Bed bugs are a painful nuisance that can be easily misidentified. If you think your home may have a bed bug infestation, it will be worth your time to read through this blog to learn more about bed bugs. Then, these little-understood pests can be identified and stopped.
Bed Bugs Feed on Blood
Like other pest bugs and parasites, bed bugs feed on blood. Their lifecycle depends on their eating multiple blood meals. Bed bugs can molt (shed their skin) up to 5 times in their lives. And before each molting, bed bugs must feed. Generally, bed bugs prefer to feed on hosts who are sleeping. The itchy bumps left from the bight are often mistaken for other pests like mosquitoes. Learn more about bed bugs here.
Bed Bugs Can Enter Your Home on Clothing or Luggage
Bed Bugs can be brought into your house in several ways, but usually, they enter the home on clothing or furniture, such as used beds or couches. Because bed bugs fit in tiny crevices about the width of a credit card, they can be hard to detect. And once the furniture or clothing is in your home, the bed bugs will have the opportunity to feed and reproduce. Unfortunately, bed bugs can produce about three generations in a year, so their populations can grow quickly.
What do bed bugs look like?
Bed bugs are small with little oval bodies that appear brown in color. However, after a bed bug has eaten a blood meal, it will swell and have a redder color. As all insects do, bed bugs have six legs. They do not have wings but are capable of speedily moving around walls, ceilings, and floors.
Where do bed bugs live, and how can I find them?
Bed bugs prefer to stay within about ten feet of their host (the individual they’re feeding on). They will seek out small concealed spaces near bedding or other furniture. As their populations grow, they will begin to live in other areas of your home. It is a myth that you must have a dirty home for bed bugs to live in. Because bed bugs feed on you, they can thrive in an otherwise spotless home.
How can I get rid of bed bugs?
If you have a bed bug infestation in your home, you will need treatments. At Bug-A-Way, we can help you determine if your home is, in fact, infested with bed bugs. We use a specially trained dog to sniff out the locations where bed bugs are living for treatment. Schedule a Bug-A-Way treatment today.