Bed bugs are frustrating pests because they’re so sneaky about how they invade and avoid your attempts to get rid of them. If you’ve been battling these pests, you know what we mean. If you haven’t, we hope you never have to find out. In either case, help is here. We’ve compiled this quick guide to bed bug control in St. Charles. In it, you’ll learn all the basic facts you need to evaluate this unique pest problem and deal with these annoying insects quickly.
As always, PCC is here if you need us. You can speak with us over the phone or through email to get answers to your questions, learn about bed bug services in St. Charles, or get an estimate of the costs involved in professional bed bug control. You’re never alone when it comes to dealing with pests.
Bed Bug Bites Are Usually The First Sign Of A Problem
One of the first warning signs of a bed bug infestation is the appearance of bites on the skin. But many insects can bite you. How do you know if you have bed bugs? First, you have to analyze the bites and look for a pattern. Here are the signs you’re looking for:
- Three bites, each within an inch of each other
- An extensive rash that surrounds all of the bites
- Raised bumps that itch
- A path of bites across your skin in one area
- Bites that appear on exposed skin at night
- Bites that occur on your upper arms, shoulders, neck, and jaw
- Bites with no pustules or ulcers
Initial bites caused by bed bugs are often slight. The longer these bugs are allowed to breed, the worse the bites become. These bites are worse for some than others, depending on sensitivity. If you see bites that match the criteria above, take quick action and contact PCC for an inspection.
Are Bed Bug Bites A Health Risk?
We’re happy to say that bed bugs are not known to transmit diseases to humans outside of laboratory studies. So, why is “quick action” important? The reason we recommend quick action has less to do with the health risk and far more to do with the costs associated with bed bug control. We’ll discuss how bed bugs spread and how costs climb in a moment. Before we do, let’s pause for a moment and consider the implications of having bed bugs. While they are not known to transmit diseases, they’re not exactly harmless. Here’s why:
- It is not good to have bugs routinely biting you. Bed bugs usually bite three times during a feeding session, and it is possible to become anemic from exposure.
- Children scratch bites, making them infected, prompting the need for medical attention. Closely monitor children during infestations.
- There is an unnecessary stigma associated with bed bugs that can lead to a child getting bullied at school. Bullying is a mental health risk that, for some children, can create trauma.
- Having a bed bug infestation can lead to social isolation for some adults in certain situations. Social isolation has health implications.
- Bed bugs can cause the loss of sleep, and sleep deprivation can impact health and safety. Sleep deprivation can lead to mood swings, anxiety, depression, and worse. Sleep loss also affects motor function and can make it hazardous to operate a vehicle.
As you can see, the health concerns linked to bed bug infestations are not straightforward. Consider the factors that may impact you and your situation to decide how to appropriately respond to a bed bug problem when one arises.
How Bed Bug Infestations Spread
The primary issue with a bed bug infestation is that it will grow. When bed bugs get in, they don’t go back out. Unlike many pests that enter your home, bed bugs don’t live outdoors. They travel from place to place, hidden inside furniture, luggage, pockets, electronics, etc. Why is it important to understand this? Here are a few facts you should know:
- Since bed bugs don’t live outdoors, your efforts to repel them will only cause them to spread to other indoor locations.
- Since bed bugs hitchhike, you need to consider how you may have gotten these bugs so you can stop them from entering your home in the future as you deal with your current infestation.
- Since bed bugs are carried from place to place, they don’t choose to live with you. There is nothing you can change about indoor environments that will prevent an infestation or drive these pests away.
An inappropriate response to bed bugs can allow them to grow a population. Unlike other pets, you can’t use repellents, exterior treatments, or sanitation to address bed bugs. They require unique control methods. However, strategies that work to get rid of bed bugs can be complicated and create a greater issue.
- Some pest control service providers use heat to control bed bugs. DIY heat treatments commonly fail because bed bugs move away from the heat or find cold spots to hide from it. Professionals use professional-grade technologies to raise the temperature and eliminate bed bugs. A DIY heat treatment is only likely to cause bed bugs to spread.
- Bed bugs work together to avoid traps. If you set traps, you can catch a few, but you won’t catch them all. In fact, your traps may cause bed bugs to spread out from the area where you set them, making your problem worse and more costly to correct.
- Bed bugs avoid treated surfaces. If they can detect a control material you use, they can avoid it. A common result with DIY treatments is that bed bugs will spread to other areas as they try to avoid the product.
There are many reasons bed bugs spread throughout a structure. As you can see, some depend on how people respond to an infestation and the methods they use to control them. They also continue to breed and spread when no action is taken to control them at all.
So, why and how do bed bugs spread? Let’s look:
- Bed bugs find a plentiful food source indoors. They feed on blood. Therefore, you can’t control them as you would most other pests. Protecting your food and removing potential food sources from trash and other places will not help. They will grow their populations as long as they can bite you.
- Bed bugs prefer to come out at night to feed. They do this when carbon dioxide levels rise, which happens when you sleep. But they can feed during the day as well. A bed bug can bite you and get a meal while you’re fully awake. As they feed, they will also breed and increase their populations.
- They will feed and reproduce until the reproductive behavior causes female bed bugs to leave the group due to the harm caused by the males. It is this harmful reproductive process that drives the spread. It happens as a natural response.
- Each group will grow in the same way. Females lay eggs, eggs hatch, nymphs grow, reproduction begins, and females leave after multiple breeding attempts.
- All bed bug infestations are the same. An infestation begins in one location. As the group grows, females start to leave. One group turns into several groups within the structure. You must deal with these groups to fully arrest bed bug activity.
- As bed bugs spread, they can climb into wall voids and pass from one room to another or from one apartment to another. In a large apartment complex, the result of not dealing with a bed bug problem early on is the guaranteed spread from location to location through wall voids.
Getting in front of a bed bug problem early on is essential to reduce the cost of treatment and the misery that accompanies bed bug problems. Our recommendation is to contact a licensed pest control service provider. Let’s take a look at why this is the case.
Don’t Let The Bed Bugs Bite: Contact The Pros Right Away
As bed bugs spread and because each bug attempts to bite three times per feeding, the number of bites will increase exponentially. Along with bites, the complexity of the problem will grow, and the cost of treatment will grow with it. Contact PCC for industry-leading bed bug services in St. Charles. Here’s how we can help:
- Our licensed professionals use professional-grade materials known to work on bed bugs.
- We use field-tested application methods to prevent bed bugs from escaping or avoiding treatments.
- Along with a systematic application of residual control materials, we guide you in preparing your home or business for treatment by providing a bed bug preparation checklist.
- Through monitoring devices, professional inspections, and the systematic application of a field-tested control strategy, we ensure no bugs remain in your home or business.
You don’t have to live with bed bugs or let them create problems for you. Connect with PCC today for bed bug removal or proactive inspections to prevent infestations. We have the solutions to help you get the results you want.