Have you heard the phrase, "I guess I didn't hold my mouth right"? It is one of those weird sayings that some use when they can't get something to work, but they try again and finally solve the problem. Or people say it when someone else intervenes and fixes the issue, causing the frustrated person to say, "I guess I didn't hold my mouth right." The point of the saying is that we often hold our mouths in a weird position when we are intensely concentrating on a problem, and it is those moments of intense concentration that we often solve the problem.
A person could say that removing bed bugs from your house is one of those tricky problems that require you to hold your mouth just right to solve. Getting rid of bed bugs is one of the most challenging feats for bed bug professionals. So, if bed bugs are a challenge for the pros, you know they are almost impossible to eliminate by those who don't remove pests for a living.
If you suspect bed bugs are in your house, you need seasoned Reno pest control technicians from Celtic Pest Control. Technicians from our locally owned company live, work and play in this community; therefore, we use only natural and environmentally friendly pest control methods and products to protect our family and neighbors. One way we can help our community is to provide information about pests like bed bugs. Continue reading this brief article to learn about bed bugs, where to search for them, and how to remove them quickly from your house.
Can You See Bed Bugs In Your Home?
The visibility of bed bugs depends upon their growth stage. Bed bugs progress through five instars as they mature. At each instar or growth stage, a bed bug sheds its exterior shell (known as an exoskeleton) to enable the expansion of its body. When a bed bug hatches, it is called a nymph. A nymph is almost invisible to the human eye because of its practically colorless body and tiny size during the first three or four instars. Once bed bugs reach the final growth stage and proceed into adulthood, you can see them without additional magnification.
Although immature bed bugs are hard to see, that does not mean they don't leave signs of their presence. Here are some signs you may see if a bed bug infestation is present:
- Bed bugs (adult)
- Discarded shells (exoskeletons)
- Stains
- Bites
- Odor
- Eggshells
- Eggs
Let's examine each of these signs in detail.
Bed bugs are insects with six legs, two antennae, compound eyes, and wing pads. Unfed adult bed bugs have a flat 1/4 inch mahogany oval body, but the body of fed adults is elongated, swollen, and reddish-brown. Nymphs are colorless and difficult to see without magnification.
All insects have an exterior skeleton (exoskeleton), which they shed at each growth stage. Discarded exoskeletons from a bed bug's early growth stages are not noticeable, but ones from the final molt are. Look for discarded cream-colored shells as you investigate the rooms.
As bed bugs consume a blood meal courtesy of a sleeping host, they defecate and leave reddish-brown fecal stains on bed linens, mattresses, and box springs. They also leave fecal marks on walls near cracks where they hide. Although most marks are from fecal matter, some are from bugs squished by a host that rolls over them.
Bed bugs become active between midnight and 5 am, during which time they climb onto their food source and feed for 5 to 10 minutes. Before beginning its feeding session, the bed bug bites the host's skin several times to find the best capillary space for good blood flow. The host usually doesn't feel the bites because the bug injects an anesthetic to numb the area. Bed bugs leave a cluster or rows of wounds that become red, itchy, and slightly swollen for several days.
Like most insects, bed bugs communicate using pheromones. Produced by glands on the underside of their body, these chemicals create a musty odor; the smell becomes noticeable when a large infestation is in a room.
Although magnification is required, you will find discarded cream-colored eggshells and white eggs where there is an infestation. After a meal, each adult female bed bug can lay 10 to 50 eggs over ten days. In ideal conditions (i.e., temperatures of about 70?), about 97% of the eggs will hatch in 6 to 17 days. The eggs are coated with a sticky substance.
If you see these signs, you need bed bug control in Reno from Celtic Pest Control. Our highly trained technicians will investigate your Reno home to ensure bed bugs are in your Reno house.
Bed Bugs Can Be Found In More Than Just Beds
As their name suggests, beds are linked to these pests, but that is not the only place you will find them in your Reno house. Before we identify the other areas, you should begin your investigation with beds in occupied bedrooms. Look for bed bug signs on bed linens, mattress seams, box springs, bedding, and behind headboards.
Beds are not the only places you find bed bugs. The width of a credit card is all a bed bug needs, so no gap is off-limits in your investigation. Therefore, look for bed bugs behind wooden picture frames, inside electrical outlets, wallpaper seams, and cracks between the baseboards, walls, and floors. If you have upholstered furniture in the room, search between the wood and fabric and around the bandings.
Bed bugs don't enter homes from the yard like other pests; instead, they hitchhike on clothing, luggage, shoes, boxes, and used furniture. Search these items for bed bugs because they may also be in your closet. Bed bugs can live several months without a blood meal, so investigate clothing storage containers for bed bugs.
When you contact Celtic Pest Control, the bed bug control company near you, we will send a licensed, professional technician to inspect your home to determine the size and scope of the infestation. When they survey your house, they will know where to search for bed bug signs.
Why It's Impossible To Get Rid Of Bed Bugs On Your Own
Many assume that if they see signs of bed bugs, they can resolve the problem with a few sprays from a store-bought product. However, it doesn't take long before they realize that it is not easy to remove bed bugs. Why is it almost impossible to get rid of bed bugs?
The following are reasons why 79% of pest control professionals said in a survey by the National Pest Management Association that bed bugs are troublesome to remove from homes:
- Quick reproduction rate
- Avoidance of certain treatments
- Resistance to some products
As noted earlier, one female bed bug may deliver up to fifty eggs over ten days after a blood meal, and approximately 97% will hatch. There is a 1:1 ratio of male to female bed bugs, meaning that of the roughly forty-eight eggs that hatch, twenty-four nymphs will be female. Bed bugs can mature from eggs to reproducing adults in about thirty-seven days. In our little scenario, you may have twenty-four new reproducing female bed bugs in a little over a month. Once this cycle begins, a bed bug population can double every sixteen days!
Bed bugs may not have a nose, but they have other ways to smell and can detect some treatments. Professional-grade products evade detection, but bed bugs can detect some chemicals found in store-bought versions and avoid the treated area. Furthermore, bed bugs evolved in their resistance to some treatment products. Commercial-grade treatments that worked in the past are often packaged into consumer products years later, but they are no longer as effective against bed bugs. There is also a safety concern regarding DIY products. Incorrectly applied, these products may harm family members and pets.
Get bed bug pest control service for your Reno home from Celtic Pest Control. We have time-tested, eco-friendly tools to remove pests from your house.
What's The Fastest Way To Get Rid Of Bed Bugs?
You are probably reading this article because you are afraid you have bed bugs in your Reno home. If you want to waste time and money, you can attempt to remove them or skip all the frustration and hassle and get bed bug pest control in Reno from Celtic Pest Control.
Because pest control is what we do, we have various tools to combat and conquer bed bugs. When a qualified and trained technician inspects your location, they can determine the best approach for removing bed bugs. Options for bed bug elimination include treating the house with a product, steam treatments, ZappBug heat treatments, dusting outlet switches, HEPA vacuuming, and mattress encasements. Once we complete our treatment process, bed bugs, nymphs, and eggs will no longer be a problem in your Reno home.
Regarding bed bugs, you need to "hold your mouth right" and focus on the issue before it gets out of control. Contact Celtic Pest Control today to learn more about our treatment plans and get a free estimate.
What Celtic Pest Control Customers Are Saying
"My overall experience with your company was very good. They were on time and professional. They did good work and answered all questions we had. From the first point of contact with your company, we have had a good experience. Great customer service. We will use them in the future and highly recommend them!"
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