Do I Have Bed Bugs? #whatbugsme
I truly hope you do not have bed bugs. These little vampires feeding only on blood are so disruptive, they have replaced the cockroach as the most feared pest to have in your home. Even here in Knoxville, bed bugs are a concern. How do you know if you have bedbugs? Here are the signs and some pictures.
Bed Bug Bites
Bed bug bites
This is a the reaction that can happen when bitten by the bed bug, often the first indication that you have a problem. Unfortunately, everyone reacts differently to the bites and some do not react at all so they cannot be identified by a pest control professional or a doctor. Signs of bites do not definitively indicate bed bugs but it is a very good reason to inspect the home.
Bed Bug Evidence
The next pictures are what you can see when you inspect your mattress, bed, couch, or chair. Bed bugs can set up shop almost anywhere but they want to stay close to the food source. Unfortunately, this is you. These places are usually where you sleep or sit for long periods of time. Do you often fall asleep on the couch watching TV? They can be there because of this. What you see in these pictures are the nesting sites of bedbugs. In these nests will be adults, nymps (babies), eggs, shed caste skins, and fecal matter. The black tar spots are the fecal matter or digested blood.
The eggs look like small translucent rice. The adults and nymps can be several different sizes due to age, sex and if they have recently fed. The abdomen of the bed bug will swell and turn red when they are newly fed and stain if crushed. In these nests you will also find the shed skins from the molting process. This is necessary for the bed bug to grow. Most of the time these nests are found in creases, edges, and folds in fabric. Here they are hidden and protected until you fall asleep and they come out to feed. Removing these stains can be difficult, especially on porous surfaces like wood.
Bed Bugs: What Not to do
So you have bites and found the signs on your furniture, now what? You could always try and deal with it yourself but no matter how cliche it sounds, YOU CANNOT FIX THIS YOURSELF! Please call a professional. Eliminating these pests is usually a very involved ordeal. There is also so much bad information out there, especially on the internet, so ask a professional. You can bet your home that whatever a friend tells you to do that will get rid of the bed bugs is not true. I have seen some silly and some dangerous things done out of desperation. One of the dangerous things is wiping your skin down with rubbing alcohol. This will dry out the skin and encourage scratching the bites, breaking the skin and making the reactions worse. It also does nothing for the bed bugs. Please do not put out Boric Acid, DE(Diatomaceous Earth), or Borax to treat for these bugs. These are not effective and usually applied dangerously. This dust will kick up into the air when the AC or appliances turn on, or when doors are opened and even walking through the room. In the air, now you breathe it in. Often times I find dryer sheets placed between the mattress and box springs to ward off bedbugs. Again, this is 100% worthless, don’t waste your time or money on these home remedies for bed bugs. Don’t believe me? Go ahead and try whatever silly thing Aunt Joline told you and when you find it was ineffective, give me a call.
Health impact
Are you looking for the good news? It is not much but here it is. Even though bed bugs feed on blood, they have not been found to transmit diseases through the bite. There is no direct danger from a feeding unless you happen to be allergic. They however can transfer other problems such as staph infection by walking on someone infected then walking on you but this is rare. The biggest problem tends to be the disruption to your sleep and your psyche. Often times people will sleep elsewhere when they find the bugs but this only leads to spreading them to the new area. Remember, they want to stay close to the food source just like any other living creature. When your body needs sleep but you are afraid to sleep because you know you will become a meal for these parasites it has a large impact on your entire life. When you don’t get the rest your body needs, it affects your job, your relationships, and can be dangerous when driving. So please get help!
Solution
Phoenix Pest Control has extensive experience dealing with these vampires. This includes hundreds of bedbug eliminations and being trained by Bedbug Central, the leading authority in bed bug research. The treatment for bed bugs requires the experience and knowledge to implement the multi layered approach required for such a persistent pest. We also utilize a K9 Scent Detection Team to ensure they are gone.
Call today for your FREE diagnostic inspection and quote.
Blount (865) 455-8571 aaronv@phoenixpestcontroltn.com
