Bed Bug Identification & Prevention

What are bed bugs?

Bed bugs live throughout the United States and can become a problem inside of any home or business. Their indoor lifestyle allows bed bugs to remain active throughout the entire year. Bed bugs feed only on blood, and people are their preferred hosts.

Bed bugs have an oval body shape and reddish-brown color. Before feeding, they are flattened from top to bottom, after feeding, their body swells and expands. These insects feed using a specialized mouthpart called a proboscis. When not feeding, they store this elongated mouthpart underneath their body. They do not have wings and are unable to jump, which explains why their primary mode of transportation is hitchhiking.

Are bed bugs dangerous?

Bed bugs are annoying and problematic pests, but they aren’t dangerous. As of right now, while they are capable of harboring disease-causing pathogens, the spread of disease by bed bugs is not significant. Problems they do cause for people include:

• Loss of sleep
• Walls, floors, bedding, upholstered furniture, and mattresses stained with blood or streaks of excrement
• Development of a red, itchy rash at the bite sites on those allergic to their saliva
• An unpleasant, sweet, musty odor developing in any room or area of your home
• Secondary infections (especially in children) from excessive itching of the bite sites

Why do I have a bed bug problem?

Bed bugs are mainly indoor pests; they travel on people or their belongings and into different homes and businesses daily. Unfortunately, it is common to come into contact with bed bugs while at work, school, at a friend’s house, or in a public place and then unintentionally introduce them into your home. These pests also get into homes on used items like furniture, mattresses, and box springs.

Since bed bugs are so good at hiding, an infestation has the potential to remain unnoticed until it has had the chance to develop and turn into a large scale infestation.

Common signs of a bed bug infestation include:

• Black streaks or drops of blood on bedding, pillows, walls, floors, or furniture
• Piles of shed bed bug skins under mattresses or on the floor
• A strong, musty odor developing in any room or area of your home
• Waking up with unexplained bites

Where will I find bed bugs?

Bed bugs live wherever there are people. Contact with bed bugs occurs in homes, schools, office buildings, airports, movie theaters, and anywhere else people come and go from regularly. While their name suggests that they live and stay in sleeping areas, the truth is they can travel throughout a home. They are also able to move from unit to unit in apartment buildings, using spaces behind walls and under floors as a tunnel system.

Common hiding spots for bed bugs in any home include the seams of mattresses and box springs, in upholstered furniture, behind baseboards or wood trim, and spaces behind electrical outlets.

How do I get rid of bed bugs?

The first step you should take to rid bed bugs from your property is to contact a professional. At Admiral Pest Control, our professionals know bed bugs and know how to take the steps needed to eliminate them and prevent a re-infestation.

We are our area’s oldest family-run pest control company, and we take care of all our customers as if they were a part of our family. If you are looking to rid your southern Los Angeles County or Orange County residential or commercial property of pests, reach out to the friendly and knowledgeable professionals at Admiral Pest Control. Call us today to learn more about our effective bed bug control services!

How can I prevent bed bugs in the future?

Bed bugs and other pests are difficult to prevent; the best prevention tip is always to partner with a trained and experienced professional. You can also try the following tips from Admiral Pest Control to help you avoid problems with bed bugs:

• Routinely vacuum your home, including the seams of upholstered furniture, mattresses, and box springs.
• If you live in an apartment building, help stop bed bugs from finding their way into your home by placing door sweeps on exterior doors and sealing gaps in walls and floors.
• If at all possible, avoid purchasing used furniture, mattresses, or box springs for use inside your home.
• After purchasing any clothing, immediately wash and dry them on the highest heat setting the fabrics can handle.
• Bed bugs are not attracted to a home that is cluttered, but they do like to hide in clutter. Remove excess clutter from your home and pick up dirty laundry from the floor.
• To further reduce hiding spots, place bed bug proof covers over mattresses and box springs.
• Regularly change and wash your family’s bedding.