Bed bugs can be an issue for both homeowners and businesses in Florida. Having bed bugs invade your place of comfort can be a complete nightmare! Bed bugs are not only annoying but can also be a stressful, time-consuming battle. Bed bugs, scientifically known as Cimex lectularius, have become a pervasive nuisance and a serious health concern.
If you are worried about bed bugs in your home or business (that’s right, they don’t need a physical bed to take over!), keep reading for the most effective way to prevent and eliminate these pests.
How to Identify Bed Bugs
Bed bugs are small, reddish-brown insects with a flat, oval-shaped body. Typically ranging from 4 to 5 millimeters in length, they resemble apple seeds in size and shape. Adult bed bugs have six legs, antennae, and are wingless. Younger nymphs are smaller and lighter in color, progressing to a darker brown as they mature. After feeding, bed bugs may appear swollen and more reddish.
Common Hiding Spots
Mattresses and Box Springs: Bed bugs often hide in seams, folds, and crevices of mattresses and box springs. They are attracted to the warmth and carbon dioxide emitted by sleeping humans.
Headboards and Bed Frames: Gaps and cracks in wooden or upholstered headboards and bed frames provide ideal hiding spots for bed bugs. They may also hide in the joints and corners.
Cracks in Walls and Furniture: Bed bugs can squeeze into tiny cracks and gaps in walls, furniture, and baseboards. They may hide behind wallpaper or in electrical outlets.
Bedding and Linens: Sheets, pillowcases, and blankets, especially those that come into direct contact with the body, can harbor bed bugs. They may hide in folds and seams.
Furniture Near the Bed: Nightstands, dressers, and chairs near the bed can be hiding places for bed bugs. They may find refuge in the joints, seams, and inside drawers.
Carpets and Rugs: Bed bugs may hide along the edges of carpets or underneath rugs. They can also infest the carpet itself, especially if it is close to the bed.
Luggage and Personal Belongings: Bed bugs are notorious hitchhikers and may hide in luggage, backpacks, purses, and other personal items, facilitating their spread.
Electronics: Bed bugs may hide in and around electronic devices such as alarm clocks, telephones, and other small gadgets located near the bed.
How Bed Bugs Travel and Spread
Hitchhiking: Bed bugs are expert hitchhikers and can easily travel from one location to another by attaching themselves to clothing, luggage, bags, or other personal belongings. Infestations often occur when people unknowingly bring bed bugs into their homes after visiting infested areas.
Traveling Between Rooms: Bed bugs can move between rooms within a building through wall voids, electrical conduits, and plumbing pipes. They can travel significant distances seeking new hiding spots or hosts.
Infested Furniture: Used furniture, especially mattresses, sofas, and chairs, can harbor bed bugs. When people acquire infested furniture, the bed bugs may be transported into new locations.
Public Transportation: Bed bugs can be found in public places such as buses, trains, and airplanes. Infestations can occur if bed bugs are transported on clothing or belongings and then introduced into a new environment.
Visitors and Guests: Infestations can occur when bed bugs are introduced by guests, visitors, or service providers who unknowingly carry them on their clothing or belongings.
Laundry and Shared Spaces: Bed bugs can spread within shared laundry facilities or in spaces where personal items are stored in close proximity, such as in apartment buildings or dormitories.
Neighboring Units: In multi-unit dwellings, bed bugs can easily move between adjacent units through cracks in walls, electrical outlets, or plumbing. Shared walls and interconnected spaces provide avenues for their movement.
How to Prevent Bed Bugs
Secure Bedding and Mattresses: Use mattress and box spring encasements designed to trap bed bugs and prevent them from infesting these areas. Regularly inspect and clean bedding, including sheets, pillowcases, and bed linens.
Minimize Clutter: Reduce hiding spots by decluttering living spaces. Clutter provides numerous hiding places for bed bugs, making detection and elimination more challenging.
Regular Vacuuming: Vacuum carpets, rugs, and upholstery frequently, paying attention to seams, folds, and crevices where bed bugs may hide. Dispose of the vacuum bag in a sealed container.
Sealing Cracks and Crevices: Seal any cracks, crevices, and gaps in walls, baseboards, and furniture to limit the hiding spots available to bed bugs.
Inspection of Second-Hand Furniture:Thoroughly inspect used furniture before bringing it into your home. Check seams, joints, and any crevices where bed bugs might hide.
Protective Bedding for Travel: When staying in hotels or accommodations, use protective bedding covers on mattresses and pillows to reduce the risk of bed bug exposure.
Travel Precautions:Before unpacking in a hotel or other lodging, inspect the room for signs of bed bugs, including mattress seams, headboards, and nearby furniture. Keep luggage off the floor and use luggage racks with metal legs to minimize contact with potential bed bug hiding spots.
Launder Clothing After Travel: When you return from travel, launder all clothing, including items that were not worn, in hot water. Drying on high heat can help eliminate any potential bed bugs.
Regular Pest Inspections: Schedule regular pest inspections by professionals to catch any potential bed bug issues early, even if you haven’t experienced an infestation.
What To Do If You Find Bed Bugs
If you find bed bugs, wash your bedding, curtains, and clothing in hot water and dry them on the highest dryer setting. Put stuffed animals, shoes, and other items that can’t be washed in the dryer and run it on high for 30 minutes or more.
Use a stiff brush to scrub mattress seams to remove bedbugs and their eggs before vacuuming.
Vacuum your bed and the area around it every day, including windows and molding. Afterward, put the vacuum cleaner bag in a plastic bag and place it in the garbage outdoors right away.
Getting rid of bedbugs completely often requires chemical treatments, so hiring a professional exterminator who has experience with bedbugs is crucial.
What to Expect During a Professional Bed Bug Treatment
Inspection: The exterminator will conduct a thorough inspection of your home to identify the extent of the infestation and locate bed bug hiding spots.
Treatment Plan: Based on the inspection, the exterminator will develop a customized treatment plan. This may involve a combination of chemical treatments, heat treatments, and other methods.
Chemical Treatments: Insecticides may be applied to targeted areas, such as cracks, crevices, and known hiding spots. The choice of chemicals will depend on factors like the severity of the infestation and the specific areas affected.
Heat Treatments: Your chosen pest professional may use heat treatments to raise the temperature in the infested area to levels that are lethal to bed bugs and their eggs.
Follow Safety Protocols: The exterminator will follow safety protocols to protect you, including guidelines for temporarily vacating the premises during certain treatments.
It’s important to follow any instructions provided by your exterminator regarding preparation before treatment, post-treatment precautions, and follow-up care. Remember to hire a company you can trust to keep the lines of communication open in case of a reinfestation.
If you suspect a bed bug infestation, don’t worry – Brock is here to help! We will conduct a FREE bed bug inspection of your home or business to verify the presence and condition of the possible infestation. If an infestation is found, we’ll design a comprehensive, eco-friendly bed bug treatment plan for complete bed bug removal and control. Effective bed bug control is crucial, and our professional team can get the job done right.
With our bed bug treatments, we provide 1-2 follow-ups until we are certain we have achieved control of the bed bugs from your home or business. This way, we are as thorough as possible in controlling them! Contact us today to schedule your service appointment.
