Green and Energy-Efficient Pest Solutions
Whether it’s your home or business, Pointe Pest Control has you covered with expert pest management solutions. We offer free quotes, consultations, and tailored plans to meet your unique needs. First-time customers can also enjoy an exclusive discount! Take the first step toward a pest-free environment today—schedule your free estimate now.
Pointe Pest Control Your Bed Bug Control Experts
Bed Bugs aren’t just limited to your bed anymore. They’ve infiltrated office buildings, hotels, restaurants, movie theaters even public transportation. Bed bugs are tough to eradicate. Due to the difficulty in treating bed bugs, entomologists recommend using professional pest control services. That’s where Pointe Pest Control comes in. Our certified bedbug exterminators are ready to assist you.
Bed Bug Inspection
When dealing with bedbugs, our technicians know how to inspect. Using the most current technologies, we’ll identify potential and current hot spots throughout your home or building. Bed bugs are resilient, so we use a variety of methods in order to eradicate bed bug infestations. We work hard so you can rest easy. You shouldn’t have to fight to fall asleep at night because your anxious about being bitten. Let us take care of the issue for you so that you can enjoy your home again.
Heat Treatment
Our heat treatment option is highly effective. Only a few preparations are necessary to adapt your home for treatment. Then we raise the temperature of the entire infested area to the point where every bed bug is eliminated regardless of life stage. Heat treatments are the perfect remedy for heavy infestations. Bed bugs won’t be able to hide from the sustained heat. If you have a serious bed bug infestation, a heat treatment is the right option for you.
Liquid Treatments
Lucky for us, bed bugs are creatures of habit. They like to stay out of the light, and don’t mind waiting for the perfect time to feed. They can hide in desks, sofas, chairs and even electrical outlets. Our liquid treatment option will create a barrier that keeps bed bugs away from their desired domain. When bed bugs venture out to feed, they will be eliminated. Our technicians will target the identified areas of infestation, terminate the adults and nymphs, as well as prevent any new eggs from hatching.
Prevention Plans
If you don’t have bed bugs and want to keep it that way, give our technicians a call. We’ll sit down with you and develop a prevention plan that is unique to your situation. There are a variety of ways in which bed bugs can gain access to the spaces around you, and they have nothing to do with cleanliness. If you travel to an infested environment, bedbugs can hitchhike in briefcases, bags, and clothing. We can help educate you with bed bug awareness, in order to reduce the risk of invasion.
Bed Bug Heat Treatment Preparation
Items customer should prepare prior to treatment:
- Remove – Persons, plants and animals.
- Remove or place in refrigerator – Candles, wax items, crayons, lipstick and other cosmetics that might melt.
- Remove-Gunsandammunition. Ammunitionmayloseitspotency.
- Remove – Soft “vinyl” and plastic items like mini blinds and vinyl records as they may warp.
- Remove – Aerosol cans and all other combustible items.
- Magnets (like those used to hold notes on refrigerators) – Place on counter or in refrigerator.
- Fresh fruits and vegetables, chocolates, carbonated beverages, wines and other liquors, artificial sweeteners, vitamins and medicines should be placed in the refrigerator.
- Picture frames need to be removed from the wall and placed on the floor below. The hot melt glue may soften, causing the frame to separate and fall off the wall.
- Remove – Antiques – if antiques cannot be removed, contact your POINTE Representative for instructions.
Items that should not be removed from treatment site:
- All clothing (including clothing in closets and drawers), shoes, backpacks, boxes, luggage and bags should not be removed. Clothing should be hung on hangers or put in the clothes dryer on a high heat setting. After going through the drying cycle clothes should be placed in large clean black bags and marked to designate that they have been treated in the customer’s dryer.
- All electronics, radios, televisions (including plasma and LCD), stereo systems, and portable heaters
- should not be removed. IT IS IMPORTANT TO NOT TURN ELECTRONICS ON FOR TWO HOURS AFTER TREATMENT IS COMPLETED.
- Disconnect ALL Smoke detectors.
- Musical instruments. Instruments may de-tune due to expansion and contraction.
- Oil Paintings – should be moved to one room inside the structure so they can be treated by the technicians. The technicians will treat the oil paintings prior to moving the paintings outside the heat treatment zone.
Special Instructions
Please do not open vinyl windows or turn on the air conditioner or heater for at least two hours after the heat treatment. The structure should be allowed to naturally cool down.
*If unable to complete any of these items, you MUST contact your POINTE Representative prior to treatment.
Click on the document link below to print a copy to refer to at any time.
Heat Treatment Instructions/Prep Document
Pointe Pest Control ALL RIGHTS RESERVED – DO NOT COPY
Bed Bug Liquid Follow Up Preparation
#1 – Safety 1st:
Remove ALL people (residents) and pets (including birds, fish, etc.), and stay away for 4-6 hours AFTERtreatment.
#2 – Reduce, Remove, and Organize:
Provide a clean, open environment that will allow the Pointe Technicians to access ALL areas of your home. They need to access ALL of the places, that don’t normally get access – under beds, behind dressers, back corner of closets, behind book shelves, under night stands, behind headboards, etc…
Clean ALL laundry piles, gather and put away ALLtoys, have ALL dishes done, and vacuum ALL carpet. The technicians need a CLEAN, OPEN environment.
