Bed Bugs In Your Home: FAQ
No one likes having to deal with a pest infestation in their home. One pest, in particular, that virtually all homeowners fear is the dreaded bed bug. These pesky insects can make your life miserable when they take up residence in your house. The following article answers some of the most frequently answered questions about these annoying critters.
Why are Bed Bugs in Your House?
Bed bugs infest houses for the same reason they lurk in hotels and motels, offices, and other buildings where people congregate: because human beings are a food source for them. Bed bugs feed on blood and are found in areas where people are present. They get into your home in various ways, typically by "hitchhiking" on the human body or through luggage and clothing or furniture.
For instance, if you spend the night in a hotel that has bed bugs, the pests can easily infest your clothing and come home in your luggage. They can also reside in used furniture, so if you buy a couch or sofa at a second-hand shop, make sure that it's not housing bed bugs.
What are the Signs of Bed Bugs?
It can be difficult to find bed bugs in your home because they are quite small and also because bites on your body that you might assume are from bed bugs could be from other insects. Check for reddish stains on your sheets or mattresses, which are the result of bed bugs being crushed. Also, dark spots on your bleeding or mattress might be bed bug droppings. Look for tiny white capsules near bedding or furniture; these are bed bug eggs.
What are the Best Treatment Options?
When and if you discover that you have a bed bug problem, then the next step is to consider your treatment options. One good idea is to encase both your mattress and your box springs. Doing this ensures that no bed bugs can get into your mattress or box springs and that any bed bugs in those areas are trapped and cannot cause harm. Encasement will not get rid of any bed bugs outside of the mattress or box springs, of course.
One of the best options is to use heat treatment. Bed bugs can't survive at extremely high temperatures, so having a professional pest control service use heating equipment to raise the temperature of all infested rooms for several hours should get rid of the problem permanently.
Contact a pest control service to learn more.