it’s important for every homeowner to identify early signs of bed bugs in their Alabama home. Check out these common bed bug signs and how you can avoid them.
Bed Bug Bites
One of the easier signs to identify an infestation is seeing bed bug bites on your skin. Bed bugs need a blood meal to survive and will often look to us and our pets for it. If bitten, bed bugs will leave a red, itchy welt on your skin. However, it can be easy to confuse bed bug bites with other insect bites. A common indicator that you have been bitten is the series of three or four welts in a row, where you can usually find them on any skin that was exposed during sleep.
Stains on Your Sheets
After a bed bug has its blood meal, its flat body quickly changes into a round, bloated form. If these bed bugs found themselves in your mattress, you could easily crush or squeeze them when you’re sleeping. While this might not eliminate them, it can cause the blood they just fed on to leak and create a red or rust-colored stain on your sheets. Check your sheets, clothes, and pillows for these spots.
Strange Odors in Your Home
If you start smelling an unusual, musty odor in your bedroom, this could be an indication that bed bugs have infested. When they are threatened or bothered, bed bugs will emit an ‘alarm’ pheromone as a response. This pheromone can produce an odor that smells sweet or musty, like cilantro, almonds, or coriander. While this smell can be faint if a single bed bug emits the odor, it can be very noticeable if many bed bugs are present.
Finding Bed Bugs & Their Casings
One of the most solid confirmations that a bed bug infestation has occurred is seeing a live adult bed bug or its casing in your home. Abandoned shell casings are a reliable, early sign of a growing infestation. These shell casings are translucent, hollow outlines of the young bed bug. You can often find these casings in mattress seams, upholstered furniture, holes, cracks, and crevices. Live bed bugs are small and brown and typically look like the shape of an apple seed. If you see a live one, it is the best confirmation you need to call your Alabama bed bug control company for help.
Preventing Bed Bugs
Bed bugs are notorious for hitchhiking their way inside homes, making it difficult to prevent them from entering; although by placing and taking a few precautions, you can avoid them. Consider these tips on preventing bed bugs from entering your home:
- Before bringing any used furniture inside your home, make sure you thoroughly inspect it.
- When traveling, inspect the bed and furniture. Keep the suitcase off the floor and bed, inspecting them before leaving.
- If you suspect that you’ve been around bed bugs, wash and dry your clothes on a hot setting as soon as possible.
- Seal cracks and crevices with caulk around your home to help prevent bed bugs and other pests from entering.
- If you suspect that bed bugs have entered your home, reach out to your local pest control company for a thorough inspection, treatment, and future prevention plan.
Nov 17, 2021 | Bed Bug
With the long-awaited holiday season approaching, many of us plan to travel and visit friends and family. Unfortunately, bed bugs are notorious for hitchhiking their way into hotel rooms, rented houses, family houses, and college dorms. Check out our top tips for preventing bed bugs before you travel this holiday season.
Inspecting Your Room
Before bringing your luggage into the room you are staying in, check thoroughly for signs of bed bugs. It’s more common for hotels to have issues with bed bugs, so it’s important to check each room. Inspect all furniture such as sofa cushions, chairs, and around mattresses corners. One sign of a bed bug infestation is seeing small, dark-colored stains on bedding and the skin shells they’ve shed.
If you suspect a bed bug infestation, ask to be moved or consider another place to stay.
Unpacking Luggage
Bed bugs are small and nocturnal, often allowing them to go unnoticed. Even after inspecting your room without finding any signs of bed bugs, continue to be cautious when unpacking your clothes. It’s recommended that you use the luggage racks instead of placing bags and suitcases on furniture or tables.
Returning Home
Once you have returned home, don’t bring the luggage and bags you traveled with inside. Instead, unpack your items outside the home and thoroughly inspect them. After inspecting your items, wash all your clothes immediately, making sure to run them through a high-heat dryer cycle, as bed bugs cannot withstand high temperatures.
After you have unpacked and washed your clothes, store your suitcases in your garage or storage closet. To be extra cautious, you can also seal your luggage in large, plastic storage bags before bringing them inside.
If you suspect a bed bug infestation in your home, it’s best to contact a professional bed bug control company to assess the situation. A trained professional can help determine the best plan of action, treatment, and prevention plan for your home.
