Calgary Bed Bugs | Are Bed Bugs Due to Poor Hygiene
It’s everyone’s worst nightmare to find Calgary bed bugs in their home. However, with the right knowledge, and experts on your side, you can find and eliminate these pests, and sleep better at night. Even though people might assume that bed bugs only live in dirty homes, but Major Pest Control Calgary says this simply isn’t true.
They will infiltrate a clean or dirty home, all they are looking for is a food source, and since they feast on blood, we humans are their preferred target. Find out what to look for and how to get rid of these insects from your home once and for all.
Bed Bugs Are Opportunistic Pests
Bed bugs live throughout the entire world, which makes it a common site to see Calgary bed bugs. However, many people have no idea how they get bed bugs in the first place. These annoying tiny bloodsuckers are extremely opportunistic, and while they will not likely find their way into your home attached to a person, they will hitch a ride on clothing, second hand furniture and even luggage.
Part of what makes Calgary bed bugs so prolific, is that they can actually live for a year in between meals. They have no problem waiting for a meal, so even if you haven’t used that luggage for months, for example, that doesn’t mean it’s safe.
Though bed bugs will usually eat once or twice a week, and can bite more than once per night, they only need to eat at least every other week in order to reproduce. When they are able to reproduce, one meal can produce dozens of eggs, as they will be able to lay up to seven eggs per day for 10 days after that meal.
The eggs will hatch and become reproducing adults after only six weeks. You can have hundreds of Calgary bed bugs living in your home before you even realize that you have a problem.
And while they don’t specifically thrive in messy or dirty homes, and they don’t transmit diseases, they can cause rashes, caused by the injection of bed bug saliva into your blood stream as a blood thinner. A rash is unfortunately not indicative of a bed bug infestation, and many people only react after being exposed to bed bugs after two weeks, if they react at all.
But most people do not want these tiny, flat pests living in their home. The good news, according to Major Pest Control is that there are telltale signs you can be aware of, to help you spot an infestation quickly, and be able to get rid of them just as quickly.
Signs of a Bed Bug Infestation
It’s best not to wait for an itchy rash to suspect Calgary bed bugs. First of all, not everyone develops a rash. And out of the people who do develop a rash, it may take up to two weeks after the first exposure to develop the rash. As they can reproduce quite quickly, if you only take action once seeing a rash, the infestation will have grown.
While bed bugs feast while we sleep, they don’t actually the bed. You might occasionally find a live or dead bed bug, or an exoskeleton, but bed bugs actually live in other hiding places close to their food source. So don’t expect to find bugs in your bed. What you should look for instead, are the bed bug eggs that they will lay soon after feeding. You will most likely see eggs along the cracks and crevices of your mattress. They will be small, white ovals.
Other signs on or around your bed are small reddish black dots, often found on your sheets or bed frame. This is from the fecal matter that these bugs excrete after feeding. If you know what you’re looking for, this is one of the best, early warning signs of bed bugs in your home. Once you see this, you can go looking for other signs.
Be aware that not only are Calgary bed bugs tiny – 3 to 7 mm long, and are flat, enabling them to hide in harder to reach places, such as behind the wallpaper, or in the grooves of the head of a screw. Of course, once you find these signs, the best thing to do is call your local experts. Contact Major Pest Control in Calgary, they are the best experts and have a guarantee to rid you of these bugs.
Calgary Bed Bugs | What To Do After Finding Bed Bugs
Many people will want to take quick action after finding Calgary bed bugs in their home. They should feel free to clean, but do so carefully, cautions experts. Not being careful will cause the bed bugs to scatter, and instead of the exterminators having to get rid of bugs in one room, they will have to go through each room carefully. For example, vacuuming the bedroom is a good idea, but don’t go from one room to the next, vacuuming, then leave the vacuum without cleaning the filter. Vacuum the infected room, take the vacuum outside to empty the filter, and then continue vacuuming the rest of the house.
The same type of precaution is necessary for washing the bedding. Calgary bed bugs will be able to travel to various parts of the house by hitching a ride in the bed sheets. Therefore, strip the bed directly into a large garbage bag, or plastic bin. Take the sheets directly to the laundry room, where you will use the hottest water setting to ensure the bugs do not survive. Once the washer has started, immediately clean the bin, or throw the garbage bag in a trash bin outside the home. By taking these precautions, you will ensure the infestation is contained, making it easier for Major Pest Control to get rid of them quickly.
Careful Cleaning To Eliminate Bed Bugs
After your bedding is washed, thoroughly vacuum the mattress and box spring, and immediately put an encasement specifically for bed bugs on both. This will ensure that if any bugs or eggs remaining on the mattress or box spring, they will not be able to escape the encasement. Since Calgary bed bugs can live a year without a feeding, ensure that you do not open the encasement for any reason to ensure the bugs left will die. The encasement will also ensure bed bugs will not find their way onto the mattress again while the exterminator is eliminating them.
Another great bed bug prevention purchase is a bed bug interceptor. They are small plastic discs, designed to be placed under each bed leg. This makes it impossible for bed bugs to climb the bed frame to feast on their blood meal. However, if you do purchase interceptors, you will also want to make your bed an island.
What this means, is ensuring your bed has been moved away from anything the bed bugs can climb in order to reach the bed. Pull your bed six inches away from the walls and all furniture, and ensure your bedding doesn’t touch the walls, other furniture or the floor. While this doesn’t keep you 100% protected, it will eliminate a lot of the Calgary bed bugs attempts at reaching you.
Call the Experts at Bed Bug Removal
With any insect infestation, the best action is calling the experts. In Calgary, that would be Major Pest Control. Not only do they have a 58 point inspection to find all the hiding spots, but they also have a money back guarantee, and the company was formed by entomologists, who are experts in insects. They have a wide range of tools they can use, including a heat treatment to kill Calgary bed bugs dead. While no one wants to wake up to a bed bug infestation, you can overcome and be bed bug free!