Help! I Found A Bed Bug In My Bay Area Home!

When you were growing up as a child, did you have the experience of finding something and getting excited because it was valuable? Do you remember how you felt when another kid or adult came along and said it was theirs? If that happened, did you protest and say "finders keepers"? Unexpectedly finding something of value is exciting, and we feel richer if no one else claims it. On the other hand, when we stumble across something hurtful or harmful, we experience the opposite emotions. 

Finding bed bugs in your house is not good news. When you believe you have bed bugs, you need the Bay Area pest control team from Bay Pest. Our history goes back to 1979 when our founder began as a fumigator and quickly advanced his knowledge of pests and the pest control industry. We have removed insects, like bed bugs, from over 1,500 residences and dozens of businesses in the Bay Area. The information in this brief article will teach you what you need to know about bed bugs so you can make an informed decision about your next steps in battling these tiny insects. 

Can You See Bed Bugs In Your Home?

You can see adult bed bugs in your house, but you need to know where to look and how to identify them. Bed bugs are insects with six jointed legs, compound eyes, a body with three segments (head, thorax, and abdomen), and a pair of antennae. You may wonder why we call them 'bed bugs' when they are insects. Bugs are insects, but they have a few unique characteristics. Bed bugs are bugs because they have a beak with three segments, short, golden hairs, wing pads but no wings, and antennae segmented into four parts. 

An adult bed bug is about 1/4 inch long. The color and shape of a bed bug's body depends on whether or not it has enjoyed a blood meal. Bed bugs that have not eaten have mahogany, oval, flat bodies, but those who have recently consumed a blood meal have a reddish-brown elongated body. 

Now that we know how to identify bed bugs, we need to determine where to investigate in the house for bed bug signs. If you suspect bed bugs are the source of bites on your body, look in these locations in the room where you or family members sleep:

• Mattress seams
• Box springs
• Behind headboards
• Behind picture frames
• Between the baseboard and the walls
• Seams in upholstered furniture
• Electrical sockets
• Linens on the bed
• Loose wallpaper
• Drawer joints
• The junction between the wall and the ceiling

Don't think a crack is too small for bed bugs! These insects can hide in any area the width of a credit card.

Although you can see resting adult bed bugs in these areas, you can increase your chances of finding these pests by using a magnifying glass. With magnification, you can also see the nearly colorless nymphs, cream-colored pinhead-sized eggs, and egg cases. Bed bugs progress through five growth stages (instars), during which they molt or shed their outer shell, known as the exoskeleton. Exoskeletons shed at the end of their growth cycle may be seen unaided, but those shed at the early stages will require a magnifying glass. 

Reddish-brown stains on the walls, mattresses, box springs, upholstery, and bed linens from fecal matter or squished bed bugs are other indications of their presence in your house. Also, bed bugs have glands that produce a musty-smelling substance; this odor is noticeable when there is a large infestation. Of course, seeing bed bugs in cracks and crevices in the areas mentioned above is a definite sign of their presence in your home. 

When you see these signs in your Bay Area home, you need the best bed bug pest control near you, Bay Pest. We know the signs of a bed bug infestation and how to eliminate them from your house. 

The Longer A Bed Bug Infestation Lasts, The Worse It Gets

When you see bed bugs or indications of their presence, act quickly to secure bed bug control due to their rapid reproduction rate. Bed bugs require the nutrients in the host's blood to sustain their lives and reproduce. After male bed bugs finish eating, they are ready to mate. Once they locate female bed bugs that have eaten, they stab them in the side to inseminate them. The greater the access to a host, the more eggs an inseminated female bed bug produces. A female bed bug delivers one to three eggs daily for up to 10 days after it has eaten. If it has another blood meal after ten days, it will continue to reproduce. In favorable conditions, a bed bug may deposit up to 500 eggs during its six to 12-month lifespan. 

Ninety-seven percent of the cream-colored eggs produced will hatch if the room temperature is between 70℉ and 90℉. Sixty percent of eggs in areas within this temperature range hatch within six days, and 90% will hatch by the ninth day. If a host is present and conditions are optimal, the bed bug population may double every 16 days. So, the longer you allow an infestation to continue, the more bed bugs you will have in your Bay Area home. 

More bed bugs mean more bed bug bites. Bed bugs do not spread disease, but infection can be a problem due to excessive scratching and poor treatment. Bites from bed bugs are often in a row or clusters, but they can be random. Bed bugs can bite anywhere, but exposed skin on the face, neck, hands, arms, shoulders, and legs are the easiest targets. The wounds created by bed bugs are small, swollen red bumps about the size of a pimple. Because they inject an anesthetic that numbs the skin, most people do not feel the bites until a few days later. 

As previously mentioned, bed bugs produce a musty odor, so an infestation will cause your Bay Area house to smell. If you notice this smell and have bites on your body, you need bed bug control services in the Bay Area from Bay Pest. We will stop the bugs from biting you so you can rest easy at night in your bed. 

DIY Bed Bug Control Is A Waste Of Time And Money

Everyone wants to save money. When people, who have bed bugs, see bed bug control products at the neighborhood hardware store, they purchase them believing the store-bought product will solve their problem. Our experience is that in a short time, they will call us, frustrated that the store product did not eliminate the bugs. Why doesn't store-bought treatment stop bed bugs? 

Ancient historical records from over 3,300 years ago reference bed bugs, so they haven't survived for millenniums just by being lucky. Bed bugs have a knack for sniffing out and avoiding areas treated with common chemicals. Furthermore, these bugs have developed resistance to treatments that were once effective. Do-it-yourself (DIY) products don't always infiltrate areas where bed bugs live and reproduce. Also, DIY products can be dangerous to children and pets.

Although DIY products will leave you unsatisfied with the results, you can do these things to slow the spread of the bugs: 

• Vacuum the house
• Wash and dry bed linens and all clothing on the highest heat
• Suction out cracks in corners and between walls and baseboard
• Remove all debris from the room

Avoid the frustration of wasting money, time, and effort using store-bought products by partnering with your local pest control for bed bugs from Bay Pest. Our treatments will remove bed bugs from your home. 

Call Us At The First Sign Of Bed Bugs In Your Home

You may wonder why we know we can stop bed bugs when name-brand products fail. When you contact our friendly customer service team and set up an inspection, our service technicians will investigate your Bay Area home for signs of an infestation. If we conclude that bed bugs are the source of your problem, we will present you with various bed bug control techniques for your home.

The first option, which works best for small infestations, is a traditional treatment where we spray your home using an effective treatment bed bugs cannot detect. We will provide you with a list of the preparation needed to ensure success.  

Bed bugs cannot survive temperatures over 118℉. When the infestation is severe or widespread throughout the house, we work with a subcontractor to bring in heavy-duty heaters designed to pump hot air into the home or specific rooms to destroy the bugs hiding the cracks, crevices, clothing, and other areas. The heat destroys the bugs without harming the contents of your house. 

Another option is fumigation. This method requires preparation and evacuation from the house while the treatment is in process. Our highly-trained service technicians can explain the various options in detail so you can decide which one is best for you. Bay Pest provides bed bug pest control in the Bay Area. Contact us today to learn more and discover why we are Bay's best in pest control.