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There are plenty of things that can give you the creeps at night. A creaking closet door, howling wind outside your window or a grinning clown puppet perched on the bed stand. But perhaps the creepiest of all is a mattress crawling with an army of bed bugs.
Bed bugs are creepy; that’s a certainty. These wingless little critters settle in the dark corners and tiny holes and crevices in your room. Bed bugs are so small, their appearance alone is not enough to frighten you or even turn you off. If seen by the naked eye, bed bugs appear as no more than tiny black spots. You’d need to study them closely to even notice that they’re slowly crawling and moving around.
So, how do you find out if you’re sharing a bed with bugs? There are a number of signs and indications that will confirm or suggest your suspicion that there are bed bugs in your place:
* In general, be on the lookout for any sign of tiny, wingless creatures that crawl and creep across your bed, the walls, the floor or the ceiling.
* Spot the tiny red spots. Bed bugs feed on their unsuspecting hosts by piercing through the victims’ skin and sucking the blood. Bed bugs come out at night like miniscule vampires, feeding on blood to be able to live.
What goes in must come out, which is the reason why bed bug excrement is also red in color. If you notice tiny red dots in your room, it may be bed bug urine or feces. These spots are red or dark red in color and have an odorous smell.
* Waking up in the morning with swollen, red spots all over your body is another sure indication that there are bugs in your bed. Similar to mosquitoes, bed bugs leave bites that are itchy and very uncomfortable.
* Virtually every room offers the perfect breeding and living environment for bed bugs. If there are crevices, small holes and cracks in your furniture, walls, floor and ceiling, you are at risk of housing bed bugs.
Putting the Boot to Your Bugs
This is battle, and anything goes. By the time it’s finished, you’ll feel as though you’ve been to hell and back, just to return your home to its former peaceful state.
After confirming the presence of bed bugs in your bed or room, you need to determine a plan of attack. Prepare yourself; getting rid of bed bugs is definitely a difficult and demanding task. It’s a big job that needs your utmost attention, and demands more than a little cash.
Once you have a concrete and definite strategy in place, it’s time to arm yourself for a battle. There are a number of potent pesticides and insecticides on the market that are specially designed and formulated to get rid bed bugs. Insecticides and pesticides can be bought without a prescription, and are available at most hardware and department stores, as well as through pest control centers. It’s easy to purchase pesticides. Almost very easy. There are serious threats involved with the use of these products.
All chemically based pesticides and insecticides are poisonous and harsh. Those that come in the form of aerosols and sprays are particularly dangerous. Many of these products can pose imminent danger to pets and humans when inhaled. Insects are incredibly resilient to the chemicals used in insecticides and pesticides, so manufacturers have increased the levels of these potent chemicals, making their products even more dangerous to you and your family.
The cost and ease of purchasing commercial insecticides and pesticides is tempting, but because of the risks involved, it’s advisable to take the safer route and call a professional pest control expert. Eradication of bed bugs is a very tedious and risky task that’s best left to people who are experienced and able to finish the job completely. Pest control experts and companies have invested in training, knowledge and equipment that will ensure the success of every job they take on.
If you live in an apartment complex, you may be bound by civil or local laws to call in these experts regularly, in order to control every sort of pest and keep your building insect-free. When the process of getting rid of bed bugs is underway, you should notify and inform all persons who can be potentially affected, like your family, boarders, your roommates, tenants and closest neighbors.
If bed bugs are giving you the creeps, take the time to solve the problem safely, effectively and practically.
Tagged with: bed bugs control • pests control
Filed under: Bed Bugs