What to look for, and how to respond, if you have Bed Bugs.
The younger the Bed Bug, the more difficult they are to spot. Full grown adults are about the size of a tick, flat, oval-shaped and medium brown. Adult bed bugs can grow up to 7 mm in length, while babies can be as small as 1.5 mm. Adult bed bugs are reddish brown in color, appearing redder after feeding, while young bed bugs are clear in color and become bright red after eating.
What to look for:
A bed bug’s body consists of a head, thorax, abdomen, and six legs. They also have wings (though they don’t fly), short hairs, a beak, and antennae. They can move quickly over floors, walls, and ceilings so you better pay attention.
Bed bugs are quite fruitful and can multiply rapidly. Don’t be fooled by the name either (bed bug), they aren’t assigned to just your bed. Bed bugs are found in just about everything. The most common places are beds, furniture & upholstery, luggage, electronics, pictures frames, carpet, and electrical outlets.
Bed bugs feed mostly on human blood, usually biting during the night when they are the most active. A single feeding can take up to 12 minutes, and they don’t mind traveling short distances to feast. Bed bugs secrete an odor through their glands often identified as both musty and sweet. Bed bugs leave behind reddish or rust-looking spots and yellow exoskeletons in their hiding places. These are remnants of previous meals and crushed bugs.
Bed bugs are nocturnal, but they will come out during the
day when desperate for food or in the event of an infestation. Bed bugs usually
nest in areas where people live, and they will hitch-a-ride on items like
backpacks and purses, thus spreading from home to home.
Bed bugs do not like extreme heat or cold. Common bed bugs will die when their body temperature is higher than 113°F or lower than 46°F; some tropical species can survive in higher temperatures.
I found bed bugs in my home ... now what?
Don’t delay, call a Pest Control Expert, someone trained and certified in Integrated Pest Management. Call Sigma Pest Control. We specialize in Heat Treatment as a guaranteed way to rid your home of bed bugs.
Do It Yourself bed bug treatments may reduce the bed bug population, but not all bed bugs can be killed in a single spray treatment. As a matter of fact, most bed bug pesticides do not kill the eggs. If you don’t kill the egg, then new bed bugs will continue to hatch and more eggs will continue to be laid. This creates a never-ending cycle of bed bug treatments needing to be perfectly timed to eventually rid your room of all bed bugs.
Don’t miss a spot either. Chemical treatments, if administered incorrectly, or at the wrong time, force the remaining bed bugs to move from the treated rooms to safer rooms. Next thing you know, you have a bed bug infestation in multiple rooms throughout your home.
The Final Word ...
Many homeowners throw their hands up in frustration and start tossing many of their belongings in the trash for a fresh start. But, before you move, and before you throw out your bed, couch, and other furniture, it is important to understand that a heat treatment will get into those hiding places. Heat radiates. There is no place those bugs can hide when confronted with temperatures of 120 °F.
Sigma Pest Control are your licensed and trained heat treatment experts. Our Bed Bug Control program is your answer to a bed bug free home. Call today for a FREE inspection and consultation – (540) 94-SIGMA.
