Bed bugs are insects that often plague homeowners. These tiny insects feed on human blood and leave behind redness, blisters, itchiness, and other unpleasant skin conditions. It’s very easy to transport bed bugs from one location to another, but it is extremely difficult to get rid of them once they’ve made themselves at home.
Interesting Facts
In spite of the frustration caused by these insects, it is possible to recognize that bed bugs have some very interesting characteristics:
- These insects can survive for a year with feeding!
- Bed bugs are found in every region of the earth.
- They can withstand extreme temperatures from freezing to 120 degrees Fahrenheit.
- Bed bugs stick to a consistent routine, emerging at roughly the same time each night to feed for five to ten minutes.
- The bugs eat up to seven times their own weight in one feeding.
- It only takes ten days for a bed bug to hatch, and within six weeks, the insect develops into an adult.
Maybe the most important thing you need to know, however, is that these bugs are survivors. They have developed behaviors that make it difficult to eliminate the problem once an infestation occurs.
Recognize the Bites
Treating a bed bugs fort myers infestation begins with identification. Your first sign of a bed bug infestation may come in the form of itchy welts. These are similar to flea bites but don’t have a central red spot and aren’t limited to your ankles. Bed bug bites could appear on any area of exposed skin and tend to be in a line. The spots are painless initially but become itchy later.
Find the Insects
The next step of identifying a bed bug problem is to look in the crevices and edges of your bedding. Check the stitching in your mattresses and on other furnishings in your home. There may be tiny traces of blood on your sheets, or you could spot the bugs themselves. Adult bed bugs tend to be about the size of a sesame seed and have flat, brown bodies.
After you’ve recognized a problem in your home, it’s important to contact pest control professionals quickly. Be aware that it will take more than one treatment to eliminate the pests from your home.