#3 – Avoid Additional Fee’s:
To avoid a reschedule fee, clean‐up fee, or delayed start fee, call your Pointe representative to discuss preparations that have been completed and verify that your residence is ready to go.
Delayed start fee (up to 10% of the contract value) can be applied if the Pointe Technicians are unable to begin the job because the premises is not ready. Including but not limited to tenants still in property, doors locked or no access, preparations not complete, pets not being secured and removed, etc…
Cleaning fee (up to 10% of the contract value) can be applied if PPC technicians need to bag or remove cluttered items including but not limited to clothing, toys, storage items, books, papers, etc…
Reschedule fee (up to 30% of the contract value) will be applied if the job needs to be rescheduled. To avoid a reschedule fee, contact your PPC representative 48 hours prior to your service.
*If unable to complete any of these items, you MUST contact your Pointe Representative prior to treatment.
Click on the document link below to print a copy to refer to at any time.
Pointe Pest Control ALL RIGHTS RESERVED – DO NOT COPY
What to Expect After Your Treatment
Bed Bug Infestation Severity: Low, Medium, or High
- Low: After your initial treatment, you should be bed bug FREE (unless there is a re-infestation or a re-introduction). If you see ANY bed bug activity in the next few days or weeks please communicate this to our office.
- Medium: After your treatment today, it is possible to see bed bug activity for the next 7 to 14 days. Today we killed ALL or MOST ALL of the bed bugs. Any survivors should DIE OFF from the residual liquid treatment we applied today (in addition to the heat treatment).
- High: after today’s treatment, it is likely to see bed bug activity for the next couple of weeks. We applied a liquid barrier today (in addition to the heat treatment), and recommend additional liquid treatments every 2 or 3 weeks until the bed bugs have been eliminated. Please contact our office to schedule a follow up treatment.
* Please keep any sample bed bugs in a glass jar and monitor for a few weeks.
* Please document and share with us where you see bed bugs, so we can provide the most effective follow up treatments.
Frequently Asked Questions About Bed Bugs
Bed bugs are becoming more and more common, but people still don’t know a lot about them. These creatures are notoriously difficult to get rid of, and once a home is infested, they can cause a lot of stress, and a lack of sleep. Like with most critters, the best treatment is prevention. As such, it’s important to understand what bed bugs are, which treatments are effective, and how to avoid bringing them into your home. So, what are bed bugs? How can you find them in your home, and what can you do to get rid of them? These are just a few of the questions people have about bed bugs. The answers to these and many more questions are below.
What are Bed Bugs?
Bed bugs are insects that feed on human blood, mostly at night. Although these bites aren’t usually harmful to humans, they do have a number of impacts and they are extremely annoying. Those living with a bed bug infestation often wake up to several red, itchy bites.
There are two species of bed bugs that are most commonly found in homes. These are Cimex lectularius and Cimex hemipterus. These bugs vary in size from one to seven millimeters (roughly the size and color of an apple seed full grown ). Although many think they cannot be seen by the human eye, that’s not true. Bed bugs can be detected either by finding the actual bugs or observing the evidence they leave behind, such as fecal spots, cast skins, eggs and blood spots. When looking for bed bugs it’s a good idea to use a flashlight and a magnifying glass, so they are easily visible and so treatment can begin right away.
Bed bugs like to live primarily in beds and furniture. They are also known to hitchhike by climbing into luggage and traveling to another location to make their home in a new place. This is one reason bed bugs have become so prevalent throughout the world today.
Bed bugs are incredibly difficult to get rid of once a home has become infested. There are many different types of treatments and they may not all work for every type of infestation. Additionally, sometimes several treatments may be needed before a problem is eradicated completely.
Where Are Bed Bugs Found?
As their name suggests,they are most commonly found in different areas of the bedroom, particularly box springs and mattresses. However Bed Bugs can be found anywhere throughout a home including; couches, recliners, headboards, dressers, baseboards, picture frames, electrical outlets and the list goes on.
According to the National Pest Management Association (NPMA) in their 2018 study, Bugs Without Borders, there are a number of common areas bed bugs can be found. These include:
Hotels and motels
Nursing homes
Schools and daycare centers
Office buildings
College dormitories
Hospitals
Public transportation
While two decades ago, bed bugs weren’t a major concern, they are found in all 50 states today and nearly every other area of the world due to their adept ability to translocate.
What do Exterminators Use for Bed Bugs?
There are many different treatments exterminators will used for bed bugs. Not all of them will work for all infestations. Bed bugs are easily adaptable and treatment that was effective ten years ago may not be as effective today. .
Diatomaceous earth is one treatment that can be effective but has varying success. More often than not self treatments are done incorrectly, and cause the bugs to spread to other areas of the home and embed themselves deeper into hiding. This is caused by the low concentration of active ingredients in the consumer grade products vs the professional grade products used by exterminators. An un-successful treatment from this type of product makes the bugs harder to locate and treat moving forward, and inevitably increases the expense of the service.
