Pest Profile: Getting To Know Bed Bugs
You’ve heard about them, and if the stories are all true, they sound pretty terrifying. Bed bugs are more than an old bedtime rhyme; they’re a real pest that can make your life a lot less convenient. And before you ask, yes, they are in the Pacific Northwest.
Are bed bugs as bad as they sound?
Well, the good news is that according to the EPA, bed bugs don’t transmit communicable diseases when they bite. That said, their bites are irritating and can cause painful sores. This interferes with your sleep and can affect the overall quality of your daily life.
Bed bugs are small. You might have seen pictures; they’re round in the middle and have a point at the end of their bodies. Those pictures are blow-ups, magnified many, many times over. An adult bed bug doesn’t grow to be more than a quarter inch long and it likes to sneak around. The babies are even worse. If they haven’t eaten in a while they’re so clear that they’re almost invisible. When you have bed bugs, your first clue is almost certainly a series of itchy bites.
The last thing to keep in mind is that these critters multiply, fast. The hatchlings from just one female can multiply to 100 adults in the space of just a month. And each one of them continues to reproduce.
How did I get these bed bugs, and what do I do now?
If it turns out that you have bed bugs in your home, it doesn’t mean that you got them by being messy. These critters can travel to your home by getting into your luggage from a hotel, get tracked in from visitors, and from any number of other sources. With that in mind, if you do have clutter in your home, picking it up provides fewer spaces for your unwanted guests to hide.
Many people think of bed bugs like you would fleas or lice. While friends and family members might tell you that you need to take out all of the stuff in your room and burn it, that is misguided advice. Dragging all that stuff out of your home can spread bed bugs through your home and to other folks’ property.
Your laundry is a vector through which bed bugs can spread. When you move your sheets and clothing from your bedroom to the hamper, you give the bed bugs another place to hide and multiply. Wash your laundry regularly, especially the bed sheets, and make sure to run them through the dryer on as high a setting as the fabrics can handle. This heat kills the bed bugs. Whenever you empty the hamper take the time to clean it out thoroughly.
You might want to try good old fashioned bug spray. it can work, but in many cases it’s not necessary. If you don’t have to use poisonous chemicals in your bedroom you definitely don’t want to do so.
What about freezing and heat?
Yes, we did state that heat kills bed bugs. Some folks try to burn these pests up from the inside by using their thermostat. The issue with that solution is that a bed bug can survive internal body temperatures of up to 113 degrees Fahrenheit. That kind of temperature is also deadly to humans. Consider the kind of heating or electric bill that you’d run up in the time that it takes to maintain that kind of heat, as well as the danger to your property and health, and a bed bug sauna doesn’t look like an attractive option anymore.
There’s an old wive’s tale that you can kill bed bugs by freezing them. This is true, but as easy as it is to toss your blanket into the freezer for a few days, it isn’t as simple as that. A folded blanket could conceivably insulate bed bugs against the cold if you don’t keep them inside long enough. Most freezers aren’t big enough to hold everything in your room. If you manage to kill all of the bed bugs on a blanket but then put it back down on an infested mattress, then you’re right back where you started.
Which method is the best for getting rid of bed bugs?
When you really want to keep your home free from bed bugs, call in the professionals. Here at The Killers, we’ve been in business for over 30 years. We make sure that all of our techs are trained in methods of identifying destroying and preventing bed bugs. We stand behind our services and guarantee that you stay free from further infestations for at least a year. We take care of bugs ASAP, using methods that leave your home clean and safe. Once we’re done we can advise you on what you can do to keep such infestations from happening again.
When you call in the Killers we arrive promptly to discuss the problem with you. We understand the pain and inconvenience that bed bugs cause, and we treat you the way that we want to be treated. The exterminator technicians speak to you in plain English so that you can understand everything that’s going on.
Another benefit of an inspection is that the techs can find other issues that your home might be facing. One trip from the exterminators can put you on the road to getting your home in order once and for all. Your time and health are valuable, and you deserve a good night’s sleep every night. Use the contact form or give us a call to help get your life back on track.