Bed Bug Pest Control: Methods to Get Rid of Bed Bugs
They go bump in the night, feed on the blood of mammals, and are always travel-ready. We’re not talking about zombies; they’re even more hellish, and they can wreak a lot of havoc, despite their apple-seed size. You and I know them as bed bugs!
What Are Bed Bugs?
Bed bugs are parasitic insects that live by feeding on the blood of warm-blooded animals. They’re called bed bugs because they prefer to live in houses, especially beds or other areas where people sleep.
Bed bugs are mainly active at night, though they’re not strictly nocturnal, and even though they can live for a year without feeding, they normally try to feed every five to ten days. After feeding, they hide for about a week and spend their time digesting their meal, mating, and laying eggs. Bed bugs don’t transmit diseases, but their bites can become red, itchy welts.
Bedbugs have been around for thousands of years. They like to travel and will hide in suitcases to be near a food supply. They can hide behind baseboards and in cracks, crevices, and folded areas of beds, bedding, and adjacent furniture, especially cloth furniture. Bed bugs can also hide in electrical switch plates, picture frames, wallpaper, making them difficult to get rid of.
What Do Bed Bugs Look Like?
Adult bed bugs are light to reddish-brown, flattened, oval shaped (like a small apple seed) and have front wings, but no hind wings. Adults grow to 4–5 mm in length and 1.5–3 mm wide, but babies are only about the size of a speck of dust.
How to Know if You Have Bed Bugs
The following tips will help you determine whether you have these little pests. Tap or click on the arrows to see more.
Check the bed for signs of their feces: small, black, or dark brown dots on sheets or the mattress.
While bed bugs mostly hide out during the day, you may be able to spot the actual bug at night. (using a flashlight may be helpful.)
Regularly inspect places where pets sleep for signs of bed bugs.
In some heavily infested areas, a “coriander-like” odor may be present.
If you suspect you’ve been exposed to bedbugs while traveling — vacuum out your suitcase and wash all clothes in the hottest water possible.
How to Get Rid of Bed Bugs
We have an inexpensive test so you can check to see if you have bed bugs and we carry mattress protectors to prevent them from invading your bed. We also sell an inexpensive spray you can use on your luggage to prevent bed bugs and you can take our bed bug detectors with you when you travel, too, so you can sleep with peace of mind.
We have been extremely successful in showing people how to control bed bugs. It’s time consuming, but not difficult to do. We will help put together a very specific plan for you to prevent bed bugs or to eliminate them. Our products are safe, professional-strength, and are proven winners in the fight against bed bugs.
How to Prevent Bed Bugs from Coming Back
For those who live in an apartment, you probably already know that management sometimes schedules routine maintenance, including spraying for pests. But if you have just done bed bugs treatment in your apartment or complex, you may want to know how to prevent bed bugs from coming back. Just in case you either see a bed bug that got away from the treated area or to ensure that a bed bug that managed to escape the treated area doesn’t pop up and start another infestation. Bed bug follow-up treatment is key to keeping these little buggers away.
If you want to monitor your home for bed bugs following the treatment your landlord already did, there are a few things you can do NOW:
- Purchase a 4pk of our Bed Bug Monitors. They cost less than $20 and will provide you with an easy-to-inspect tool that lasts for 6 months.
- Do a visual inspection daily for any live or dead stragglers. Bed bugs are tiny, with babies looking like dust and adults around the size of an apple seed, so you’ll have to look closely.
- Review the treatment of bed bugs for key elements that should have been addressed:
- What were the chemicals/products used? Were they professional grade?
- Was there a “crack and crevice” application in addition to a “tank” treatment?
- Was a sterilant used to prevent future bed bug births? If not, it should’ve been.
Customer Reviews
Frequently Asked Questions
As people travel, bed bugs are usually transported from one place to another. Wherever they can hide, bed bugs travel in luggage, overnight bags, folded clothes, bedding, and furniture.
There is no evidence that bed bugs spread disease. A bed bug infestation can be an annoyance because they cause itching and sleeplessness. The itching can sometimes result in excessive scratching, which can increase the risk of secondary skin infections.
If you visit an area infected with bed bugs, you are at risk of getting them. The risk of being bitten and or spreading a bed bug infestation is higher for those who travel frequently and share living and sleeping quarters where others have previously slept.
There is usually no serious health risk associated with bed bug bites. In order to treat a bite, it is best to avoid scratching the area, apply antiseptic creams or lotions, and take an antihistamine. Insecticide spraying is commonly used to treat bed bug infestations. Contact Bug and Weed Mart if you suspect you have an infestation.
Bed bugs are light to reddish-brown, flattened, oval shaped (like a small apple seed) and have front wings, but no hind wings.
Adults grow to 4–5 mm in length and 1.5–3 mm wide, but babies are only about the size of a speck of dust.
No. To learn more read our blog article.
Pest Control Products from a Company that Knows How to Get Rid of Bed Bugs
Bug & Weed Mart has several locations around the Phoenix metro area where we sell the products that can help you get rid of Bed Bugs
Related Articles
It’s Not Actually a Bed Bug; Bugs That Look Like Bed Bugs
DIY Bed Bug Extermination
Do Bed Bugs Fly?
Bed Bugs & Travel: Protect Yourself