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Bed bugs are infamous for being one of the worst pests you can get – that's because it's not far from the truth. Bed bugs share your bed with you and literally have you for dinner while you sleep, as they feed on your blood. They can leave you with itchy bites all over your body, disrupting your sleep and ruining your ability to enjoy your own bed. Another terrible thing about bed bugs is they’re one of the toughest pests to get rid of, meaning it’s just about impossible to take care of an infestation on your own. Thus, prevention is key. Let’s talk about what you can do at your West Chester property.
Signs Of Bed Bugs
Contrary to popular belief, bed bugs are visible to the naked eye. They’re tiny, but you can see them. However, because they’re so small and so adept at squeezing their flat, brown bodies into the tightest places, bed bugs are often tough to spot. Seeing a bed bug might be the first sign you notice when you have an infestation, but it might also be one of the following:
- Shed exoskeletons
- Bed bug droppings that look like tiny coffee grains
- Bed bug eggs that look like tiny sesame seeds
- Tiny brown blood stains from bed bugs feeding on you
You might see these signs on your mattress, but you might also see them on other furniture as well. Bed bugs don’t just limit themselves to your bed. They can hide anywhere, including in places you’d never expect, like carpet fibers, keyboard keys, and light switch covers. That’s part of what makes them such a tough pest to exterminate.
What To Do About Bed Bugs
Lots of people try to get rid of bed bugs on their own, and there are lots of remedies on the market that purport to be able to take care of these pests. Plant oils claim to be able to repel bed bugs. Insecticidal diatomaceous earth (DE) can shred them apart when they walk over it. Steam cleaning your mattress can burn bed bugs to death, as can washing and drying your sheets in the hottest setting.
However, the problem with these do-it-yourself (DIY) methods is they only treat certain, limited areas. As we’ve already discussed, bed bugs can spread over your whole house while you’re none the wiser. Trying to treat your whole house with DE or plant oils is likely to be nothing but a waste of time and money. That’s why prevention is key.
There are lots of things you can do to prevent bed bugs, but your two biggest risk factors for getting them are travel and secondhand shopping. If you can, avoid the latter entirely. If you’re going to a secondhand shop, inspect every item you purchase for bed bugs and signs of them before bringing the purchase into your house. When you travel, take precautions like:
- Wash all clothes in hot water and dry on hot as soon as you get home.
- Never lay your luggage on hotel beds or sofas.
- Inspect luggage for bugs before bringing it into the house.
- Inspect hotel beds and sofas for bed bug signs and don’t stay in that room if you find them.
If you do wind up bringing bed bugs into your home, there is a better way to deal with them than expensive and ineffective DIY treatments. Here at Moyer Pest Control, we’ve got a comprehensive bed bug treatment process that starts with a thorough inspection of your home to determine all the places that could be infested. Then, we customize a treatment plan based on your infestation level, whether it’s low, medium, or high. No matter how severe your infestation, we can tailor a plan that will permanently eradicate the bugs from your bed. So give us a call at (215) 660-3642 or visit our contact page to request your inspection today.
