Most insects invade homes by traditional means. Look close enough and you might even see them crawling through holes in your walls or beneath doors. Bed bugs are a bit different. These pests just show up one day out of the blue. Where do these annoying sleep-wrecking insects come from? We are here today to show you. To help you understand bed bugs, here is everything you need to know, including what they are, how they get into homes, and the best methods to identify and eliminate these pests.
What Are Bed Bugs?
Bed bugs are small, ¼ to 3/16” long, reddish-brown, oval-shaped insects that regularly invade homes and cause trouble for people. One common misconception about these pests is that they live on, inside, or around beds. Although bed bugs regularly visit beds to feed, some of them spend the majority of their time in the dark recess of homes, doing their best to stay out of sight. Something else you should know about bed bugs is that they can survive up to 400 days without a blood meal. If leaving their hiding spots is currently dangerous, they will stay hidden until they feel it is safe to come out. This makes eliminating these pests incredibly difficult.
How Bed Bugs Get Into Homes
Bed bugs invade homes in a unique way. Instead of crawling or flying inside, these pests hide on items people carry such as backpacks, furniture, and clothing. What makes things challenging is that bed bugs are adept at staying out of sight, even when they are being carried around. Unless you are actively checking items for these pests and their eggs, there is a good chance you will miss them and bring them into your home.
Some Ways To Identify Bed Bugs
To identify bed bugs around your home or in areas you plan on staying, it is important that you know what signs these pests leave behind. Here are a few clues you should know about to help you know when these pests are around.
Bloodstains: Bed bugs do not always hold in all the blood they consume. This results in dribbling on bed coverings.
Fecal droppings: Bed bugs use the restroom throughout homes. Identify bed bug droppings by their reddish-black color and pellet-like shape.
A musty odor: Bed bugs release pheromones into the air. These pheromones become more noticeable as their populations grow. They are often likened to the scent of overly sweet berries.
Shed skins: Bed bugs go through several stages of development before reaching adulthood. Between each of these stages, they shed their skins. Look for these shed skins around sleeping areas and in and around cracks and crevices throughout your home.
The Only Method That Effectively Eliminates Bed Bugs
Bed bugs are considered to be the most difficult pests to eliminate out of homes. This is because of how they hide when faced with danger. It is not uncommon for bed bugs to flee into wall voids and into the deepest recesses of a building and stay hidden for months at a time. The only way to effectively eliminate these pests is to get them all the first time. To do this, you need professional help. At Excel Pest Management, we offer detailed inspections and guaranteed elimination services for invasive bed bugs. We will schedule our visit around your schedule and walk you through everything we are doing so you will best understand our process. Contact our team today if you have any questions about our services and schedule your Southern California home for a visit.