Other treatments include extreme temperatures such as lowering or increasing the temperature of a space to an extreme degree. Heat treatments are particularly effective in treating all stages of bed bugs, including their eggs.
Professional grade pesticides are sometimes used to eliminate bed bugs. On rare occasions this can be problematic, as bed bugs can become resistant to certain pesticides over time. Whichever pesticide a certain exterminator chooses to treat bed bugs, it will likely fall into one of three categories. These are: natural pyrethrins, synthetic pyrethrins and inorganic materials.. All of these products are designed to attack the bed bug’s anatomy, mainly their exoskeleton and neurological systems, and eventually lead to their death.
Regardless of the type of treatment used for bed bugs, it’s not uncommon for a space to require several treatments. Bed bugs are not easy to get rid of and they can be resistant to pesticides. In many instances, one treatment simply is not enough to fully eliminate the problem. Two or three may be needed before the bugs are gone entirely.
What is a Heat Treatment for Bed Bugs?
A heat treatment is one method pest control companies often employ to get rid of bed bugs. This treatment works by destroying the cells of the bed bugs, and causing them to stop functioning. This is due to the fact that once these cells reach a certain temperature, it breaks down the bug’s actual DNA.
A bed bug’s cells begin to break down at about 113 degrees. This temperature is not necessarily high enough though, to kill the bed bugs altogether. For this reason, pest control services will typically use a heat treatment that reaches temperatures much higher than this and maintained for several hours.
Pest control services will use portable industrial heaters to get a home or space to reach these temperatures. They will also seal off entrances and exits, so the heat cannot escape. After getting the home to the proper temperature, the heat is left on for four to six hours, then with the assistance of fans and technicians the heat will permeate into all the cracks and crevices of a home, even those that are often cooler than the rest of the home. Very high temperatures and constant air movement are needed to penetrate all of these areas to kill the hard to reach bugs.
The only problem associated with heat treatment is that there are cold spots in every room of a home. These are often found in areas next to a wall cooled by outdoor air, areas close to ceilings, floors, and walls, that aren’t properly insulated, and gaps inside furniture, where bed bugs like to hide. Very high temperatures are needed to penetrate all of these areas to kill the hard to reach bugs.
What Keeps Bed Bugs Away?
Due to the fact that bed bugs are so hard to get rid of, the best treatment is prevention. Fortunately, there are a number of ways to prevent bed bugs from getting in.
The first way is to inspect any secondhand furniture you purchase. Secondhand furniture is a great way to save money and stay on budget. It’s also a great way to bring bed bugs into the home. Bed bugs love to live in furniture, and moving a couch or chair from one place to another isn’t going to get them off the furniture. Always make sure to check along the seams of furniture, particularly upholstery, to check for the signs of bed bugs, or that bed bugs were once there.
Even before bringing the furniture into your home, also be sure to give it a thorough cleaning.
Do not bing it into your home before thoroughly inspecting and cleaning all surfaces with hot, soapy water.
Although regular inspections of your bed and bedding won’t keep bed bugs completely away, it will help you spot signs of an infestation earlier. This can help you eliminate the problem quickly. Checking your sheets doesn’t have to be done on a nightly basis. Simply looking for bed bugs, and signs of bed bugs, when you change your bedding should be enough. Also keeping your mattress and box spring in a tight-fitting plastic or cloth covering, which will keep bed bugs from infesting those items.
When traveling, always check your room for bed bugs, as well. Before you bring your belongings into your room do an inspection of the room being careful not to put anything on the bed or furniture before you are sure there are no bugs present. One of the reasons bed bugs have become so prevalent today is because they travel so well. They can live in hotel rooms and, when guests come in, the bed bugs pick up on the CO2 and heat from them or their belongings. Eventually, the guest takes the bed bugs homeand they spread even further.
While some or all of these remedies may work, there’s only one way to get rid of bed bugs and keep them away if you already have an infestation. That is to call a pest control provider that can effectively get rid of the creatures and keep them out.
What are the most common Bed Bug Control Methods?
There are many different types of bed bug control methods in use today. The treatment used for any specific infestation will depend on a number of factors. However, the most common methods of bed bug control include:
Pesticides: As one of the most common forms of bed bug control, pesticides are widely debated when it comes to their use on bed bugs. Bed bugs are largely known to be resistant to some forms of pesticides, which means not all of these substances will be effective in your specific infestation .
Inorganic materials: Sometimes pest control services will use inorganic materials, such as bed bug traps or amorphous silica gel. These too, are often used in conjunction with other bed bug control methods to increase the treatment’s effectiveness.
Heat treatment: One of the most effective forms of bed bug control is heat treatment. This type of treatment is one of the best ways to get rid of bed bugs, and has been shown to be very effective. In fact, extreme temperatures are one of the only ways to get rid of every stage of bed bug infestations.
These are just a few types of bed bug control options a pest control provider will use. It’s always important to speak to an inspector about the treatments they will be using, so you know how to prepare your home and what to expect.
How Do I Locate Bed Bugs?
