Have you noticed a decline in your quality of sleep recently? You could be dealing with a bed bug infestation. How can you tell if your home has bed bugs? You might start to notice bites in a straight line or zig-zag pattern on your skin after waking up in the morning. You might also notice blood spots on your bed coverings or tiny reddish-black dots of fecal matter around your home. If you are really lucky, you might even spot a live bed bug. Keeping all of this in mind, do you suspect your home has a bed bug infestation? Here is why your Bay Area home might have a bed bug infestation and a quick and easy solution to use to quickly get them out.
How Bed Bugs Get Around
Bed bugs are small reddish-brown, apple seed-shaped, parasitic pests. Unlike many other pests, bed bugs are not very mobile. They don’t have wings to fly, they aren’t fast, and their legs aren’t powerful enough to jump. Despite these limitations, bed bugs travel more than any other pests. How? Using our help of course. Bed bugs are hitchhiking pests. Any item you carry in and out of your home could be used by these small sneaky pests to get around. If you set your bag in one place in public for more than 20 minutes, bed bugs might sneak over and catch a ride. If you purchase a sofa from a second-hand furniture store, bed bugs could be hiding inside waiting for you to bring them home. If you have a kid in school, one of their classmates could be dealing with bed bugs at home and passively spread them to your child’s backpack. There are thousands of ways bed bugs could get into your Bay Area home.
Are bed bugs dangerous?
Bed bugs rely on blood to survive. The question is, does this make them dangerous? Other blood-sucking pests such as mosquitoes are incredibly dangerous. Does this mean that bed bugs are as well? In truth, bed bugs are fairly harmless. They don’t spread any major diseases, they don’t contaminate food, and they don’t damage homes beyond staining blankets with blood or feces. The worst you can expect from bed bugs is a bit of lost sleep, and anemia if your home’s infestation grows out of control.
Why Bed Bugs Are So Hard To Prevent
Most pests can be prevented by either properly sealing your home, or by addressing attractants that draw them in. With bed bugs, they don’t need a hole in your wall to get inside, or a laundry list of attractants, all they need is you. Unless you plan on becoming a shut-in for the rest of your life and having all your food delivered to your door, there is no definite way to avoid bed bugs. But there are a few things that can be done to reduce your risk of starting a bed bug infestation inside your home. Here is what we recommend.
- Check used furniture and other items for live bed bugs before bringing them home with you.
- Teach your kids about bed bugs and show them how to inspect their backpacks for bed bugs before coming home each day from school.
- When on vacation store all of your used clothing inside airtight plastic bags.
- Once you get home, wash all of your clothing at a high temperature.
- Avoid setting any items down in a public place for more than twenty minutes at a time.
- Let your family and friends know about bed bugs.
How To Eliminate Bed Bugs Fast
If you suspect your home has bed bugs, we have a quick and easy solution for you here at Bay Pest. Our professionals know exactly how bed bugs think and are equipped with the tools and treatments needed to make your home bed bug-free.
Reach out to our team today to schedule an appointment for your Bay Area home.