Bed bugs are small parasitic insects that tend to congregate near their preferred hosts. And yes, you guessed it, we are their preferred hosts. This makes beds and other warm areas appealing to these pests as daytime hideouts. They usually come out to feed at night, resulting in a rather itchy situation. Understanding how bed bugs find a home in your home and how to get rid of them will help you combat infestations before they get out of hand.
How Do Bed Bugs Spread?
Bed bugs can find their way into your home by hitching a ride on clothing, luggage, secondhand furniture and even guests. Anyone who visits an infested area can bring the bugs back with them, risking new invasions elsewhere. This is a growing problem in the San Antonio area, but a recently completed study offers insight into how these bugs multiply once they’ve found themselves a home, and could aid in developing better ways to eliminate them.
The Journal of Medical Entomology published a study in its January 2014 issue that discovered group living can actually speed the development of bedbug nymphs. In the first study ever to document how group living affects bed bugs, North Carolina researchers discovered that the “social” nymphs developed 2.2 days faster than those that lived alone. This 7.3% difference indicates that hanging out together is good for bedbug development.
The study also discovered that it doesn’t matter whether the bed bugs gather with older bugs or stay with their own age group. This poses a question for both researchers and homeowners: could bedbug eggs show speedy growth and development even in the absence of adult bugs? More research is needed to figure out the mechanism behind this phenomenon, but until then, it’s a good idea to know how to protect yourself and your home from potential infestations.
How Can Bed Bugs Be Controlled?
Heat remediation is the best way to eliminate a bed bug infestation and is the only method that’s completely effective. This method of pest control heats up an infested area to 125 degrees to destroy all the life stages of these pesky critters before they start getting social. This means you don’t have to worry about hidden eggs or unseen adults causing a new infestation. Zapping bugs with heat ensures a clean room in as little as one treatment so you can get back to living your life and enjoying it bug-free
If you’re concerned about bed bugs in your San Antonio home, give ABC Home & Commercial Services a call. Our heat remediation services are designed to eliminate infestations and keep bugs from coming back. Contact us today for a free estimate.