Bed bugs are small insects that take refuge in dark, inaccessible and warm places, especially in bedding or fabrics. Although they do not cause disease, they can cause allergic reactions in the most sensitive people and, above all, they affect the quality of life.
What do I need to know about bed bugs?
An adult bed bug is brown or dark red in color, measures around 4 to 7 mm and feeds mainly on human blood. It has no wings and therefore cannot fly. It does not jump either, but moves by walking at the same speed as an ant. Moreover, its life span is about 5 to 6 months. However, it is able to go into a dormant state and live for more than a year, during which time it does not feed.
How are bed bugs spread?
As mentioned above, bed bugs hide in dark places. They can therefore be transmitted in several ways, including:
- Following a move, a trip or a stay in a hotel or other public accommodation;
- By purchasing a used item ;
- After a short passage in public transport ;
- By closely touching an infested object.
In short, there are countless ways in which these pests spread. In addition, a female is able to lay up to a hundred eggs per day under the right conditions. In other words, these animals can invade your home very quickly.
How do I confirm the presence of bed bugs?
Although they are visible to the naked eye, bed bugs hide during the day, making them generally impossible to spot. Nevertheless, the following clues may prove the presence of these insects:
- Clustered bite marks, similar to mosquito bites, found on your skin in the morning;
- Small black spots on the sheets or near the seams of the mattress: these are the excrements of bed bugs;
- Eggs, whitish in color and the size of a pinhead, beside the bed.
How to get rid of bed bugs?
There are many products on the market today that are supposedly designed to eradicate bed bugs. Although some of them are effective, we recommend that you leave the job to a professional. Indeed, their handling requires a lot of precautions and can represent a danger for your health if you do not have enough experience. In addition, poor quality products may have the opposite effect and increase the resistance of pests instead of exterminating them.
Conclusion
At Brisebois Extermination, we offer effective and healthy solutions to get rid of bed bugs for good. Do not hesitate to call us for more information about our services or to request our services. We can usually send one of our technicians to your home for a same-day assessment of the situation.