Did you know that bed bug infestations are still an annoying issue for most homes?
The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) of the United States said that the increase might be due to increased travel. Another reason behind their rise is the fact that most people have little knowledge about preventing infestations.
Did you travel around lately and suddenly wake up with itchy bites or rashes? You might have bed bugs!
If you don’t know how to tell if you have bed bugs, you might need a guide to common Florida bugs. Any of these bugs can become pests if you don’t control them on a regular basis. It gets especially bad when you have a bed bug infestation in your home.
Are you ready to know how to prevent bed bugs? Read on and find out:
How to Find Bedbugs
It’s always better to find the infestation early on. It’s important to ensure that it doesn’t become established and spread throughout your home. A minor infestation is an inconvenience to exterminate, but it costs far less than a full-on bedbug infestation.
The problem with these early infestations is that they’re hard to trace. You might mistake some insects like carpet beetles for bed bugs. If you end up with wrong identification, the bed bug infestation has more time to spread.
This means it might start new nests in other parts of your home. But if you’re counting on bed bug bites to identify an infestation, it’s a poor indicator. Most bites can look like the bites of other insects like mosquitoes.
There are some people who don’t react to bed bug bites too. But what’s the best way to identify a bed bug infestation?
Look for Signs of Bed Bugs
A better method of identifying possible infestations is to find the physical signs of the insects. That’s why it’s important to clean your home on a regular basis. Whenever you clean, change your bedding or return from a vacation, look for the signs of the insects.
A rusty, reddish stain on the bed sheets or mattresses could mean crushed bedbug remains. You also need to look out for small dark spots that might bleed on the fabric. These are bug droppings and it might look like marker stains.
You might also find eggs and eggshells that measure about 1mm. If you find pale yellow skins nearby, it’s the ones nymphs shed as they mature.
The most obvious sign of infestation is seeing live bed bugs scuttling about. But how do you find where the bed bugs hide?
Bed Bug Hiding Places
When they aren’t feeding, these insects hide in a lot of possible places. Your bed area has several hiding places-piping, seams, and mattress tags. They can also hide on the box springs and the bed frame cracks and headboard.
Rooms with heavy infestations make it easier for you to find the insects. Often, they’ll hide in the chair or couch seams, cushions, and curtain folds. They can make drawer joints and appliances as their nests too.
If you have loose wallpaper, you might find them there as well. Check the junction where the wall and the ceiling meet since it might house bed bugs there. What this means is to check your home in a thorough fashion every now and then.
Remember, bed bugs are tiny – they are only as wide as a typical credit card. That means they have the capability to squeeze their way into tiny hiding spaces. If any cracks can hold a credit card, it means it’s small enough to become a bed bug nest.
How to Prevent Bed Bugs
These insects are great in hitchhiking. They can move to new locations using furniture, luggage, or even individual clothing. They’re pretty resilient creatures since they can survive without feeding for several months to a year.
But how do you prevent bed bug infestations? Here are some tips:
1. Check Before Buying Secondhand Items
If you’re buying used furniture, you need to check for bed bug infestation signs. Check on the usual hiding spots to ensure that these bugs won’t find their way to your home. It’s especially important if you’re buying couches and beds.
2. Reduce Clutter and Protect Furniture
If your home remains cluttered, you’re giving bed bugs more useful hiding spots. What this means is that you need to de-clutter as much as you can. Finish them off by doing a regular home vacuuming.
Use covers to encase your mattresses and box springs. That helps in decreasing more hiding spots for the bugs. To detect infestations early, make sure to use light-colored pillow casing, blankets, and bed sheets.
Buy high-quality fabrics that resist tearing or those treated with pesticides for bed bug control. If you don’t have this, it’s important to check them for holes where bed bugs can hide.
3. Be Aware of Public Laundry Places
The past half-decade saw the decline of Laundromats. After all, the industry’s current total revenue in the United States is at $5 billion. One of the possible reasons is the possibility of bed bug infestation from these places.
If you’re transporting your clothes for washing, use plastic bags. Once you’re done using the dryer, put your clothes to the bag and fold it at home instead. The high heat dryer can kill off the bugs.
Learn How to Tell If You Have Bed Bugs Today!
Bed bugs are annoying insects that cause a lot of problems on your home.
The only relief you get is the fact that their bites don’t transmit diseases. Either way, it’s annoying and it can make your home lose its value. Hopefully, with this guide, you’ve mastered how to tell if you have bed bugs and can deal with them as soon as possible.
If you want to get the bed bugs exterminated, the least you can use is a bed bug bomb. But doing your own bed bug extermination can become tedious. It’s especially the case if you have a large-scale infestation in your hands.
What this means is you need the help of professional exterminators. After all, other insects like termites might also find your home a good place to stay in.
Contact us today to schedule an appointment. We can help with your bug problems with ease.
