Bed bugs are not something you ever want to see crawling in your bedroom or on your bed and truth be told it is unlikely you will see one there. However, there has been a resurgence of bed bug outbreaks across most metropolitan areas in the United States due to changes in pesticide use, changes in pest management in residential areas and increased international travel. Here are three things you should know about bed bugs to protect you and your loved ones from an infestation.
Prevention of Bed Bugs
Whenever you travel or visit a hospital or another person’s residence, inspect the mattress and box spring carefully for any signs of bedbugs. The bugs are tiny and are typically red after a feed or more translucent when babies or without a feed. They also can molt and have eggs that can be visible to the eye. Another telltale sign of bed bugs are tiny blood stains on light sheets from the bites they make on their source of blood. When there are signs of bites on your body they are often in a line or in clusters.
Bed Bugs are Hard to Find
Many times, bed bugs Salem OR go undetected for months or even years because they can find a home virtually anywhere and can go long periods of time without a food source of blood. They are tiny and can hide very easily and only come out in the middle of the night to eat. Often times the bites may not cause a reaction at all on people. They can attach themselves to any fabric or material like luggage, clothing or furniture or even the screw-head of a TV.
Extermination
Generally, the preferred treatment for exterminating a bed bug infestation is heat treatments or structural fumigation. These treatments can be costly and time consuming but produce the best results for complete elimination. Another challenge regarding treatment is when there are multi-family units in apartments or condos or townhomes where the spread is very easy and can be hard to eliminate unless every single affected unit is treated.