Bed Bug Diagnosis and Treatment

By November 29, 2022Bedbugs

 

Bed Bug Diagnosis and Treatment

Nobody wants to hear that they have bed bugs in their home or business. Despite their name, bed bugs don’t solely lurk in beds. They can be found in various areas of the home, as well as in hotels, office buildings, movie theaters, restaurants, and even on buses and other forms of public transportation. 

Bed bugs are nasty creatures that are hard to control. While they are not known to cause diseases, they cause itchy bites that can sometimes get infected. They can also leave debris throughout your home, such as blood, eggs, excrement, and outer shells. 

Think you might have bed bugs? Know the signs so you can eradicate them quickly and prevent future infestations. 

What Are Signs of Bed Bugs?

Wondering if you have bed bugs? They can fit into tiny spaces with ease, so it may be difficult to find them at first. However, you can perform a self-diagnosis of your home or area by looking for these signs:

  • Sweet, musty odor. A sweet, musty smell in your hotel room or other area, there may be a bed bug infestation. Bed bugs produce chemicals that produce this smell, but it can be hard to notice it.
  • Specks of blood. You might see small spots of blood in certain areas of the house, such as on bedding, mattresses, or upholstered furniture such as couches. Specks of blood could indicate a bed bug infestation. 
  • Tiny black specks. Small blackish specks on the bedding, mattress, or couch cushions may be signs of bed bug excrement.
  • Exoskeletons. Bed bugs shed their outer shell and leave behind. If you see shell-like remains on the mattress or couch cushions, then it could be bed bug exoskeletons.
  • Eggs. Female bed bugs lay white, oval eggs in cracks and crevices. However, they are very small and hard to spot.
  • Bites on your body. If you have a bed bug infestation, you may notice bites on your body. Bites appear in clusters of 3-5 in a zigzag pattern. They appear as itchy welts that may last for over a week.
  • Sightings. Sometimes sightings of these annoying pests are possible. Bed bugs are very small — about the size of an apple seed. So while rare, you may be able to see them scurrying around your home.

How to Get Rid of Bed Bugs

While even the cleanest can be infested with bed bugs, these creatures favor messy areas, so a thorough cleaning can help keep them out of your home for good and prevent them from infesting your home or business in the future. Here are some things you can do to get these unwanted house guests out of your living space:

  • Place bedding, clothing, and linen in the washer with hot water and dry them on the highest temperature setting. 
  • Vacuum around the bed and surrounding areas to suck up bed bugs and eggs. 
  • Keep bed bugs out of your mattress by encasing it and the box spring in a zippered cover. 
  • Repair cracks in the walls and other places around the home so bed bugs cannot enter.
  • Declutter your home, getting rid of anything you don’t need, particularly books and magazines. 
  • Use a steam cleaner and spray all the rooms in your home with it, focusing on baseboards, carpets, and closet areas. The steam will kill bed bugs and their eggs.

Professional Treatments

If you have bed bugs in your home, your best bet is to hire a professional. At Pointe Pest Control, we use two main types of treatment methods to get rid of bed bugs:

  • Heat treatments. Our heat treatment option is highly effective, since heat is a bed bug’s biggest enemy. We prepare your home for treatment and then raise the temperature to the point where every bed bug is eliminated regardless of life stage. Heat treatments are ideal for heavy infestations, since bed bugs can’t hide from the heat.
  • Liquid treatments. Our liquid treatment option creates a barrier that keeps bed bugs away from their nests and homes. Once they leave this area, they will be eliminated. Liquid treatment is effective for terminating the adults and nymphs, plus it keeps new eggs from hatching.

Contact Us Today

Bed bugs are annoying pests that can be tough to eradicate. If you have signs of them in your home or business, seek professional pest control to get rid of them for good.

Pointe Pest Control offers several treatment options to eliminate these nasty bugs. Stop living in fear. Reclaim your home today. Request a free estimate with us today by calling (866) 633-1573 or filling out the online form.

 

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