Bed bugs are notorious for being one of the hardest pests to eradicate. The best way to prevent them from getting inside your home is to be extremely vigilant, checking yourself and your belongings if you happen to be in a place where you can find these pests. However, infestations can still occur, even when you're careful.
Most do-it-yourself bed bug pest control methods fail, leaving homeowners tired and frustrated. Check out this informative article to learn about the habits of bed bugs, where they hide, and why you should rely on an exterminator to fight an infestation.
All The Places Bed Bugs Can Hide In Your Home
Bed bugs are one of the worst pests to infest your home. They are known as expert travelers because of the way they hitch rides on unsuspecting people and animals as they move from place to place. Bed bugs hide in hotel rooms, public transportation, and even in theaters and schools. If you're not careful, you could wind up with some extra pest passengers and bring them home with you.
Once bed bugs are inside, they spread out and cover every corner of your home, making bed bug control extremely difficult. Here are several places where they commonly hide:
- In cracks or holes in your headboard
- In the seams of your mattress and box spring
- Along baseboards and seams where walls meet the floor
- Inside electrical outlets
- Underneath wallpaper
- Behind wall hangings and décor
- Inside electronics
- Inside furniture cushions
- Underneath and inside the carpeting
- Within clothing storage boxes and dresser drawers
Because they are so small, bed bugs can fit just about anywhere. Contact a local pest control company, like Brandley Pest Control, to kill bed bugs at the first signs of these pests in your home.
Bed Bug Infestations Only Get Worse With Time
When they remain undetected, bed bugs become more and more challenging to eradicate. One of the main reasons they're so difficult to get rid of is their rapid reproductive cycle. Females only lay one egg per day, but this quickly results in exponential growth. If you don't get rid of every single bug, they'll continue to reproduce. Bed bugs are also very hardy pests and don't need frequent meals. They can easily survive on one meal per week. Because they aren't constantly in search of a food source, they can spend more time hiding from you.
Although bed bugs can be hard to treat, the signs of an infestation are easy to spot once you know what to look for. In addition to spotting actual bugs in your home, look for red and brown blood and fecal stains on bedding and clothing. These spots may also be on your walls, flooring, and furniture. Bed bug bites are sometimes hard to notice, as many people don't feel them at all. They appear on the body as small red bumps that sometimes itch, and they frequently form in a linear pattern. Bed bugs shed their skins as they grow, so keep an eye out for molted shells and body parts. You may also notice bed bug eggs and eggshells.
Do-It-Yourself Bed Bug Control Is A Waste Of Time And Money
Many homeowners try to use do-it-yourself pest control methods to kill bed bugs, which often results in wasted time and energy. Their elusive nature and frequent reproduction are a huge cause of frustration. Professional exterminators use comprehensive treatment techniques that are highly efficient at removing bed bugs and preventing them from returning. One of the methods they use is extremely high heat. Special heaters are placed throughout the home to kill the pests wherever they're hiding. Professionals can also use certain insecticides and fumigation.
Contact The Pros At The First Sign Of Bed Bugs In Your Home
Don't let a bed bug infestation ruin your home. At Brandley Pest Control, we're a trusted source of Oklahoma City pest control, helping area homeowners fight even the toughest bed bug problems. Our extermination team has training in the latest pest control solutions that will eradicate infestations and keep insects out of your home for good. Find out more about how our pest control methods can kill bed bugs by calling us today.