There has been something of a bedbug epidemic in the past few years. According to the 2015 Bugs Without Borders survey, nearly all (99.6%) pest professionals have treated bed bugs in the past year, unchanged from 2013, but higher compared to five, 10 and 15 years ago. For some reason, these pesky critters just find it O.K. to make their homes in our beds and essentially upend our lives for up to a few weeks.
For many, the discovery of bedbugs is a nightmare come true. They can lay one to five eggs a day, which comes out to around 500 eggs in a lifetime. They are most likely to be found in apartments/ condominiums, so watch out there, but single family homes and hotels and motels also have a high likelihood of having the nasty little guys.
Before you do anything, take a look at these tips on how to prevent bedbugs or spy them early on:
Be Aware of the Signs
Often, the first signs of an infestation of bed bugs are bites. They look a lot like mosquito bites, but tend to be clustered into groups of three. You might find that they appear particularly above the line of bed sheets or blankets, and that they target areas that are exposed during sleep, like your neck, face and shoulders. Should you find any suspicious bites, conduct a thorough search by lifting up your mattress, boxspring, headboard, and any other visible parts of your bed.
Buy Encasements for Your Bed and Box Spring
This won’t prevent the bugs from entering and infesting your home, but it will make the problem much easier to solve. The cases can be a little ugly, so if this bothers you, get a bed skirt — but make sure it doesn’t touch the floor.
De-clutter
It is very hard to detect bedbugs in a cluttered area, which may allow the bedbug population to spread and grow much more quickly than they would have otherwise. If an infestation does happen, it will also make clean up much easier.
The truth of the matter is that if you find bedbugs, you should call a pest control company for pest control services immediately. Local pest control agencies are more than prepared to deal with bed bugs and any other critters that invade your home.