Of course, you can’t get rid of an infestation if you don’t know it exists. It’s always best to find an infestation as early as possible, as it will be easier to get rid of the critters the earlier they are found. That being said, infestations that have not gotten completely out of hand are also more difficult to find and correct. Bed bugs are also easily mistaken for other bugs sometimes, such as carpet beetles. Due to this, many homeowners try to eliminate another problem, while the bed bugs keep spreading through the home.
There are a few classic signs that you may have bed bugs in your home. These include rusty or reddish spots on the bed sheets or on the mattress. This occurs when people roll over in their sleep and crush the bugs. Other spots may appear dark, which shows a bed bug’s excrement. This can bleed into the fabric the way dyes would. Another telltale sign that you have a bed bug problem are the eggs of bed bugs. These are very small, approximately one millimeter in size.
So, now that you know what to look for, where exactly should you look? There are a few common places bed bugs like to camp out. These include:
Furniture: When checking furniture for bed bugs, pay special attention to the seams of chairs and couches, around cushioned areas, and in the folds of furniture.
In drawers: The joints of drawers, which is where the two sides meet and form a corner. If there are interlocking components of the drawers, check these areas for bed bugs, as well.
Appliances and outlets: Fully examine electrical outlets to ensure there are no bed bugs inside the outlet, or around its cover.
Around walls: There are certain areas in walls bed bugs like to live. These include around wallpaper, particularly if it’s loose, wall hangings, and where the floor and ceiling meet.
A good rule of thumb is to remember that bed bugs can fit anywhere a credit card can and they will be relatively close to their food source. As such, check even the nooks and crannies of areas, looking for these small spaces.
Are Bed Bugs Sensitive to Light?
Bed Bugs typically hide out in the folds of mattresses and bedding and come out at night to feed. For this reason, many people actually keep the lights on when they’re sleeping, hoping this will deter the bugs from coming out. Unfortunately, all this will do is keep you from sleeping even more than the bed bugs.
It is true that bed bugs are nocturnal. It’s also true that they don’t particularly like light. They also don’t like heat and so, could be a bit sensitive to the warmth that radiates from certain lights. However, keeping the lights on will not prevent bed bugs from coming out from inside the mattress or bed and biting you. Although bed bugs don’t like the light, they still need to eat. Additionally, light certainly will not kill bed bugs, or irritate them enough to make them leave your home.
How to Identify Bed Bugs?
Bed bugs are not always easily spotted. Being that they mainly come out at night when people are sleeping, that makes it even more challenging to spot them. So, how can you identify them so you can get rid of them as quickly as possible? There are a few ways to tell whether you’re dealing with bed bugs, or another pest altogether.
Bed bugs are very small and flat. In fact, they can slip into any space that you could fit a credit card. They also have oval-shaped bodies, which can help distinguish them from other pests. Like many insects, they have six legs and two antennae. Although people don’t always realize it, bed bugs have hair that is short and golden in color. This doesn’t necessarily look like hair and actually gives bed bugs the appearance of having stripes.
Adult bed bugs look red or brown in color. They are usually about five or seven millimeters long. Shortly after they feed, bed bugs can swell, causing them to appear fatter and darker. Bed bug nymphs, or babies, are even smaller. They are approximately two to four millimeters in size, which is no bigger than the head of a pin. They remain white in color until they start to eat human blood. It’s this light color that allows nymphs to so effectively blend in with their surroundings, such as bedding and mattresses.
Knowing how to easily spot and identify bed bugs is important. When looking for bed bugs around the home, it’s a good idea to use a magnifying glass to do it. These creatures, particularly the nymphs, can be very difficult to see and a magnifier will help.
Can Bed Bugs get Into Your Nose, Mouth, and Ears?
When people learn that bed bugs are camping out near their faces at night, they have a common fear. That is that bed bugs may crawl into their nose, mouth, or ears, a thought that could make anyone feel creepy crawly. So, is it possible for bed bugs to do this?
While it is possible, it’s not likely to happen. Firstly, bed bugs have no interest in wandering into the human body. They can get everything they need right at the surface. Secondly, while bed bugs are typically very small, they can also be as big as the eraser of a pencil. This is simply too big to fit up nostrils and into ear canals. Even if the bug was really persistent, it would surely wake someone up and alert them to the fact that they had a real bed bug problem.
While not as common, people are also often concerned that bed bugs will get into their hair. While this is more likely than a bed bug getting into a person’s ears or nose, bed bugs really don’t want to spend time in your hair, either. They find it difficult to get out among all the small strands and so, will work fairly hard to get out if they find themselves in someone’s hair.
What are the Stages of Bed Bugs?
Like everything else in life, bed bugs have certain stages they go through from the time they are born until the time they die. It’s important to know what these stages are so that you can identify them and even determine how long you’ve had an infestation. If you find few adults for example but lots of nymphs, the infestation is likely still in its early stages.
Bed bugs start their life as an egg. These are milky white in color. These are extremely small, typically only one millimeter in length, which is no larger than a couple of grains of salt placed side by side and look like a miniaturized grain of white rice.
Once bed bugs come out of their eggs, they enter the five stages of nymphs called instars. The first instar is when they first hatch. They will start feeding right away, but they will not mate until they are fully mature. A blood meal is required to move to each subsequent instar stage. At this stage nymphs are only about 1.5 millimeters in size.
