Bed bugs are small wingless insects that feed on blood, primarily human blood. They are usually reddish-brown, and unlike other insects, they don’t fly. However, they are known to be very fast crawlers.
Although Bed bugs are not known to spread any disease, they cause allergic reactions in some people, and some develop itching and skin reactions from bed bug bites.
Hartz Pest Control, a bed bug exterminator in Houston, explains the causes of bed bugs in Houston, how to recognize a bed bug problem, and bed bug control tips.
Causes of Bed Bugs in Houston
Bed bugs survive on human blood hence, they tend to gather where people are. You can find them in public places in Houston, like hotels, hostels, apartments, public transit, and cruise ships.
Since they don’t fly, bed bugs move from place to place by simply tagging along on items like clothes, purses, and luggage. You can invite bed bugs into your Houston home if you visit an infested area and they manage to tag onto any of your items. Due to their small flat structure, they can fit into tiny spaces and stay there for days, even without a blood meal.
These blood-sucking insects are highly reproductive. A single female bed bug can produce 1-7 eggs daily for ten days from a single meal. This means that if one female bed bug enters your home, within a couple of weeks, you could be dealing with a bed bug infestation.
Contrary to popular belief, cleanliness doesn’t protect your home from bed bug infestation. It doesn’t matter if your home is sparkly clean, you can still experience bed bug infestation, especially if you travel or visit hotels and motels frequently.
How Can You Know if You Have a Bed Bug Problem?
Bed bugs are pretty easy to discover in the home, especially if you look in the right place. Places you can find bed bugs during the day include mattresses and beds, piles of clothes, suitcases, underneath carpets, and cardboard boxes.
Other signs to look out for are small blood stains on your bed sheet, red itchy spots on your skin, and clusters of bites. Bed bugs are most active at night, which is when they feed. If you see signs of bites while sleeping, you should check around for bed bugs.
You can also look out for bed bug droppings. They are dark brown or rust-colored and usually leave stains on beds and carpets. Tiny eggs, egg shells, and pale yellow skins are also signs of bed bugs in the home.
How to Control Bed Bug Problems in the Home
Controlling bed bug infestation in the home is difficult, but it’s not impossible. Bed bug control is easier if the infestation is still early. However, if the bed bug infestation is critical, you might need to contact a bed bug exterminator.
Basic bed bug control techniques to keep them away from your home include:
1.Remove Their Hiding Place
Clear and remove clutters from your home. Doing this will expose the bed bugs’ hiding places, making it easier to eradicate them.
2. Move Your Bed Away from the Wall
Some pest control experts recommend moving your bed and furniture away from the wall to restrict the movement of bed bugs around your home.
3. Vacuum Daily
Focus on strategic areas such as beds, bed frames, windows, box springs, and carpets. Empty the vacuum immediately after you are done to prevent the bed bugs from returning to your house.
4. Do Your Laundry on High Heat
Bed bugs cannot stand high heat, they will die. Wash your clothes, blankets, pillowcases, and bed sheets with hot water and put them in the dryer on the highest heat for about 20 minutes.
5. Seal Their Hideout
Seal cracks and openings in your home and repair your paint or wallpaper to reduce bed bug hideouts.
Professional Bed Bug Exterminators in Houston, TX
Hartz Pest Control is your best choice if you are dealing with a bed bug infestation in Houston and need a professional bed bug exterminator.
With over thirty years in the business, they have developed a fast, safe, efficient bed bug control and extermination system. Their bed bug treatment is fast and safe on humans, and the effect is long-lasting, such that even if you bring bed bugs back into your home months later, they won’t be able to survive.
Aside from rodent pest control, Hartz Pest Control offers various residential and commercial pest control services that target pests and insects such as termites, mosquitoes, cockroaches, bedbugs, fleas, and ticks. They also offer animal relocation services.
To enjoy affordable and effective bed bug control in Houston, TX, contact Hartz Pest Control at 713-461-4866 or visit their website.
