What are Bed Bugs?

Bed bugs are small insects that are flat in shape and survive on the blood of humans and animals. Because of their small size, they can go undetected for a long time. They cannot fly but they can move with ease on both vertical and horizontal surfaces.

What are Bed Bugs Signs?

Oftentimes, one of the easiest ways to detect their presence is by actually finding where they have already traveled. Bed bugs leave a small pattern-like trail on skin that looks like three small red areas in a row. When on your furnishings, especially a bed, you may notice reddish-brown excrement that appears to be similar to dirt. Shockingly, this is actually dried pieces of undigested blood.

As if that isn’t creepy enough, they also often emit a sweet odor. If you notice any of these bed bugs signs, you should call a professional pest control company to come and get rid of them right away.

How Do Bed Bugs Get in my Home?

Bed bugs like to travel far and wide. They’ll hitch a ride any way they can – particularly fabrics from suitcases, clothing and linen, as well as, everything from used furniture to guests who bring them by way of purse or computer bags.
It is even possible that they can make their way from nearby units in locations like apartment housing and other connected facilities.

While Bed bugs trek year-round, they have high-peak seasons for travel just like people do. In fact, pest control professionals will tell you that we receive the most bed bug complaints during the summer, as increased travel during this time of the year may help bed bugs spread from vacation destinations to homes or even college lodgings to homes as students go on summer break.

How Do I Prevent Bed Bugs?

First and foremost, if you notice bed bugs signs, consider professional cleaning to eliminate any possible bed bugs that are already imposing.

Bed bugs do not like excessive heat, so steam cleaning a mattress or carpets and upholstery is a great way to kill and prevent these unwanted residents.
If you travel a lot, you should avoid placing your luggage on the floor of a hotel room. You should also spend some time examining the room and inspecting the mattress, the box spring, and the headboard.

When you return home, you should leave your luggage in the garage and wash all of your clothes in hot water so you can be sure you are not bringing bed bugs into your home.

How Long Does it Take to Get Rid of Bed Bugs?

There are several rumored ways to rid your home of bed bugs.

Bed bugs can’t stand temps above 99 degrees. While warmer climates aren’t hard to come by here in Tucson, our homes are rarely set to such inside.

Bed bugs also hate the cold. Bed bugs do not like prolonged exposure to temperatures between 32 and 45 degrees. Even a few hours in such an environment would not only kill the bed bugs, but their eggs as well, in a timeframe of 30-45 days. This can only be accomplished when you can isolate the temps and close off a room for that month-long timeframe.

For this reason, hiring a pest control company saves you significant money in fluctuating energy bills and the lengthy vacating of rooms or furnishings as you await their extermination.