As many of you know bedbugs are infesting homes nationwide. Well, if you didn’t know, here’s your warning. Bedbugs are a nearly microscopic nocturnal pest that will easily go undetected if you are not allergic to their bites. Prior to discussing prevention and elimination techniques, I’m going to give you a quick tidbit of background information.
Bedbug Fact vs. Fiction:
1)- When a bedbug bites you they inject an anesthetic to numb the area, resulting in a relatively painless bite (or meal if you see it from the bedbug’s eyes).
FACT: Sorry folks, but this is definitely true. Bedbugs release a numbing agent that allows them to feast without their host feeling a thing.
2)- Characteristic of their name, bedbugs are only found in your bed/mattress.
FICTION: Bedbugs often reside in mattresses and are more commonly found in box springs. They retreat to dark, protected areas during the daylight and are drawn to human hosts at night. Bedbugs can also be found under carpets, in your electric outlets, in cracks and crevices around your home, and on other furniture, including plastic chairs.
3)- Bedbugs are transported by their human host, similar to head lice.
FICTION: Bedbugs do not travel on their preferred host. However, they may hitch a ride from them. That’s right, bedbugs will frequently broaden their horizons by attaching to an article of clothing, material, or piece of furniture that is being taken or carried out of the room or house.
4)- Bedbugs should be called “modern day vampires”; they suck your blood and feed at night.
FACT: Well whether they should be called modern day vampires may not be fact but it is true that they suck your blood and feed at night. Bedbugs are nocturnal meaning that they prefer to leave their dark little corners at night and attract to their hosts. These blood-sucking parasites are attracted primarily to the carbon dioxide and warmth that the human body gives off. Prior to feeding on their host these pests are flat, oval-shaped and brown. After feeding, these insects will fill up, expanding a few times their original size and changing to a dark red color.
5)- This blood-sucking parasite is one of the easier pests to detect and eliminate.
FICTION: They are, in fact, one of the most difficult home-dwelling pests for residents and professionals to detect and eliminate. Full grown bedbugs will reach approximately 5mm in length and often hide during the day. Their prime feeding time is during early morning hours, when most humans are in their deepest stages of sleep. Bedbugs have 7 stages in their lifecycle from egg to adult. Due to their various life stages and microscopic size, they are most efficiently detected by human or k-9 inspection. Inspection is only one of the first, yet essential, steps to a successful elimination program. Elimination can be very difficult for residents and licensed professionals because without thorough inspection one will never know if any of the little guys hitched a ride into the next room.
6)- Small specks of blood and fecal stains found on your sheets are a clear sign of bedbugs.
FACT: RED FLAG!!! These guys WILL leave behind left-overs from their meal. You got it! The barely visible black specks are the blood and fecal stains left behind by your nighttime pest. Go! Go check your sheets!
7)- Bedbug bites are small, red bumps. You’ll know them if you see them.
FICTION: Not all individuals will have the same reaction to the bite of this pesky parasite. In fact some people will have no reaction at all. Hence, another reason why the presence of a bedbug infestation may be overlooked or mistaken. If you are having an allergic reaction to the bite you may notice varied degrees of size and redness. Some bites may have a small red dot in the center or even appear in clusters.
8)- I can eliminate my bed bug problem with home remedies, over the counter spray, or plastic mattress covers.
FICTION: As aforementioned, bedbugs are one of the most difficult pests to detect and control. Using a home remedy or over the counter product may not target all of the pests and therefore send them into hiding. Without a thorough inspection by a trained professional it is unlikely that all infected areas will be properly treated, down to every last bug. Licensed professionals can provide a checklist of preventive measures for the resident to help ensure that the professionally administered treatment will be effective. Placing a bedbug protective mattress cover on your mattress AFTER treatment will help prevent re-infestation. DO NOT place this mattress cover on your bed if you think that you have an infestation. You will simply be giving the best a protected enclosed area to dwell and thrive; I don’t think you want that.
9)- These pesky little blood-suckers reproduce at rapid rates, infesting your home like cockroaches.
FACT: Yes, that’s right! These bed-dwelling insects are capable of reproducing at greater rates than the dreaded cockroach. I bet you haven’t heard that one before. A female cockroach will generally produce about 2 to 3 hundred eggs in her lifetime. A bedbug, on the other hand, is capable of laying several hundred eggs, averaging 5-10 per day. An egg will develop into a full adult within approximately one month. And you guessed it, one month later those ten are laying ten of their own. The spread of bedbugs is not a joke. The rapid rate of reproduction increases the possibility of infestation, especially in the absence of early detection. So move aside roaches, we have a new epidemic in town!
10)- Pesticides are the most effective elimination techniques.
FICTION: Surprise! Surprise!, my environmental-friendly friends! I am about to tell you about an environmental-friendly solution to your irritating night pest problem.
Don’t sweat over bedbugs…Use the heat to your advantage. That’s right, one of the most effective methods of bedbug elimination is a technique called, heat treatment.
The type of heat treatment I am going to be discussing with you is a 100% proven bedbug extermination technique that also happens to be 100% GREEN. This method is cost-effective, allows you to return to your home that same night, and allows you to hold on to your prized belongings and furniture.
How does heat treatment work?
Good question but DO NOT try this at home! Licensed technicians and professionals use specialized equipment to heat the infested area to a thermal death point over 125 degrees Fahrenheit. Do not attempt to raise temperatures in your home to this degree. It can be very dangerous if not done with the appropriate equipment. The treatment may vary from eight to twelve hours depending on the size of the area being treated. But you haven’t heard the best part, the heat permeates all areas of the home including furniture, cracks, and crevices; therefore, ensuring that no bedbugs can escape from your path. Upon inspection your licensed professional will be able to provide you with a list of heat sensitive materials that should be removed from the room prior to treatment. Another advantage of using environmental-friendly heat treatment techniques, as opposed to chemical treatment, is that you do not have to throw out your furniture and mattresses. Both you and your furniture are safe from harm.
One of the most frequently asked questions is, “will they come back?” Re-infestation is a huge problem with bedbugs due to their hitchhiking habits and rapid reproduction. Luckily companies using heat treatments will often guarantee that re-infestation will not occur. However, be informed that heat treatment companies cannot ensure that bedbugs will not be brought back onto the premises by the original or an alternate source. They will likely provide you with information on locating the source of the problem, therefore helping prevent re-infestation.
Where do I find a heat treatment company?
Right here in your very own neighborhood! Oh yes… A new heat treatment company has launched right here in Queens. Hot Bugs is a local company with over 10 years of experience serving NYC. All of their technicians are licensed and insured, trained, and knowledgeable professionals that can provide clients with exceptional service and tons of information on how the customer can facilitate in the prevention and elimination of these creepy knight crawlers.
Bedbugs can be a devastating experience for families and businesses alike. They can be physically, mentally, and financially exhausting and they are spreading at epidemic rates. Heat treatment is 100% guaranteed and environmental-friendly. GO GREEN with your pest control.
Don’t sweat over bedbugs anymore… Use the heat to your advantage!