From the first instar, bed bugs will molt into a second instar. They will remain largely the same, but will be approximately 2 millimeters in length. During the third nymph instar, the bed bug will grow to be about 2.5 millimeters in length. In the fourth instar stage, bed bugs are approximately three millimeters long, while they grow to 4.5 millimeters in the fifth nymph stage.
After going through all five nymph stages, the bed bug is then officially an adult. They will have a lifespan of four to six months in most cases, although it’s not unheard of to hear of bed bugs living up to one year. After the bed bugs have become fully mature adults, they will begin to breed and start the life cycle all over again.
What are Home Remedies for Bed Bugs?
One of the first things people wonder when they discover a bed bug infestation is if there are any home remedies to get rid of bed bugs. Fortunately, there are many of these options available. Some of the most common home remedies for bed bugs include:
Consumer Grade Products: Consumer grade products can be used to kill Bed Bugs and when done correctly, can be particularly effective. More often than not self treatments are done incorrectly, and cause the bugs to spread to other areas of the home and imbed themselves deeper into hiding. This is caused by the low percentage of active ingredients in the consumer grade products vs the Professional grade products. A un-successful treatment from this type of product causes the bugs to be harder to locate and treat moving forward, and inevitably more expensive.
Vacuuming: Vacuuming is a very effective solution. You do have to be persistent in your efforts, and vacuum a minimum of every few days. Make sure you are thorough and vacuum your mattresses and soft furniture such as couches and chairs very well. Make sure to dispose of the bag each time you vacuum. Bed bugs can crawl out of the vacuum if not disposed of properly by placing the bag from the vacuum into a garbage bag and then tying it up to ensure they can not escape. Doing this avoids the risk of spreading bed bugs to other people or back into your home.
There’s a reason people say they clean ‘top to bottom.’ This works when you’re vacuuming for bed bugs, too. Start on higher surfaces and then move down, in case bed bugs run away from where you are cleaning. Make sure you pay special attention to floors, carpet, and cracks in the walls. After vacuuming, take the vacuum outside and remove the bag or canister and empty its contents far away from your home.
After you’re done vacuuming, it’s also helpful to run a stiff brush along the edges of the mattress and other pieces of furniture. This will help loosen any bed bugs or eggs that are still clinging on because the vacuum didn’t get them.
Vacuuming isn’t always an option as sometimes, these machines simply don’t reach into certain areas. When that is the case, steam cleaning is a good option. These machines can be rented and are very effective in getting rid of bed bugs. Steam cleaners can reach far past this point, which will kill any bed bug the steam hits. To avoid damaging your furniture, always check the manufacturer’s instructions and be sure to follow them.
Although some have found these home remedies to be effective, it’s best to leave a pest control problem to the experts. At Pointe Pest Control, we will eliminate your bed bug problem once and for all, so you can get the good night’s sleep you need.
What if Bed Bug Heat Treatment Didn’t Work?
Bed bug heat treatment is very effective and most of the time, it works when applied. Unfortunately, sometimes it doesn’t. When this happens, homeowners are frustrated and angry, and ready to do just about anything to get rid of bed bugs once and for all. So, what can they do?
Firstly, don’t throw out all of your furniture. Many homeowners take this drastic step, thinking it’s the only way to completely remove the bed bugs from their home. However, that’s not true. In fact, throwing out your furniture will do little to get rid of your bed bug problem. The chances are very good that there are still some bed bugs left in your home and so, it won’t help. Additionally, if you bring new furniture into your home, that too will get infested, which will likely add to your frustrations.
The only real answer after bed bug heat treatment doesn’t work is to speak to Pointe Pest Control. We have the experience and the correct methods to ensure that once we’ve treated a home for bed bugs, they don’t come back. Our treatments will eliminate bed bugs from even the deepest crevices where they like to hide. When you don’t want to take any chances and want to ensure your home will be bug-free, call us at Pointe to get the job done right.
What if Bed Bug Liquid Treatment Didn’t Work?
Liquid treatment for bed bugs typically means that pesticide is being applied to certain areas of the home, or perhaps even the entire home. While certain pesticides can be effective in getting rid of bed bug colonies, it’s also well-known that bed bugs have become increasingly resistant to pesticides over recent years. So, what do you do when this happens?
You should call us at Pointe Pest Control. Our bed bug control methods are proven to work, and we employ multiple different approaches tailored to your specific infestation, to ensure we take care of your infestation quickly and efficiently. If you’ve already treated for bed bugs once and you’re still dealing with them, you don’t want to take any more chances. At Pointe, we don’t either, which is why we always get it right the first time.
What do Bed Bugs Feed On?
There are many different types of bed bugs, but they all feed on blood. However, some species prefer one type of blood over another. Certain bed bugs need the blood of certain mammals to survive, while others will feast on any host’s blood they can find. Even this latter group still has preferences for certain hosts, but will still take whatever they can get when that preferred host is not available.
