Bed bugs are tiny insects, which, when fully grown, are barely 5 millimetres long. These minuscule, brown-coloured organisms feed on human or animal blood to survive.
Feeding time for the insects is night time when humans are sleeping, and this is when the seed-like, flightless bugs swell in size upon consuming the blood of its victims. Although their bite isn’t too painful, it is the resulting itch that can be a great annoyance and unsightly condition.
For an insect, bed bugs are pretty sly creatures that know exactly where to hide to protect themselves. If left undetected, the female bed bug can lay as many as 200-500 eggs over the span of six to eight weeks. With their ability to multiply so rapidly, they are a challenge to eradicate. While they are not known to spread any life-threatening diseases, they are considered pests to be removed because they make sleeping such torture for the inhabitants of the bed.
Where would you find bed bugs?
As the name suggests, bed bugs’ favourite hideouts are people’s beds. That’s where they get the easiest access to a host that they can suck blood from. However, bed bugs also infest other items where they can reach a source of human or animal blood quickly. These include sofas, carpets, bags, cushions and clothes. It doesn’t help that these organisms reproduce so rapidly! If you suspect a bed bug infection, don’t limit yourself to checking the bed, but also inspect your other belongings.
The problem with bed bugs is that they are small, and they are excellent hiders. In other words, they are a challenge to spot. As their bodies are tiny and flat, these bugs can fit into the smallest of crevices of your furniture. Unlike ants and bees, bed bugs do not have a fixed location for their nest. Instead, they gather in groups and scatter around various hiding places in between feeding. Unfortunately, there is no easy way to hunt down these bed bugs. You would have to scour through every nook and cranny of your bed, under the bedsheets, between the joints of your bed frame, on your headboard, and every area imaginable. If you suspect a bed bug infection, you can engage for bed bug control services, as they will know best where to look for the presence of these bed bugs.
How to Remove bed bugs?
Bed bugs can enter your home through your belongings that got infested in a hotel room when you returned from overseas, or through second-hand items that you brought home. For pieces of clothing that are infested, it is possible to wash them in hot water to kill off the bed bugs. You can also do this to bed sheets and other fabrics. However, bed bugs can still hide in the crevices of your bed or in your home, making them nearly impossible to remove. To make things worse, bed bugs can lie dormant without feeding for up to 6 months. So when you think you’ve removed them, some of them may actually still be in hiding, and come out again to interrupt your beauty rest.
The best way to ensure your home is rid of bed bugs is to hire a professional bed bugs control service to handle the pests for you. Pest control companies are experienced in knowing where to look for the bed bugs, and the best methods to eradicate the bugs from your home. They are also certified to use stronger chemicals that can ensure the bed bugs are fully removed, rather than off-the-shelf pesticides that may not do the job. Even though strong chemicals are used, you can rest assured that the pest control providers would know how to maintain a safe environment that will not harm you and your family after the extermination process.
