Where to start when you have bed bugs
Hi there! Welcome to the Bed Bug Treatment Site. While we would love to say we’re glad you’re here, we just can’t. Sadly, you are most likely here because you either know you have bed bugs or think you might have bed bugs. Bed Bugs are NOT something to be happy about, as I’m sure you’ll agree.
BUT, given the circumstances, we are very glad you found this site. Why? Because we can help you know where to start when you have bed bugs and help you find and get rid of them too. We help thousands of people each and every month. People like just like Alie, who wrote us and said:
I just wanted to write to you to let you know that my fiancee and I moved into our home and immediately realized that it was terribly infested with bed bugs. With no way of proving that they had been there before we moved in, we decided it was easiest to treat them ourselves. We spent 5 long grueling months trying to treat without any significant results. We then came across your site a few weeks ago and used many of the tips you recommended including buying a steam cleaner. We bought the Mccullough steam cleaner and then sprayed and used the Diatomaceous Earth powder and we have been sleeping soundly without a single bug bite for a week now. I cannot tell you how relieved I am that we finally have this peace of mind and the ability to sleep through the night now. Thank you so much for sharing your knowledge about bed bug treatment; you saved my sanity! – Alie
You are not alone, bed bugs don’t discriminate
Bed Bugs infest 1 out of 5 people in the US at some point in their lifetime. Bed bugs infest the poorest of the poor living homeless in boxes, to the richest of rich, living in mansions and high-end penthouses. You don’t get bed bugs because you are dirty or poor.
Bed Bugs don’t discriminate, and everyone is at risk of getting them.
Don’t believe us? Calls to exterminators for bed bug treatment have risen more than 5% in the past 10 years and continue to trend upward.
The reason? Nobody is exactly sure, but rising US temperatures coupled with a recession where people can’t afford to to replace their mattresses frequently enough aren’t helping.
Why the concern? Because bed bugs bite, and can really put a hurting on you if you happen to sleep in a bed infested with them. Just look the poor guy pictured to the right! Not to mention the thought of sleeping with small insects who dine on your blood every night while you sleep is just completely gross!
What are Bed Bugs?
Before we jump into detection and treatment strategies, you need to understand exactly what bed bugs are.
Bed bugs are small and mostly flat parasitic insects that like to live in beds, bedding and other human sleeping areas. They feed on human blood and most active in the evening. In many cases, they feed without ever being noticed.
Bed bugs don’t generally look like what people expect. They are generally light brown and sometimes a reddish brown. A bed bug that has just consumed blood however, will have a bright red and translucent abdomen. They are mostly flat, and have an oval shaped body with no rear wings. Fully grown, their actual size is generally 4-5mm long, and 1 – 3mm wide.
Bed bugs can survive in a wide temperature range, and can function normally between 61 degrees and 115 degrees Fahrenheit They can even survive for a short period of temperatures 32 degrees, however can only last a few minutes at temperatures in excess of 115 degrees. Needless to say, they can easily live in a number of US climates, especially indoors. Bed bugs have been around for a long time, some references dating back thousands of years.
While these insects, from a pure scientific perspective are pretty fascinating, most people aren’t real happy about having a bunch of blood eating parasitic insects roaming around in their bed, especially at night while they are sleeping. As a result, many are looking for treatment and prevention options.
Fortunately, these are all things we can help with.
Before wasting time and money, you should first take the appropriate detection steps. Once you have confirmed that you do have bed bugs, you should begin treating for them immediately.
If you find that you don’t have bed bugs, now would be the best time to practice preventative measures.
How do you get Bed Bugs?
There are many different ways people can get bed bugs, and there really is no one certain cause, but most people get bed bugs from ultimately from other people. How? A very common scenario is for someone who has a bed bug infestation in their home to travel. They pack up their clothes, and unknowingly a few bed bugs as well.
See, the problem is that bed travels really really well.
They then check into a hotel, spend a few nights there, and while there infest the hotel room with bed bugs. Then over the next few weeks, others stay in the same room, and bed bugs get in their clothes, and they carry the bed bugs home with them.
So from one infested persons home, you now how many more infested homes. It only takes carrying two bed bugs home with you to start a whole infestation, and they multiple really really quickly.
Scary right? Even more scary? All you really have to do is visit someones home, and say, sit on their infested couch. A few bed bugs get on your clothing, and you bring them home with you. A week later, you’re now infested.
Unfortunately, getting bed bugs is far easier than most people think, which is why we have such an epidemic right now.
The best thing you can do is to practice Bed Bug Prevention strategies, and a good portion of this is just being educated about bed bugs.
If you think you may already have bed bugs, keep reading …
Bed Bug Treatment
There are a number of treatment options and the right option for you will vary. The very best option is to call an experienced bed bug professional. You can get free quotes from local experts using our quotes page.
If treatment by a professional is out of your price range, or if you just prefer tackling bed bugs yourself, there are many very effective options. Treatment and removal strategies generally involve the use of a pesticides. If you are against using commercial pesticides, there are also a number of natural and home remedy treatments you can use as well.
A very effective treatment strategy that is safe, and non-chemical based is combing a bed bug steamer with the use of diatomaceous earth.
Also, using one treatment method is generally ineffective. You’ll want to combine multiple treatment strategies for the most effective outcome.
Visit our Bed Bug Treatment page for detail information out how to most effectively treat for your home or business. Some additional treatment tips are available on our treatment tips page as well.