What are bed bugs?
Blood-sucking insects from the Cimicidae family, bed bugs are formidable pests that can make any home or business into their own. Once almost extinct in the United States, these biting bugs made a comeback in the late 1990s. Today bed bugs live throughout the U.S. and hitchhike across the country on people and their belongings.
Bed bugs feed exclusively on the blood of warm-blooded mammals, with people being their favorite hosts. Adult bed bugs are oval, flattened from top to bottom, and wingless. They have chestnut-brown bodies and measure about ¼ inch in length. Bed bugs use an elongated, piercing mouthpart (proboscis) to feed.
Are bed bugs dangerous?
As blood-feeding parasites, bed bugs can carry and transmit disease-causing organisms, although this is not a significant health concern. These bugs are unwanted pests that should not live with people. Bed bugs bite in order to feed, and people that are allergic to their saliva develop a red, itchy rash. Excessive itching can lead to an infection that requires medical attention. The presence of bed bugs causes people to lose sleep and become uncomfortable in their home, learn how to identify bed bug problems in your home. Bed bugs are also capable of causing damage to personal property by staining items like bedding, upholstered furniture, rugs, and walls with excrement and drops of blood.
Why do I have a bed bug problem?
Bed bugs want to live near their preferred food source: human blood. They can live in almost any public place where people come and go regularly. Bed bugs hitchhike their way from one place to another on people or their belongings. They also find their way into structures inside pieces of used furniture, mattresses, box springs, and electronics. In addition, bed bugs will move through floors and walls to invade multiple units in apartment buildings and other multi-unit buildings.
Where will I find bed bugs?
After bed bugs get into homes, they usually first hide in sleeping areas. You'll find them in the seams of mattresses, box springs, and in the cracks of walls, floors, and wood furniture. As the infestation grows, the bed bugs will move throughout your residence, infesting multiple rooms. People can pick up bed bugs while traveling, at work, at school, or running daily errands. Cruise ships, airports, buses, libraries, schools, hotels, hospitals, and shopping centers are just a few of the places where people can come into contact with bed bugs.
How do I get rid of bed bugs?
Get rid of bed bugs by partnering with the trusted experts at Custom Pest Control. For over 20 years, we have been helping home and business owners maintain pest-free properties. If you are looking for a personal approach to pest control, look no further.
At Custom Pest Control, we customize our pest control programs to meet the unique needs of each of our customers. Let our family protect your family from North Alabama’s most common pests! For more information about our bed bug control service, reach out to Custom Pest Control and speak with one of our friendly professionals today.
How can I prevent bed bugs in the future?
The best way to prevent problems with bed bugs is to partner with a professional and implement the following prevention tips in your Huntsville, Alabama home:
- Regularly wash the bedding in your home.
- Regularly vacuum your floors.
- Place bed bug proof covers on all your mattresses and box springs.
- Do not buy used mattresses, box springs, and furniture for your home.
- When out in public places, keep personal belongings away from other people’s belongings and up off of the ground.
- Inspect your hotel room for signs of bed bugs before bringing your luggage inside.
- After traveling, immediately wash all clothing on the highest heat settings the fabrics can handle.