Windermere Bed Bug Treatment

What are the Bed Bugs?

Bed bugs are tiny creatures that primarily feed themselves on human/animal blood. Mainly they are found in brownish color which changes to red once they bite on any living thing.

Contrary to what we might think, bed bugs don’t fly rather they crawl over the walls and floor.

Characteristic of bed bugs

Following are some of the main characteristics associated with bedbugs

• Although small in size, they can be seen with the naked eye.
• They are mainly found in brownish color which changes to red once they are filled with blood.
• Bed bug eggs are mostly white in color.
• They are found in size ranging from 4 to 7 mm about the size of an apple seed.
• Bed bug eggs are of very small size just like a pinhead.
• They don’t fly rather crawl on floors, walls, and ceilings.
• On average there life ranges from 5 to 6 months. However, they can survive over a year even without proper feeding.
• The average life span of a bed bug egg is around 10-14 days.
• Bed bugs tend to lay down eggs in very tight corners/spaces and are always done in groups.

Life Cycle of a Bed Bug

During its life span, a bed bug undergoes from following different stages.

Eggs (Size around 1mm).

First Stage Nymph (Size around 1.5mm)

Second Stage Nymph (Size around 2mm)

Third Stage Nymph (Size around 2.5mm)

Fourth Stage Nymph (Size around 3mm)

Fifth Stage Nymph (Size around 4.5mm)

Adult Male/Female

Now let’s discuss these stages one by one

First Stage Eggs (Size around 1mm)

As evident, the life of a bed bug starts from an egg of whitish color and size around 1mm. A female bed bug usually gives 1-5 eggs each day and can give a maximum of 500 eggs during its lifetime. The eggs are normally laid in corners/tight spaces. Within 14 days an egg is grown up into an immature bed bug that can immediately start its feed.

Nymphs (Size around 1.5-4.5mm)

An immature bed bug goes through four different stages before attaining maturity. During these stages, it continuously increases its size from 1.5 mm to 4.5 mm. A second stage Nymph may look like an adult bed bug but they are yet to achieve sexual maturity. A nymph needs continuous feeding to achieve full maturity and during this, it changes its color from yellowish-white to brownish red. At normal circumstances, a life cycle of nymph completes in 4-5 weeks.

Adult Bed bug

In the final stage, an immature nymph becomes an adult male/female adult bed bug that makes feedings every week and can survive even a year’s long time without proper feeding. In ideal conditions, an adult bed bug can make more than three generations within a year.

Hiding Places of Bed Bugs

The small size of bed bugs allows them to enter into your beds, luggage, couches, and any other place inside you home without giving you the slightest of an idea. Although they don’t make nests they exist and will live together in groups probably in the tightest corner of your apartment.

According to different studies, the initial residing places are bed mattresses, bed frames, box springs, and inside couches where they can easily bite people while they are sleeping during night time. With time their number starts to increase and spread in every corner of your apartment. And this is not only associated with small homes they can even be found in big buildings like hotels, hospitals, rest houses, etc. So proper precautions are required if we are to get rid of these bed bugs. Apart from the most common places, they can also be found in

Your bedroom furniture, drawers, suitcases, bags, clothing, doors and window frames, carpets and curtains

So far we have covered the basics of bed bugs and their hiding places. Now let’s move on to more advanced discussions related to precautions to avoid their spread.

How bed bugs spread?

Traveling is one of the main ways they can spread

Bed bugs have an ability to hitchhike on people and their belongings back to their homes.

Some basic steps below will help decrease the chances of you deal with bed bugs. More importantly, it will help you decrease the chances of you bringing some home with you.

First, check travel reviews before visiting a hotel, and be careful of those with multiple reports of bed bugs. When you check into a hotel, check the mattress, headboard, bed frame and pictures for any signs of bed bugs.

Rather than storing luggage on the bed or floor, keep your luggage on the luggage rack. Avoid storing clothes in dressers and hang clothes that can be hung. However, there’s no guarantee bed bugs won’t sneak into your home some way. If they do, call All American Pest Control. Our effective bed bug treatment will get them out.

There are many other places that people can come in contact with bed bugs. Anywhere you sit, rest or sleep can be a place that bed bugs can be introduced or feed and then carried back home. Sitting for two hours in a movie theater, taking a taxi or sitting in a restraint are examples.

5 Tips to avoid bed bugs

Here are some of the most common tips recommended.

1. Prevent Clutter

The first and foremost thing is to try and prevent stockpiling your room/apartment with different items. In this way, the number of hiding places for bed bugs will reduce and hence preventing their growth.

2. Clean all clothing

You need to be very careful when you buying any clothes from any stores. After careful examination, make sure to put them in a sealed shopping bag and clean all the clothing as soon as you arrive home. Once done you can now safely place them anywhere you want.

3. Take precautions while moving furniture

One of the most common modes of the infestation is through moving furniture. So we need to be very careful while selecting a mover with proper consideration given to its previous reviews. Make sure to properly seal all the important stuff like bed sheets, curtains, clothing, and mattresses to avoid bed bugs during movement. Once all the moving stuff is ready, properly inspect the moving vehicle and make sure there are no visible bugs there.

4. Necessary Precautions during Travelling

Whenever you are on an intercity or international travel and you have to stay in a hotel, make sure you inspect your bedroom especially your bed where you have to sleep. In case of any visible bed bug call the hotel reception for the proper measure. Once everything is clean and ready, make sure to put your suitcase only on the designated rack.

5. Properly inspect your suitcase when returned home

Once you are back home from traveling, properly examine your suitcase before taking it inside the living room. Take proper measures in case you find any suspected thing.

Recommended treatments for bed bugs

So what shall we do if we still get infected due to lack of attention or precautions? This should start by cleaning the following

• Clean all the beddings and clothing in warm water and dry them on maximum temperature possible for at least 30 minutes.
• Use a vacuum cleaner to clean your bed and surround the area.
• Properly seal of the bed mattress and spring to eliminate any possibility of bed bugs to enter or escape.

This should eliminate all the infestations but if you are still not satisfied you can always call Windermere pest control companies for their professional exterminating services. These people are professionally trained to use commercial insecticides with special equipment. The method involves thorough inspection along with heat treatment at 118F for a minimum of 70 minutes (time can vary depending upon the extent of infestation). In the end, all types of bed bugs are eliminated.

Conclusion

Bed bugs during its lifetime go through several different stages starting from an egg to an immature form of bed bug known as Nymph to a fully grown adult bed bug. In ideal conditions, an adult bed bug can go on to produce more than three generations within a year.

Over the counter insecticides for Bed bugs have trouble completely removing the infestation, many times it slows down the pace of infestation but does not stop the infestation. The best possible way, but not guaranteed, to avoid infestations is through following recommendations of avoiding contact while outside your home. If you still get infested, contact All American Pest Control. We are experts in their field and are equipped with state of the art technology and control methods.