Although winter is upon us, that doesn’t mean your home is pest-free. In fact, with all the traveling going on during the holiday months, you may be subjected to one pest that wants nothing more than to ruin your good night’s sleep.
Bed bugs may not necessarily be at the forefront of a homeowner’s concern when it comes to pests as opposed to seeing a trail of ants walking along their countertops. However, they should be. Bed bugs are in fact as real as the old nursery rhyme and homeowners need to be aware of the many ways bed bugs can find their ways into their home.
What are Bed Bugs and How Do You Get Them?
Bed bugs are brown in color and small, from as little to one millimeter during their early immature stages and reaching no more than ¼ of an inch as adults. These nocturnal pests feed exclusively on blood and can sometimes cause bites that may result in itchy, red welts, however, some people have little to no reaction at all after being bitten.
With bed bugs being so small, there can be a number of ways that they can find their ways into your home. All it takes is for you, a friend or an item to unknowingly transfer bed bugs from a bed bug infested environment into your home, and it happens more often than you would think. Here are just a few ways:
- Brought home from day care programs or from school by children
- Brought home from your place of work
- Picked up during business or leisure travel
- Guests brining bed bugs into your home in their luggage or personal belongings during their visit
- Cleaning services, baby sitters, nannies or other people who frequent your home on regular basis
- Brought in on used furniture that is already infested with bed bugs
- Brought home on host from a variety of locations including public transportation, offices, movie theaters, hospitals, etc.
The list can go on and on of the ways that bed bugs make their ways into homes but if you do notice them in your home, be sure to call a pest professional. Unfortunately bed bugs can often be difficult to detect and once you do recognize they are there, they can be even more difficult to get rid of. This is one of the few pests that you definitely want to hire a professional to address because trying to treat on your own is rarely successful and may result in spreading the bugs throughout of you home.
Residential Bed Bug Treatments Offered by Cooper Pest Solutions
Bed bug treatments have advanced dramatically in recent years, offering more non-chemical methods than ever before. In addition to typical treatment methods where certain pesticides and dust applications are used, there are other methods that include steam, heat, mattress encasements and bed bug interception devices.
