Here at ABC Home & Commercial, November is our peak time for bed bug treatment. Every summer vacations are taken, leaving travelers like you at risk of bed bugs in your home with them. Bed bugs become very active in the late summer and fall before it cools down for winter. By the time November rolls around, they have been enjoying the hot humid North Texas summer for a few months.
Bed bugs don’t discriminate. They will live just about anywhere and bite anyone. Anyone who has slept where other people have slept before could get bed bugs. Even the nicest 5-star hotels are susceptible to infestations. The best way to prevent bed bugs is to check for them anytime you travel before you come home.
How Do You Get Bed Bugs in Your Home?
Bed bugs usually travel place to place by latching onto clothing or luggage after you have traveled. According to the Center for Disease Control (CDC), bed bugs hide in seams of mattresses, box springs, bed frames, headboards, dresser tables, inside cracks or crevices, behind wallpaper, or any other clutter or objects around a bed.
While staying in a place where others have slept before you, such as a hotel, motel or Airbnb, bed bugs hiding in these places can attach themselves to your luggage and hitch a ride into your home. The best practice is to check for bed bugs in any new place you stay. If you think you may have come in to contact with bed bugs, isolate any belongings that are with you BEFORE entering your home.
How to Check for Bed Bugs
Checking for bed bugs is simple. They will leave behind their tiny exoskeletons or rusty-colored blood spots from fecal matter on the mattress or nearby furniture. Bed bugs, themselves, can be found in the fold of mattresses and sheets. They are very tiny so it is usually easier to spot their exoskeletons, fecal matter or to smell a sweet musty odor.
As soon as you walk into your room for the night, check all the corners of the mattress, both with the sheet on and off. Then, check the furniture nearest the bed for the signs mentioned above. If you see or smell anything that indicates a bed bug infestation, do NOT stay there. It doesn’t take long for bed bugs to latch onto your luggage and follow you home.
What To Do If You Find Bed Bugs in Your Home?
If you think you have bed bugs, call a pest management professional immediately. If you are a renter notify your landlord or property management company, as well. Then, remove all clutter and everything from closets, shelves and drawers.
Wash and dry ALL of your bedding and clothing. The heat from the dryer will help kill the bed bugs. As the bedding and clothing is washed and dried, place them in sealed plastic bags.
You will need to leave during the bed bug treatment, but most exterminators allow you to return the same day. Any items, such as mattresses, that cannot be treated will need to be thrown out.
ABC Home & Commercial uses a pest specific product to target all life stages of the bed bug, including eggs, nymphs and adults. Our product acts both on contact and as a persistent barrier for anything that tries to sneak by after application. Once dry, the formula is safe for people and pets to re-enter the home or business and use the space as usual.
According to the CDC, “the best way to prevent bed bugs is regular inspection for the signs of an infestation”. We recommend both a regular pest inspection for the home and a form of passive monitoring called the ClimbUp. The ClimbUp is a cup lined with slippery talcum powder that is placed under the legs of furniture. The powder traps any bed bugs that try to make their way up furniture.
Whether you’ve discovered bed bugs in your home or business or a need a preventative measure, don’t wait until the bed bugs bite! Call ABC Home & Commercial today!
