Bed Bugs
Appearance:
Adults measure 3/16 inch long; and are broadly oval and flat. Bed bugs are amber to reddish brown in color, depending on how recently they fed. When present in sufficient numbers, it is possible to detect an obnoxiously sweet or foul “locker room” odor, which is emitted from their glands.
Habitat:
Bed bugs harbor in cracks and crevices during the day and come out to feed at night. Typically they can be found around mattress buttons and beading, in box springs or their coverings, and in any crevice of a wooden bed frame, such as where members join. Other places to check are wall hangings such as picture frames, night stands, stuffed furniture, baseboards, floorboard cracks, behind loose wallpaper, light switches, door and window frames, conduits, etc. In heavy infestations, bed bugs may be found in wall voids, attics, and other enclosed places. They will crawl considerable distances to obtain a blood meal. They can be introduced into a structure via used furniture or in the belongings of someone who has been living in a bed bug infested situation. Adults can survive for up to 6-7 months if they are well fed and they can feed on other animals if humans are not present. When the temperature falls below 61°F adults enter semi hibernation and can survive for months.
Bed bug infestations have been found in transportation vehicles such as boats (including cruise ships), trains, airplanes, and buses as well as in movie theaters where they typically harborage in seats and associated frames.
Besides the characteristic obnoxiously sweet odor, the other primary clues to an infestation will be the presence of bed bugs and/or small red to reddish brown fecal spots here and there on surfaces.
Diet:
Primarily humans, although bedbugs can dine on any warm-blooded animal.
Solutions:
What you can do: Affected persons subject to severe infestations should be provided with alternate lodging or sleeping accommodations until the problem is resolved. If a severe infestation is the situation, or pesticide exposure becomes a health concern, an infested bed frame, box spring and mattress and upholstered furniture can be discarded (after being marked or defaced to prevent “adoption” by others) and replaced with new. Professionally-treated or replacement mattresses and box springs should be fitted with special zippered encasements to prevent re-infestation by bed bugs.
A standard vacuum cleaner fitted with hose attachment and crevice tool is useful to remove bed bugs when found. Microfiltration vacuum bags should be used to prevent insect allergens from being blown into the air. Filter bags should be discarded after vacuuming to prevent escape and re-infestation by surviving bed bugs. Bed coverings, clothing and comfort toys suspected of being infested with bed bugs should be dry cleaned or washed in hot soapy water and run through the medium to high heat cycle in a dryer.
Vacuum or heat-treat suitcases after returning from a vacation. Check bed sheets for tell-tale blood spots. Bedbugs are elusive creatures, so calling a professional when you suspect an infestation is the wisest solution. Don’t delay - the best results come from a rapid response to the initial sighting.
Professional Solution:
A thorough inspection is indispensable. Quik-Kill will treat any bed bugs found with a crack & crevice application of appropriate materials. Great care will be taken when treating in order to minimize human exposure to pesticides.
In homes, most bed bug infestations can be controlled with applications to infested upholstered furniture seams, mattress seams, box spring cavities, bed frame crevices, lower wall penetrations, behind baseboards, and into the carpet tack strip zone.
In apartment buildings, adjoining condominiums and hotels, it’s advisable to also inspect and treat the units to either side and above and below the infested unit, since bed bugs move readily through structural voids. Additional treatments of infested dwellings may be necessary.
If you're having a bed bug problem call Quik-Kill - we have solutions for tough pest problems, like bed bugs!
