The Key To Getting Rid Of Bed Bugs In Your Colorado Springs Home
It is more than a bit unnerving to see warning signs of a bed bug infestation. But, you may find comfort in knowing that it is possible to think that you have bed bugs when you actually don't. This happens more than you may think. So, before you get on the phone to look for Colorado Springs pest control, take a moment to read through this quick guide to bed bug detection and control. We'll tell you how to tell for sure that you have a bed bug infestation and how to keep bed bugs from continuing to enter your home. We'll share with you some of the challenges of bed bug control and outline what works best to get rid of bed bugs. You don't have to let the bed bug bite! Let's get started.
How To Tell If It's Bed Bugs Infesting Your Home
When you find a rash on your skin and lots of little bumps, you may have a bed bug infestation. But it is possible that you don't. Sometimes a bumpy rash is just a bumpy rash. How can you tell the difference? You have to consider the unique characteristics of bed bug bites.
- When a bed bug bites you while you sleep, it isn't content to feed once. It will try to bite you three times. So, one bug will leave three bites.
- A bed bug feeds for less than 10 minutes at a time and moves forward as it feeds. One bed bug is likely to leave three bites in a line or a slight zig-zag.
- When more than one bed bug bites you while you sleep, you'll wake up with several bites that follow a path across your skin.
- Each bite can have a significant rash around it.
- Since the bites are close together, the rash from one bite can encompass others.
- Depending on your skin and your reaction to bed bug bites, you may only have minor bumps and an insignificant rash on your skin or you may have welts and a large rash.
- Bed bug bites are usually found on skin that is exposed during the night. You may rule out bites you find on skin that stayed under the covers.
- Bed bugs are attracted to carbon dioxide so they are likely to bite you on the shoulders, neck, or face.
Using these facts, you may determine that you have bed bugs in your home, but you still won't know for sure. If you want proof, you'll have to go looking for those pests and the warning signs they provide. Here are our best suggestions.
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How Bed Bugs Sneak Their Way Into Our Homes
The next step of the control process is learning what to do about the bed bugs that may continue to get into your home. It is likely you know that bed bugs aren't like other pests. They don't live in your yard. They travel from one location to another. It is important to know how they do this, and how to keep them from doing it.
- Bed bugs get into luggage and other bags. When spending the night away from home, it is essential to keep bed bugs out. Some travelers say using a lavender spray is enough. It masks the scent of clothing and other items that draw bed bugs into luggage. It also works as a direct repellent. Bed bugs don't like the smell. If you want more protection, we recommend putting luggage items in trash bags and sealing them.
- Bed bugs infest taxi cabs, buses, trains, and automobiles. Keep watch for warning signs when you travel.
- Bed bugs can come home from work with you. They're known to get into briefcases, pocketbooks, book bags, and other containers. Female bed bugs can lay eggs in the cracks of hardback books.
- Bed bugs can sneak into your home by hitching a ride in used furniture. If you're in the business of buying and selling used items, it may have led to your infestation. Check items thoroughly for the warning signs we mentioned earlier, and do this before bringing the items into your home.
- Bed bugs can go from apartment to apartment. They do this by entering walls. If you are in an apartment complex, contact High Country Pest Control for bed bug control in Colorado Springs.
It isn't easy keeping bed bugs out. But the more you understand about how they spread from one location to another, the greater your chances will be of success. As for what to do about the bugs in your home, that is a trickier subject. Let's look at the challenges of DIY bed bug control.
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Why You Can't Get Rid Of Bed Bugs On Your Own
Once again, it is critical to point out that bed bugs aren't like other pests. They are indoor pests that have been living with humans since before we put quills to paper. Scientists have found ancient fossils of bed bugs. Take a moment to consider this. Bed bugs are irritating and tormenting insects that dwell almost exclusively with humans, which wouldn't be the case if they were easy to control. Here are some factors people fail to consider as they go after bed bugs.
- Topical products don't get deep enough to eliminate bed bugs in their hiding places.
- Treated surfaces don't do well to eliminate bed bugs if they can detect the product.
- Surfaces treated with undetectable materials often fail to work if other methods aren't used alongside these materials. Bed bugs can detect the scent of dead bed bugs and will avoid treated areas. They may also get exposed, and young nymphs that survive the exposure can develop into adult insects that are resistant to the product. They can also share this resistance with their offspring.
- Heat is a natural solution but is often implemented wrong. You can't put a space heater in a bedroom and eliminate bed bugs. It will just cause them to spread to other rooms—if they don't simply hide in a spot that protects them from the heat.
- Traps can catch bed bugs, but they are also not a standalone solution. Bed bugs don't come out all at once. If traps catch some of the bugs, the others will take notice. Along with this, the bed bugs outcompete the traps by reproducing quicker than they're eliminated.
Do you see how challenging it is to deal with bed bugs? The best solution for bed bugs is to contact a pest professional. It is also wise to do this early. This is the last fact we're going to examine today.