The most common type of bed bug is the Cimex lectularius. They prefer human blood and it is their primary energy source. When bed bugs are found in a home, they are most often this variety. This is particularly true when they are found around the bed area, where bed bugs primarily live.
It’s still important to understand though, that not all bed bugs found in a home will be this type. There is the possibility that another species, bat bugs, are present. If bat bugs are in a home, it’s likely bats are somewhere too. As their name suggests, bat bugs prefer feeding off of bats.
Sometimes, when the infestation is unusually high, bed bugs might feed off of animals. Unlike fleas though, they will not live on animals. For example, if a dog is lying on a bed that has bed bugs, the bugs may bite the dog for one feeding. They will then leave and return to their hiding place, or look for another host, such as a human nearby.
Will Bed Bugs Die if They have Nothing to Feed On?
In the case of many insects, homeowners get rid of them by simply taking away their food source. If someone has an ant problem, they’ll clean the surfaces in their kitchen and ensure there was no food lying around. They are a living creature and so, they cannot live without a food source. It makes sense then, that bed bugs would work the same way, right? The answer to that question is not as cut and dry as you may think. For example, going down and checking into a hotel for a few days isn’t going to solve the problem. While bed bugs do need a food source to survive, they can go quite a long time without one.
How long a bed bug can live without food depends on several factors. These include the age of the bug, if it is resistant to any pesticides, and the temperature of its environment. It also depends on the maturity of the bed bug.
Newly hatched bed bugs are called nymphs. These baby bed bugs go through five different stages before they are considered mature bed bugs. During each nymph phase, the bed bug molts and it must feed with each molt. Due to this, nymphs must feed more often than adult bed bugs. Even with this more frequent feeding, nymphs can still live for several weeks without a food source nearby.
Fully mature bed bugs typically feed every three to seven days. When they are living in a warm environment, they will feed quite regularly. When a bed bug wants to eat, it will leave its crevice and find the host. The length of feeding time will depend on several factors such as how much the bug ate at their last feed, how long since it has fed, and the developmental stage it is in.
Adult bed bugs can go five months or more without a meal. Even though they don’t feed as often as nymphs, and most of the colony is in a digestive phase, bed bug bites are still a real nuisance.
Can Bed Bugs Survive Water?
Bed bugs are extremely difficult to get rid of and when people find an infestation in their home, they often think drowning them may be the answer. It’s true that there are many bugs that can’t stand being in water for even just a few minutes. With bed bugs, the same is largely true, although they can remain strong in water for a short amount of time. Like so many other things with bed bugs, their ability to survive in water depends on several different factors.
Bed bugs can crawl just about anywhere, and can do so quite efficiently. They are not strong swimmers, though, relying mainly on their ability to float when in water. They can float very well due to the fact that they are so small and therefore, remain on the surface of the water quite easily. Once floating, bed bugs can remain in water for several days, as long as they don’t get pushed beneath the surface.
When bed bugs have just eaten, or are just larger by nature, they may not be able to float as well. Once they are submerged in the water, they will not be able to resurface. It will die shortly after sinking when this is the case, although if the water is cool, bed bugs will likely survive in it longer. A bed bug’s eggs on the other hand, can survive submerged in water for as long as 24 hours.
Understanding a bed bug’s aversion to water is an effective tool when trying to get rid of bed bugs. Furniture legs for example, can be wrapped and placed in a bowl of water to prevent bed bugs from climbing up them. Additionally, because bed bugs cannot be submerged in water, washing sheets and other linens in a washing machine with very hot water is also an effective way to get rid of bed bugs.
Once the bedding is finished washing, placing it in the dryer on the hottest setting will also ensure any bed bugs that survived the wash will be killed in the dryer. Make sure the cycle runs for at least 30 minutes on the highest temperature setting. If there are still areas of the home that need to be treated for bed bugs once the bedding is washed, place them in sealed bags. This will prevent bed bugs from escaping the treatment and finding a new home in your freshly washed sheets.
I Have a Clean House, Why Did I Get Bed Bugs?
Again, with so many insects, cleanliness is a huge factor as to whether or not they will make their way into your home. Rats, mice, ants, and cockroaches are just a few of the pests that are attracted to spills and other messes around a home. Due to this, many people try to keep a clean home to prevent these pests from entering their home. Then, they are shocked to learn that they have a bed bug infestation.
Bed bugs are not attracted to dirt, decay, or decomposing materials. They are only attracted to blood, and will search it out, regardless of the cleanliness of the environment. Bed bugs detect carbon dioxide emitted from humans and respond to warmth and moisture as they approach the potential host.
While many people have believed the myth that bed bugs are attracted to unhygienic environments, it’s not true. That myth, it’s believed, was perpetuated for two main reasons.
The first is that bed bugs have long since been associated with dirty motel rooms. However, even high-end hotels today have suffered their fair share of bed bug infestations. The fact that bed bugs only invade cheaper motel rooms simply isn’t true.
It is true that high-end hotels also have the resources to eliminate a bed bug problem quickly. Cheaper motels don’t always have the budget for this, though, which is one reason this myth is still so pervasive today. The fact that bed bugs may still be seen more often in cheaper motels has nothing to do with the cleanliness of them but rather, financial issues.
