Are There Bedbugs Lurking In Your Home?

You may think that bed bugs can only be found in unkempt apartment buildings and hotel rooms. A B Pest Control & Insulation knows this to be false. They've actually been spotted all over towns and cities, even in the nicest of establishments and homes. These tiny reddish-brown insects are far more widespread than you may realize. Your pest control company at the Lake of the Ozarks is here to better inform you of where to keep your eye out for these pesky and opportunistic creatures and what to do if you come across them.

Although bed bugs can show up just about anywhere, it's less likely that people transport them home when their numbers are low and it's a non-bed environment. Bed bugs generally tend to live within 8 feet of where people sleep. They're also most active in the late hours of the night and tend to hide in the day. Because of this, chances of picking up bed bugs by walking into an infested dwelling, especially during the day, is less likely to occur. Not impossible, though.

Outside of homes nad hotels, there are some spots where bed bugs may be in larger numbers and where you need to be more alert. Here's what you should know:

What a Bed Bug Looks Like
Bed bugs have small, flat, oval-shaped bodies. They are wingless. Adults do have the vestiges of wings called wing pads, but they do not fully develop into functional wings. Adults are brown in color, although their bodies redden after feeding. Full-grown bed bugs move relatively slowly and measure between 4 to 5 mm. Newly hatched nymphs are approximately the size of the head of a pin and are white or tan until they feed. They often are described as being about the size and shape of an apple seed.

Look for Signs
An accurate way to identify a possible infestation is to look for physical signs of bed bugs. When cleaning, changing bedding, or staying away from home, look for:

• Rusty or reddish stains on bed sheets or mattresses caused by bed bugs being crushed.
• Dark spots (about this size: •), which are bed bug excrement and may bleed on the fabric like a marker would.
• Eggs and eggshells, which are tiny (about 1mm) and pale yellow skins that nymphs shed as they grow larger.
• Live bed bugs.

Where Bed Bugs Hide
When not feeding, bed bugs hide in a variety of places. Around the bed, they can be found near the piping, seams and tags of the mattress and box spring, and in cracks on the bed frame and headboard.

If the room is heavily infested, you may find bed bugs:

• In the seams of chairs and couches, between cushions, in the folds of curtains.
• In drawer joints.
• In electrical receptacles and appliances.
• Under loose wall paper and wall hangings.
• At the junction where the wall and the ceiling meet.
• Even in the head of a screw.

Since bed bugs are only about the width of a credit card, they can squeeze into really small hiding spots. If a crack will hold a credit card, it could hide a bed bug.

Protect Your Belongings
There's little need to keep your eyes constantly on the lookout for bed bugs. It is reasonable to look for signs of them in places where people live and/or sleep, especially where they receive a lot of transitional visitors. If you think there's a problem in your office, school, or another location, then store your handbags, coats and any other items that you'll bring home away from those of other people.

Treat with Heat
If you're concerned that you or someone in your family has brought home a stray bed bug, toss clothes, blankets, and anything else that may have been infected into a hot dryer for 30 minutes. This may work for an occasional bed bug, but it won't work to eliminate an infestation. Only a professional heat treatment will do that.

Call in the Experts if You See Bed Bugs
If you see a bed bug, don't freak out. One bed bug doesn't mean you have an infestation. However, when in doubt, it's best to have an experienced pest control professional come to your home and perform a detailed inspection. Since bed bugs feed on humans while they sleep, they're most commonly found in beds. However, they are resilient critters and will hide in cracks in walls, boxes, clothing and luggage. 

Visiting a bed bug infested area may inadvertently result in you bringing them back home with you. If this occurs, get rid of them by scheduling an appointment with A B Pest Control & Insulation. We've got an effective bed bug treatment that is cost-friendly. Call us today at 573-964-1100.

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PEST CONTROL COMPANY

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www.abpest.net

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