BED BUGS - Alliance · 2014. 5. 7. · calling your bed their home. 1. Bring large trash bags to house your suitcases while you are on vacation. This will prevent the bed bugs from

Everything You Need To Know About

BEDBUGS

EvErything you nEEd to Know About bEd bugs

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You may have grown up thinking that the saying “sleep tight, don’t let the bed bugs bite” was just a cute way for your parents to say goodnight. The reality is that bed bugs exist and they do bite. These microscopic bugs are rarely seen on a mattress or in the sheets. Instead, you will notice that they are there by the red bite marks that you have on your body.

It’s surprising to find out that bed bugs travel quite well and can come home with you after staying at someone else’s house, a hotel room,

a cruise ship, or somewhere else. Once they are in your home, there are ways to get them out, and they almost always involve calling a pest control professional.

Bed bugs were almost gone in the developed world by the 1950s thanks to all sorts of pest control products, but they emerged as a problem once again in the 1990s. Much of this is as

a result of international travel as well as public awareness of the problem dropping off significantly. You can thank all of those inter-national travelers for not knowing about bed bug prevention tips for why you and your family are getting nibbled while you sleep.

If you don’t address the bed bug problem, they are going to multiply and go into other rooms in the house. Before long, the entire family may be sitting around scratching and wondering what is causing the bites. For some people, they are allergic to the bites, causing what looks like a rash to form across the area that was bitten.

The good news is that bed bugs can be treated and you will want to learn about the options so that you no longer have to deal with the issue.

Within this eBook, you will learn about:

• What Bed Bugs Look Like

• How They Live in Your Bed

• What the Bugs Do

• How to Treat Bed Bugs

• Ways to Prevent Bed Bugs

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What Bed Bugs Look Like

The truth of the matter is, bed bugs are small – really small. They like to sleep in the dark of your mattress or box spring and come out at night. This means that it’s very possible that you will never actually see the bug. Inspecting for them becomes harder, though a pest control professional can look and see whether you have bed bugs in a matter of minutes.

Bed bugs are small and flat. They don’t have wings and they are generally brown to a slightly rusted color, though they have been seen as white as well. When they have fed, they turn to a rusty to red color, which means they have blood in their system. The average bedbug is only about 0.2 inches in size, so they aren’t very noticeable, even if they were to pop out of the mattress while you were in the room. That’s how they get their name – they hide inside your bed unbeknownst to you. Many people compare them to the size of an apple seed.


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The bed bug is an oval shaped bug that has six legs that are hinged similar to that of a spider. It has long antennae that are not hinged as well as a rather large mandible, which is why they are able to bite you to the point that you have a mark.

You need to know that a female can deposit as many as give eggs a day and has the potential to lay as many as 500 eggs in a lifetime, which is about 10 months under good conditions. This means that there could be 500 eggs and big problems with bed bugs in less than a year if the problem goes untreated. As soon as you are dealing with more than just a few bed bugs, you will need profes-sional assistance to get the situation under control.

Bed Bug Features:

• Small & Flat

• No Wings

• Brown to Rust Color

• 0.2 Inches in Size

• Oval Shaped

• Six Hinged Legs

• Non Hinged Antennae

• Large Mandible

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What the Bugs do

Bed bugs have been around for over 3,000 years. Even in Ancient Egypt, they were acknowledged for being a household pest. The good news is that because they have been around for a while, people know what they do, what to expect from them, and how to treat them.

Unlike some pests, you will probably find out that they exist in your home quickly because they are feeding on you. The bites are generally in a line along the arms or legs. When you are sleeping, you don’t wake up from their bite because they inject a numbing agent at the same time they chomp down on your skin.

They will suck your blood until they are well and bloated, then fall off and crawl away. Itchy and red bites are going to be seen on your skin. They are fairly round and don’t have puss at the top like some bites do. Some people are allergic to the numbing agent, which results in a large rash that can be very itchy.

When you call a pest control company, it’s usually the bites that they want to look at first. From there, they will do a visual inspection of the bedding. When you have bites, the visual inspection will determine whether you have bed bugs. It could also be such a pest as fleas, m i t e s , biting gnats or mosquitos.


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The bed bugs leave behind stains on the mattress and potentially the sheets. As they crawl away bloated from your blood, some of it may spill out of their body. This means that there are going to be dark brown to black spots of blood – particularly around the seams of your mattress and/or box spring. Insect waste may also be found in the form of dark spots near where they hide before

coming out for a snack. This may be along the floors, walls, and furniture – including bed posts and nightstand.

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hoW to treat Bed Bugs

There are dozens of websites dedicated to home remedies of bed bugs. Some of them work and some of them don’t. It depends on the number of bed bugs that are inside the home as well as the measure that’s being taken.