Many have also bought into the myth that bed bugs are attracted to dirty places often point to the fact that low-income households often suffer from bed bug infestations more than others. Like the budget differences of high-end hotels and cheaper motels though, this is also a financial issue. Completely exterminating bed bugs is sometimes costly, particularly when a large area such as an entire apartment building is infested. Lower-income households simply don’t always have the resources to pay for this.
While scouring your entire house clean will not prevent bed bugs from entering as long as you are still in it, it can help you spot bed bug infestations earlier. This can greatly aid with treatment and help you get rid of the bugs sooner.
How do I Treat and Diagnose Bed Bug Bites?
The first thing to know about bed bug bites is that not all people will show signs of bites. For example, two people can be sleeping in the same infested bed, person A has bites all over and person B has no bites. Why is this? This is not because one person is not getting bitten and the other is, rather one person just simply does not react to bites. That being said, having bites is the least reliable way of determining that you have an active bed bug infestation. Just as in the example, the two people could both have signs of bites but react in completely different ways, making it that much more difficult to diagnose if a bed bug was the culprit or not.
Bed bug bites can be itchy, irritating, and often inflamed. In most cases, these bites will heal within a week or two. Of course by then, those suffering from a bed bug infestation will likely have new bites they will have to contend with. For these, there are some home remedies available.
The first course of treatment people often try is an anti-itch cream, such as After Bite. This is a stick that has treatment within it and can simply be rolled over the bite. There is also a gel available, which has less of the alcohol content but more cooling components than the stick. Calamine lotion can also provide the same anti-itch relief.
Bed bug bites can become extremely itchy and sometimes, there is also a burning sensation. An oral antihistamine, such as those taken for allergies, can help reduce these symptoms and make the bites a bit more comfortable. When bed bug bites are particularly swollen and painful, an over-the-counter pain reliever, such as Tylenol or Advil, can help.
Although they are incredibly itchy, scratching bed bug bites can lead to cellulitis, which is a fairly serious infection. To prevent this, it’s important to wash all bites with warm soap and water and try to not scratch them or irritate them further.
The most serious reactions from bed bug bites come from those that are allergic to them. When this is the case, the only way to treat them is to call 911 immediately for urgent care.
Do I Need to Go to the Hospital for Bed Bug Bites?
Most bed bug bites don’t cause any harmful long-term health effects. There is no real way to treat them, and no prescription a physician can provide to treat the bites. However, there are times when you should go to the hospital for a bed bug bite.
The first is if you experience an allergic reaction to the bites. These allergies present themselves as hives, swelling of an area of the body, rashes, and other skin irritations. When a simple bite turns into any of these conditions, there is a good chance it’s an allergic reaction and you should go to the hospital immediately.
The only other time you may have to go to the hospital for bed bug bites is if it turns into cellulitis. This is a bacterial skin infection and it can turn fairly serious. The symptoms of cellulitis include a red patch on the skin that continues to expand, swelling, tenderness, pain, warmth, fever, and skin dimpling. When these symptoms are present, those that have been bitten by bed bugs should seek medical attention as soon as possible. This condition only develops from bed bug bites when they have been scratched excessively.
Allergic Reaction Symptoms from Bed Bugs
Bed bugs are insects that feed on human blood, mostly at night. Although these bites aren’t usually harmful to humans, they do have a number of impacts and they are extremely annoying. Those living with a bed bug infestation often wake up to several red, itchy bites.
There are two species of bed bugs that are most commonly found in homes. These are Cimex lectularius and Cimex hemipterus. These bugs vary in size from one to seven millimeters (roughly the size and color of an apple seed full grown ). Although many think they cannot be seen by the human eye, that’s not true. Bed bugs can be detected either by finding the actual bugs or observing the evidence they leave behind, such as fecal spots, cast skins, eggs and blood spots. When looking for bed bugs it’s a good idea to use a flashlight and a magnifying glass, so they are easily visible and so treatment can begin right away.
Bed bugs like to live primarily in beds and furniture. They are also known to hitchhike by climbing into luggage and traveling to another location to make their home in a new place. This is one reason bed bugs have become so prevalent throughout the world today.
Bed bugs are incredibly difficult to get rid of once a home has become infested. There are many different types of treatments and they may not all work for every type of infestation. Additionally, sometimes several treatments may be needed before a problem is eradicated completely.
How to Tell the Difference Between Hives and Bed Bug Bites?
Bed bug bites are often mistaken for hives, mainly because they are both due to an allergic reaction. It’s important those suffering from either are able to differentiate the two because they both require different forms of treatment. Additionally, if you suffer from bed bug bites and think it’s hives, an infestation that’s forming could get out of control. That will make getting rid of them much more difficult. To determine if you are suffering from bed bug bites or hives, there are seven differences you can look for.
Their size: Bed bug bites are fairly consistent in size, although two bites close together can look like one very large bite. Usually these bites are no larger than the eraser at the end of the pencil. Hives on the other hand, are varying sizes. Hives can be as big as a quarter or as small as a pimple.
Their color: Bed bug bites are always red, although the surrounding skin may appear lighter than normal. Hives range in color from pale to dark red, and even the same color as a person’s skin. Often the surrounding skin is also red.
