Bed Bug Control 101: A Helpful Guide For Pasadena Homeowners

Bed bugs are a problem all over the United States and can invade crowded youth hostels and well-maintained homes alike. They were an issue in ancient Rome and have since adapted to become more resilient and able to survive treatments that were the gold standard not long ago. Bed bugs arrived in the US back in the 1800s by riding on European ships and have been wreaking havoc since then, causing painful bites, sleepless nights, and more. Please don’t waste your time trying to crush them, as these tiny insects have developed sturdy exoskeletons that are virtually indestructible when they haven’t yet had their blood feast. Trying to control them with DIY homemade methods will often backfire and cause the infestation to worsen. Unlike spiders and even rodents, which can play an essential role in the earth’s ecosystem, there is no purpose to bed bugs except for serving as a source of food for some predators. If you have bed bugs in your home, there is only one thing to do: exterminate them swiftly. If you are dealing with bed bugs in your home, it is time to learn how to identify them, understand why bed bugs like to bite sleeping people, and find out how they find their way into our homes. If you are struggling with an infestation, Accutech Pest Management provides pest control in Pasadena so you can sleep peacefully again and for good.

How To Identify A Bed Bug

Various pests look like bed bugs, including spider beetles, bat bugs, ticks, and booklice. If you suspect you are dealing with a bed bug problem, you will want to look for the following characteristics of bed bugs:

• Bed bugs are the size of an apple seed: They are tiny but not so small that you can’t see them with the naked eye. The size of an apple seed, bed bugs are reddish-brown, oval-shaped, and have six legs. After a blood meal, they become plumper, darker, and easier to crush.
• Bed bugs do not jump: If you have jumping insects in your home, you might be dealing with fleas. Bed bugs do not jump and can’t fly either because they do not have wings. You might have a beetle or cockroach problem if you see winged insects.
• Bed bugs tend to hide in bedding: Bed bugs can hide throughout your house and are creative in finding hiding spots. You might find bed bugs in your mattress and pillow, on bed sheets, behind labels and stitching, in your carpet and curtains, and even behind electrical outlets. Bed bugs are efficient about going from room to room, which means that once you detect an infestation, it is only a matter of time until the rest of your home is affected.
• Bed bugs leave behind rust stains: Bed bugs leave behind various dark stains, which could be from dried blood, from bed bugs crushed after a blood meal, or they could be bed bug feces as well. It is always a good idea to thoroughly wash your bedding often and dry it at high temperatures if you have a bed bug problem. When exposed to temperatures above 118°F for an extended period, bed bugs will not survive.
• Bed bugs tend to feast during the night: You might not notice them during the day, but if you wake up with bites on your ankles in the morning, you might have them in your bed.
• Bed bugs leave behind eggs and eggshells: When they reproduce, bed bugs lay eggs that are white and about the size of a pinhead. You might not notice them unless you are actively looking for them, but they tend to be near beds in the early stages of an infestation and anywhere from couches to drawer joints. To get rid of an infestation, you must treat adult bed bugs and their eggs.
• Bed bugs molt several times: Bed bugs molt about five times during their life cycle and leave behind their exoskeletons that resemble adult bed bugs but are empty, translucent shells. 

If you have noticed one of these bed bug signs, you are probably dealing with an infestation. In this case, you must understand why bed bugs bite sleeping people and look for bed bug control near you to exterminate them for good.

Why Bed Bugs Like To Bite Sleeping People

Bed bugs like to bite sleeping people because they are an easy target. They prefer to hide in rugs and carpets, on curtains, behind electrical outlets by the bed, and of course, on mattresses and bedding. This means they can come out as soon as you are asleep and start biting at exposed skin like ankles, feet, and more. In the morning, you might notice bed bug bites on your body that look like bumps arranged in a straight line or zig-zag pattern. They can also turn into blisters and hives and get very itchy. You might notice blood stains on your bedding, which can be from the bites themselves or from rolling over bed bugs in your sleep. While bed bug exoskeletons are incredibly sturdy, they become softer after a blood meal, and these pesky insects are at higher risk of getting crushed. If you’ve been the target of bed bugs, it is best to wash the area thoroughly with soap and water and avoid scratching it. If the bites do not heal quickly, you might want to seek help from a medical professional. If bed bugs have made their way into your home, read on to find out why you might have ended up with an infestation and how local pest control for bed bugs can make your home safe again.