Feb 22, 2023 | Bed Bug
Macon Bed Bug Control: Identification & Prevention
Many of us have heard the old saying, “Don’t let the bed bugs bite,” often instilling some fear before going to bed! Unfortunately, this saying can hold some truths as these insects can bring itchy bites, crawling hordes, and ruined furniture! They can be difficult to remove and eliminate, making it essential for Macon homeowners to understand how to identify them and what steps to take if they spot one in their home. Check out everything you need to know about these household pests below.
How Do I Find Bed Bugs?
Bed bugs are tiny, appleseed-sized insects with flat, oval-shaped bodies and horizontal ridges across their bodies. Since these pests are so small, they can fit in the smallest crack, crevice, or any small hiding spot. The best way to spot bed bug signs is to look for physical signs, such as rusty stains on the bed sheets or mattresses, dark spots on fabric, eggs or eggshells, and live bed bugs. You will often find these pests or signs of bed bugs around the bed, near piping, seams, tags of mattresses, box springs, and in cracks on the bed frame and headboard.
How Can I Prevent Bed Bugs?
Bed bugs are notorious for hitchhiking, allowing them to travel long distances at a time. They will often latch onto suitcases, linens, clothes, old furniture, groceries, and more. The best way to prevent these pests from entering your home in the first place is to inspect items before entering the home. After traveling, avoid bringing in your suitcase; instead, remove your clothes and wash them immediately through a high-heat dryer cycle. Likewise, before you bring in any second-hand furniture, groceries, or deliveries, make sure to inspect them for bugs.
What Should I Do If I Have a Bed Bug Infestation?
If you’ve noticed bed bug signs or identified live bugs, you will want to act fast to eliminate them. Since bed bugs are elusive, surviving under extreme conditions, they often cannot be eliminated through do-it-yourself methods. Once you have identified a bed bug infestation, the best plan of action is to call a pest control company for help. These professionals will provide you with a proper inspection to identify the areas where they have invaded. After an inspection is completed, your pest professional will provide you with a bed bug control plan, including either a chemical or heat treatment, all depending on your pest situation.
If you suspect a bed bug infestation in your home, contact your local pest control company to assess the situation. A trained professional will help you decide the best plan of action, treatment, and prevention for your home.
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.
Feb 15, 2023 | Uncategorized
South Florida Pests: Bed Bug Control
It’s the holiday season, the time of the year when a bed bug infestation can be devastating! Bed bug activity can be confused with only being active in the summer, but they are year-round pests. This means that while the weather cools off, bed bugs are still active during the winter and will be looking towards your Miami Lakes home for warmth! Here’s what you need to know about bed bugs, signs that they’ve infested, and how you can avoid them.
What Does a Bed Bug Look Like?
Bed bugs are extremely small, only growing to 3/16th of an inch in length. Before these pests feed, their appearance is brown in color and flat in body shape. After feeding, they become red, swollen, and longer in body length. These pests will often get around by hitchhiking through certain items. Adult bed bugs can be spotted by the human eye, but nymphs are harder to spot, as they are smaller and paler in appearance.
Where Do I Find Bed Bugs in My Home?
Bed bugs will infest several areas in the home, including behind baseboards, around mattress buttons, within bedding, electrical switch plates, picture frames, and more! There are certain warning signs of a bed bug infestation, including seeing their feces, casings, bloodstains on sheets, bites on yourself or family members, and their eggs. The best evidence, however, is seeing these pests crawling around in your home.
How Can I Avoid Bed Bugs?
These pests are notorious hitchhikers, catching a ride inside your home through suitcases, old furniture, packages, clothes, and even houseguests. It’s important to be vigilant when traveling or having guests throughout the year. Check out our top preventative measures to avoid a bed bug infestation below,
- Reduce the clutter throughout your home
- Vacuum out suitcases when returning from a trip
- Check your bed linens and mattresses periodically, especially after you have had houseguests
- Thoroughly inspect any used furniture before bringing it inside your home
- After traveling, wash your clothes in hot water and dry them on high heat
If you’ve noticed signs of bed bugs or are looking to get ahead of bed bug prevention, consider reaching out to your local South Florida pest control company! These professionals will inspect your home, locate entry points, and recommend a treatment and prevention plan for your home.
Jan 18, 2023 | Bed Bug
The new year is here and it’s time to get your vacations planned for the upcoming months. Don’t let those vacation plans get ruined by bed bugs! These pests are highly efficient hitchhikers and can move quickly and climb easily into luggage or anything left on a bed in just one night. Hotels and Airbnb’s are the perfect home for bed bugs and are typically where they can be picked up. Here are some tips to prevent bed bugs while traveling!
Detailed Inspection
Once arriving at your home away from home during your vacation, be sure to inspect anything and everything where a bed bug could be hiding. Look for live insects, blood stains, and eggs throughout the room. Typically, with larger infestations, you will notice a sweet, musty odor.
The best place to inspect is the mattress you will be sleeping on. Be sure to take the fitted sheet off the corner of the bed, lift the mattress, and check all the crevices with a flashlight. Other hiding places include baseboards, behind picture frames, and even cracked or ripped wallpaper.
Elevation is Key
Before using the luggage rack, which you should always use, inspect it for bed bugs. Once cleared, you should then use the rack to keep your luggage elevated off the ground. Keep the rack away from the wall so bed bugs can’t easily climb into your bag.
Checking Out
When beginning to pack for check out, examine your luggage and clothing to make sure you haven’t picked up any extra baggage. A good tip to know is once home, unpack in your garage or outside of your living areas, and put clothes directly in the dryer, as heat is a deterrent for bed bugs.
If you suspect you have returned home from vacation with hitchhikers, reach out to your local, licensed pest control company and receive a FREE bed bug inspection today!
Nov 16, 2022 | Bed Bug
Typically, when temperatures begin to drop, that means many bugs go into a sort of hibernation mode. This isn’t necessarily the case for bed bugs. Being predominantly indoor pests, they tend to survive the colder months. It’s also a big time for them to spread because of all the holiday travels, so always be aware of any pests that could ruin your holiday fun.
There are many ways that bed bugs can spread from one location to another. They will climb into our belongings and can lay their eggs in them. We will then carry these items from a location of infestation to a new location. Even if your bags or items are left outside, it will take a while for them to be harmed by the cold, as they are more resilient to the cold than they are to the heat. And since they will be hiding in our items, they will be protected from the wind and cold air.
Here are some tips to follow while travelling, so you can prevent bed bugs from home with you.
- Don’t put your clothing or luggage directly on the bed. This will allow any present bed bugs to climb into your bag.
- Use metal luggage racks at all times, since bed bugs find it more difficult to climb metal surfaces.
- Use small plastic bags to pack clothing.
- They can also be found on airplane and train seats, so be aware of your surroundings while travelling.
If you believe you have picked up bed bugs while on your travels, be sure to call your local pest control company and they will be able to assist you with a customized plan of action.