Their shape: Hives and bed bug bites are typically raised from the skin. As they heal, they usually flatten out. Bed bug bites are almost always round, similar to mosquito bites. The edges are also quite even. Hives can be varying shapes, and their edges are typically uneven.
Their location: Bed bugs want easy access to blood and so, they’ll choose an area of the skin that’s not covered. When someone is lying in bed, this is typically the arms, legs, or neck. Hives can appear anywhere on the body.
Other people: If there is even one person in your household suffering from the same skin irritation as you, it’s likely that you have bed bug bites. If no one else has had any problems, particularly if it goes on for some time, the chances are you’re suffering from hives, which are not contagious.
Your history: If you have a history of allergies, consider if you’ve come into contact with anything that could trigger your allergy. If so, it’s likely hives and not bed bug bites.
Your home: Does your bedding or mattress have red, rusty spots, or small dots that look like ink from a pen? Do you see eggs and eggshells around the crevices of your mattress? Do you see bed bugs that are alive or dead? If you see any of these things around your home, you have a bed bug infestation. If you check your bedding and other areas, and there are none of these signs, it’s likely you have hives.
Knowing these differences and things to look for will allow you to seek the medical treatment you need more quickly.
Can Bed Bugs Transfer Diseases?
Pests aren’t only a pain to have in your house, they can also be harmful. Mosquitoes carry the Zika virus, along with a host of other potentially fatal diseases. This is one of the main concerns people have when they discover bed bugs in their homes, too. They worry that not only will they not get a peaceful night’s sleep, but that they’ll also contract a medical condition due to the bugs.
Fortunately, bed bugs are not known to transfer diseases to humans. The worst that can happen after a bed bug bites is that you experience an allergic reaction, or you develop an infection from excessive scratching.
What Health Risks do Bed Bugs Pose?
Bed bug bites affect people differently. Some have no reaction while others will experience just a small bite that is mildly itchy. Others will experience severe itchiness, while others still will develop an allergic reaction or an infection. Other than these, bed bugs do not pose any other health risks. While you certainly want to get rid of them if they are in your home, it’s mainly so you don’t have to live with them any longer, not because they’ll greatly affect your health.
Where Should I Check for Bed Bugs in a Hotel?
Bed bugs have become almost synonymous with hotel rooms. It’s not without reason. Hotel rooms have a lot of people coming and going, and they could be bringing in bed bugs with their luggage. When hotels become infested, the bed bugs don’t always stay there. They get back into the new luggage and go back home with the hotel guests.
Due to this, it’s become fairly common practice for people to check their hotel rooms before settling into their accommodations. So, where should you check for bed bugs in a hotel?
Firstly, don’t unpack but place your luggage into the clean bathtub or on a rack. Just make sure it’s not placed on the ground or bed before you’ve looked around. Grab your room key and a flashlight,you can even use the flashlight app on your smartphone. Take the linens off the bed and, starting at the corners, look for bed bugs. You should check for dark brown blood spots.
Next, closely examine the seams and folds in the corner of the mattress. Using your room key, slide this under the folds of the mattress. Bed bugs love camping out in this area. Use a flashlight to look into the dark areas that are not immediately visible. Repeat with the remaining corners of the bed, and any other soft furniture in the room, such as chairs and couches.
Look in the grooves of the headboard, and into the dark cracks, if the headboard has any. Most headboards can be lifted and pulled off of the wall for inspection. Also check all of the curtains, including in between the folds. Use the flashlight to peer into any dark spaces. Bed bugs don’t particularly like light, and you may see them scurrying away from the beam.
These steps may take you a few minutes longer to get settled into your hotel room. Making sure you take all of them, though, is incredibly worthwhile. It could save you from an infestation in your own home, which could take weeks or months to eliminate. If you do see signs of bed bugs in a hotel room, leave immediately and request another room. If not, you’re likely protected and can enjoy a good night’s sleep.
Can My Pet have Bed Bugs?
There are many pests that feed on blood and don’t care where that meal comes from. Mosquitoes and fleas are just two of these. These pests will feast on humans and their pets without showing a real preference. Due to this, when a person discovers bed bugs in their home that they share with a pet, they are often concerned that their pet will also suffer. Additionally, they also worry that bed bugs will attach to their pet, and travel around on them like fleas.
This is not the case. Bed bugs like blood but most bed bugs, and certainly the type most commonly seen in homes, prefer human blood specifically. They may bite a cat or dog that’s sitting on a chair or lying on the floor, but they will not attach to them. Bed bugs also don’t typically mean to bite animals, because they are covered in fur. Biting humans provides them much easier access to the meal they are looking for. A pet cannot ‘have bed bugs’ in the same way they can ‘have fleas.’
That being said, pets don’t know to refrain from scratching their bed bug bites the same way humans do. They can also suffer from similar infections if they do scratch an area with a bite excessively. For this reason, if you think your pet is suffering from bed bug bites and are concerned about complications, you should take them to a vet to discuss your worries. A veterinarian may be able to prescribe something to help with the itching, and keep your pet more comfortable.
