Bed bugs are nasty little creatures. They infest the place in your home where you should feel safest – your bed – and feed on you while you sleep. Pest control in Fort Myers can be tricky, and some pests are more than a homeowner can deal with on their own. That’s why professional pest control services like Stat Pest Control exist; we’re here to help you deal with all your bed bug problems. First, let’s take a look at how to identify bed bugs so you can be sure you’re getting the right kind of assistance.
How To Be Sure It’s Bed Bugs In Your Home
Bed bugs can be mistaken for other insects, so it’s important that you know how to identify them so you can detect a bed bug infestation. Bed bugs have six legs and two antennae. Their bodies are a wide, flat oval shape that swells and lengthens when they feed. Immature bed bugs, or nymphs, are pale and almost colorless. Adult bed bugs are a mahogany color before they feed and a red-brown color after feeding. While bed bugs are very small, they are still detectable by the naked eye; adult bed bugs average about a quarter of an inch long. Bed bug bites can be easily confused with the bites of other small insects, but other markings of their presence are more obvious. Their droppings, which look like little reddish brown spots, as well as their molted skins and empty eggshells, which are pale white, can often be seen on or near mattresses and upholstery. Now that we’ve covered these common bed bug signs, let’s look at how bed bugs might get into your home.
How Bed Bug Infestations Spread
Bed bugs are excellent hitchhikers. Even if they aren’t anywhere near your home when you first encounter them, they can latch onto clothes, suitcases, or other carried or transported items. This allows them to catch a free ride to your house, and because they are so small, you may not notice them at first. Once inside your home, bed bugs take up residence in beds and upholstery because these locations get them close to their food source and give them dark places to hide inside. While there are things you can do to minimize the possibility of attracting bed bugs, bed bug control in Fort Myers is best left to the professionals.
Do-It-Yourself Bed Bug Control Is A Waste Of Time And Money
You may have heard of certain home remedies and natural pest control for bed bugs, such as mothballs, rubbing alcohol, or dryer sheets. All of these remedies are unlikely to have any effect. Mothballs are good for keeping away other insects, but not bed bugs. Rubbing alcohol is flammable and should never be used on mattresses, upholstery, or wooden furniture. And there is no proof that dryer sheets deter or remove bed bugs in any way. If you want to take on bed bugs, the best thing you can do is to take preventative steps to prevent having bed bugs in your Fort Myers home in the first place.
Some of the best ways to keep bed bugs out include:
- When staying at a hotel, check the room for signs of bed bugs before unpacking.
- Change hotels right away if you find any signs of a bed bug infestation.
- Check your luggage before entering or exiting each hotel you visit, and make sure to vacuum it out as soon as you return home.
- Inspect your luggage and wash your clothes in hot water when you return home from a trip even if you haven’t worn them.
- Never leave your belongings on the floor in public spaces.
- Don’t bring secondhand furniture into your home without first inspecting it closely for signs of bed bugs.
If you do discover bed bugs, don’t panic. Instead, call your local professional pest control service to get rid of bed bugs in your home.
Call The Pros At The First Sign Of Bed Bugs In Your Home
For years, Stat Pest Control has been delivering excellent and efficient customer service to our clients in Southwest Florida. We aim to get the job done the same day you call us. All of our technicians are trained to thoroughly and safely deal with your unique pest situation. Don’t let bed bugs interfere with your sleep. Call Stat Pest Control today, to get started and to learn more about our residential and commercial pest control services in Fort Myers.
