We’ve seen a noticeable increase in calls about bed bug infestations recently. This isn’t unusual as bed bug activity tends to rise and fall in phases, but after the Paris Olympics, reports of bed bugs have spiked worldwide, and our local community hasn’t been spared.
While they are a frustrating pest to deal with because of how quickly they spread and how difficult they are to eliminate without professional help. In this month’s blog post, we’re sharing about how you can identify bed bugs, how to prevent them, signs of an infestation, and our approach to eliminating them.
What Are Bed Bugs?
Bed bugs are small, parasitic insects that feed on human blood, usually at night. They don’t transmit diseases, but their bites can cause itchy welts, sleepless nights, and a lot of stress for homeowners.
Adult bed bugs are about the size of an apple seed, oval, flat, and reddish-brown in color. After feeding, they swell and turn a deeper red. Nymphs (young bed bugs) are much smaller and lighter in color, while bed bug eggs are tiny, pearly white, and hard to spot without a close inspection.
Example of what bed bugs look like.
Image Credit: PestWorld.org
How Do Bed Bugs Spread?
One of the biggest challenges with preventing a bed bug infestation is their ability to hitchhike. They can travel easily on luggage, clothing, furniture, and personal belongings. For this reason, bed bug infestations are common after travel. Once inside a home, they reproduce quickly and spread from room to room.
How Can You Prevent Bed Bugs?
While it’s not always possible to completely avoid a bed bug infestation, you can take steps to lower your risk of an infestation:
- Inspect hotel rooms when traveling, look along mattress seams, headboards, furniture joints, and corners of walls where they may be waiting for their food source.
- Keep luggage off the floor and use luggage racks when possible.
- Wash and dry clothing on high heat after returning from trips.
- Be cautious with secondhand furniture and inspect it thoroughly before bringing it inside your home.
Signs of a Bed Bug Infestation
Bed bugs often hide during the day in mattress seams, box springs, furniture crevices, and even behind baseboards. Signs you may have them include:
- Small reddish or rust-colored stains on bedding.
- Tiny dark spots (bed bug droppings).
- Shed skins or eggshells.
- Waking up with clusters or lines of small itchy red bites.
How Monticello Pest Solutions Treats For Bed Bugs
At Monticello Pest Solutions, we know that every home and infestation is different which is why we have a couple of different methods for eliminating a bed bug infestation. Our treatments focus on not just getting rid of the visible bugs, but also stopping their rapid ability to multiply and spread.
Conventional Chemical Treatments
This traditional approach is designed to directly target bed bugs where they live and hide. Our technicians apply carefully selected products to the key areas where they are most active like mattresses, furniture seams, and cracks or crevices around the room. They also use a HEPA filter vacuum to physically remove infestations and speed up the process of elimination. The vacuum is an excellent Integrated Pest Management (IPM) tool. These treatments are effective at knocking down active populations and preventing them from coming back.
Aprehend® Treatments
For an innovative, long-lasting option, we also offer Aprehend®, a scientifically proven treatment that uses a natural fungal spore. When bed bugs cross over the treated barrier, the spores attach to their exoskeleton. They then carry these spores back to their hiding places, spreading them to the rest of the population. This unique transfer effect ensures that even hidden bed bugs are exposed, making it one of the most powerful solutions available today.
By combining our industry experience with cutting-edge technology, Monticello Pest Solutions is equipped to completely eliminate bed bug infestations and help you rest easy again. Contact us today for an inspection if you have concerns that they may be in your home.