One of the most common options is to cover the mattress and box spring with plastic – either plastic wrap or specially made zippered mattress covers. This is designed to trap the bugs and essentially suffocate them. The problem is that this takes a while and you may have to deal with the cover on your bed for two of three months to get rid of them. If you take off the cover too soon, you will still have the bed bugs.

Box springs and mattresses that are infested should be discarded. Don’t assume it’s just the bedding, however. You may find bed bugs in recliners, sleeper sofas, couches, and anywhere else. Pay attention to who is sleeping where and who has the bed bug bites so that you can see where they may be hiding.

Foggers & Bug BomBs

Foggers and bug bombs are commonly used, but can be one of the worst things that you could possibly use. They often don’t address the bed bug problem and can spread the bed bugs out. This is because of the aerosol that can send the bed bugs airborne. Instead of having them in one bed, you could have them in your curtains, dresser, and in other rooms of the house.


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ContaCt Killers

The contact killers are a pesticide that will kill the bed bug on contact. If you can get a visual on the bug, this is a great way to kill them. However, the over-the-counter products that you buy may be ineffective. The pest control industry has developed an array of formulas and bed bugs are resilient. They have developed immune systems that can fight many of the products that you would buy in the store.

growth regulators

Considering that a female can lay 500 eggs in a lifetime, you may need to consider a growth regulator. This is a pesticide that is shared by the other bugs so that they can share the poison with the others. This can help to reduce the popula-tion but may take more time than you want to dedicate to the problem.

Controlled spraying

Controlled spraying by a pest control professional is the best option to avoid spreading the problem. A unique formula will be used on the bedding so that the bed

Ways to treat Bed Bugs:

• Use a protective Cover on Mattress

• Foggers & Bug Bombs

• Contact Killers

• Growth Regulators

• Controlled Spraying

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bugs die quickly – and spread the product to the others so that they die as well.

In some instances, you will have no choice but to throw out furniture and bedding because the infestation is too significant. Call a pest control company to find out how big the problem is and then only throw out the furniture once they have made the recommendation.

If you are getting bitten, talk to the others in your family to see if they have similar bites. This can help you to track down the problem and understand where the issues lie. If everyone is complaining of bites, there may be an infestation within your entire home – and a pest control professional is virtually the only one that can contain the problem at that point.

Remember that you cannot assume it is bed bugs until you have a visual on them. There are plenty of other bugs that can crawl into your bed and bite you. Just looking at a bite is not enough, especially when you live in areas where there are countless bugs that will bite, especially in the middle of summer. When you’re not sure what kind of bug it is, that’s when you definitely want to call a pest control company to have them come out and inspect to identify what the problem is and offer up a solution.


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Ways to Prevent Bed Bugs

Since it’s nearly impossible to do a visual inspection for bed bugs when you go to a hotel or motel, it’s hard to prevent them from riding home with you. However, there are some things that you can do when you travel and when you’re at home to prevent the bed bugs from calling your bed their home.

1. Bring large trash bags to house your suitcases while you are on vacation. This will prevent the bed bugs from getting

inside where they can then hitch a ride back to your house.

2. Vacuum your suitcases once you get back from staying anywhere – a hotel, a friend’s house, and even a cruise ship.

3. Don’t bring any second-hand furniture into the house without a close examination. There have been countless stories where people drag a recliner or mattress in from down the road only to have bed bugs swarming their home within days. The same goes for used clothing and anything else that you are going to bring into your home.

4. Inspect pets and the areas that pets sleep for bed bugs.

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You may not be able to prevent bed bugs entirely, but when you are more aware of their existence, you can make a conscious effort to inspect for them. They may be in a hotel, a piece of luggage, a piece of clothing, or anything else. If you are going to stay at a hotel or anywhere else, read reviews to find out if people have had problems with bed bugs so you know where to book your stay.

The sooner you notice the bites on your body or any other signs that bed bugs are present, you will want to take action. While there are plenty of home remedies, they don’t always work – or work as fast as you want them to. Call a professional pest control company to ensure that you actually have bed bugs and treat the problem so that you can get a good night’s sleep – and not let the bed bugs bite.

PREVENTING BED BUGS1. Store Suitcase In Trash Bag2. Vacuum Suitcase3. No Second-Hand Furniture4. Inspect Pets

5. Act Quickly

For More Information On

BED BUGSContact:

ALLIANCE PEST SERVICES

800-698-4530AlliancePestServices.com

Copyright 2014 Alliance Pest Services

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BED BUGS - Alliance · 2014. 5. 7. · calling your bed their home. 1. Bring large trash bags to house your suitcases while you are on vacation. This will prevent the bed bugs from