The Bed Bug – Public Enemy #1

Pest Control’s Public Enemy Number 1: The Bed Bug

Bed bugs are blood suckers, they cannot complete their life cycle without a blood meal which is most often taken from their favorite host….PEOPLE!

Bites from bed bugs make you itch and for some people the bites can cause swelling and ugly welts with the possibility of other unpleasant reactions.

Bed bugs are expert hitchhikers, they can catch a ride to your home with you or your children from your office, a friend’s house, a relative’s house, or just about anywhere.

Once the bed bugs get to your home they will find tiny cracks and crevices to hide in, places you would never think to look or treat. They will only emerge when everything is still, most often when all are asleep, to take their blood meal and then return to their hiding place until they need another.

This secretive life style makes eliminating them once they have set up housekeeping very difficult.

Here are some suggestions for you when visiting family, friends or traveling:

• Check the bed you are sleeping in, especially the seams on the mattress and box spring.
• Check the bed frame and headboard for tiny insects that look like apple seeds or small blood smears on the beds. The eggs and young insects are very difficult to see until they have had a blood meal.
• Place your suitcase on a hard surface like the top of the dresser, the the bathtub, or a luggage rack, not on the bed or floor until you have done your inspection.
• When you return to your home place your clothing into the washer or at least a very hot dryer.
• Check your luggage thoroughly and store it away rather than leaving it in the bedroom.