Bed bugs are very small insects that feed on your blood and other warm-blooded animals. You can find them in almost any habitat but they prefer to live in your home. There are many causes of bed bug infestation and controlling them is difficult.
The most common causes of bed bug infestation are related to people’s behavior rather than their living style. Unaware, people transport these pests from place to place causing the further spread of these insects. So learning more about the causes of bed bug infestation will help you succeed in the control process.
Knowing all causes of bed bugs means that you recognize risks and take precautions ahead of time. Make your efforts efficient, effective, and less costly.
What Are Bed Bugs
Bed bugs are common pests that feed on your blood. Usually, these insects come to you at night while sleeping. They often hide in the seams and crevices of mattresses, box springs, bed frames, and headboards. These insects can also nest in furniture, walls, and other dark places within your home.
When these bugs bite you to take a blood meal, they cause skin irritation like red bumps with itching and further complications like secondary infections when your fingernails scratch them.
Older people respond to bed bug bites faster than younger ones! Adults usually do not show any symptoms immediately when these parasites bite them. Their immune system becomes stronger over time. On the contrary, babies’ immature immune system causes a severe reaction when bit. So protect them and prevent these bugs from entering your house.
Bed bugs are small and reddish-brown parasitic insects that bite your exposed skin and animals to feed on blood. Although these bugs do not spread disease, they can cause other public health issues. Examples are itching which could lead to scratching or spreading germs through bites in cases where the person has asthma.
An allergen-producing insect such as an ant can bite you. That is when you see it around places with high turnover rates at night! These include hotels, hospitals, homeless shelters, and so on.
How Bed Bugs Get into My Home
Checking Your Bags and Luggage for Bed Bugs
Bed bugs travel on luggage, clothing, used furniture, bedding, or anywhere else where they can hide. To avoid bringing these parasites home with you, inspect your bags and luggage after staying in certain places. Examples are hospitals, hotels, shelters, or other public facilities.
How to Identify a Bed Bug Infestation
You can suspect that you have bed bugs in your home. Look for live insects or their eggs within the following places:
- mattresses
- box springs
- clothes
- cracks on walls
- carpeting around beds is harder than the rest of the room
- behind headboards
- closets
- ceiling corners
What Are The Risk Factors of Bed Bug Infestation?
You cannot avoid some causes of bed bug infestation. For example, extermination is a lengthy process that takes time and effort. Having more than 10 to 15 bugs for adults or four to five nymphs on your wall means you may need professional help.
Bed bugs have been your typical pests in apartments. These bloodsuckers have reemerged as a major issue since approximately 2000. Reports occur more frequently now than ever before. Infestation can occur when you bring them home yourself on your luggage after traveling abroad.
Another scenario is picking up used furniture from secondhand stores like Craigslist. But most often it happens because they are just waiting for an opportunity around your house. It makes them tricky to get rid of once inside.
How Do You Know You Have Bed Bug Problems
Bed bug bites look different from other insect bites. A common symptom is a skin reaction where the skin is red and bumps occur around a mark from a bite. These bugs leave clustered and flat blood spots on mattress seams, sheets, and anywhere else they have bitten you while feeding on your blood.
Adult bed bugs are under an inch long and can hide in crevices around your home after having fed successfully on your blood. These bugs tend to congregate in groups making them more noticeable than when found alone. An infestation causes allergic reactions among some people who get bit repeatedly over time.
Bed bugs are more likely to become active at night! It makes sense as they are trying to feed on you while you sleep. They can also bite through your clothes and make those red welts appear without even being aware of them.
These annoying pests can get a hold of any part of their bodies or legs. Remember about the peril facing you who spend most nights in bed with them. Try taking care not to scratch yourself too much during this time.
The bed bug is different from other bugs because it feeds on exposed skin. Examples are around your shoulders and arms. This makes them more likely to bite you while sleeping without covering up with sheets or blankets. They still prefer biting ankles when given a choice.
Should You Try Pesticides?
You can spray the mattress with an insecticide frequently to kill or control bed bug infestation for home remedies. Use a steamer to clean your mattress often by getting rid of the dust mites living there.
Put washing powder in your vacuum cleaner bag before using it to remove bed bugs that are hiding around your carpeting. Get a person to help you remove these devices from their hiding places around your house as necessary.
An electric device called a Zapp Bug is another option for killing bed bugs where they live. It uses microwaves instead of electricity for its heating method. There is no need for harmful chemicals in this case. Heat causes them enough damage when applied properly!
The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has registered more than 300 products for use against bed bugs. You can use most of them, but a few are registered exclusively to professionals in pest control and exterminating businesses.
EPA evaluates data on safety before registering any new chemical or product with restrictions around its usage. Only qualified technicians have access to it via certain licenses necessary depending upon where you live. There also exists another class specifically designed through registration – dichlorvos or DDVP known as an organophosphate. It has been approved solely for treating small enclosed spaces like closets.
What Causes Bed Bug Infestation
Having a good understanding of what causes bed bug infestation is the first step towards controlling them. The following guide provides an overview of their causes and can help you make an informed decision. You may need professional help from a pest control company.
The causes of bed bugs are often referred to as triggers. They include those actions that upset the natural balance between all life forms in your home. A lack of cleanliness mixed with clutter causes this problem too often. That is when left unattended for a prolonged period.
Bed bugs thrive on items made from wood, cloth, paper products, and anything they can eat. They may have taken refuge within your walls or ceiling by being brought home unknowingly from another person’s place.
The causes of bed bug infestation are easy to understand. They enjoy humidity but can also adapt to lower levels. This means your house is sufficient for their needs when left unattended for a long time.
Other causes of bed bugs having an infestation brought into your home are infested used furniture, clothing, or luggage. Vacationing in unknown areas can bring these bugs along with you as well. Their eggs can attach easily to almost anything on the inside surface within minutes!
Disturbing them during this time causes them no harm, unlike their larvae or nymphs. These have yet to develop all their defenses on being disturbed first by cleaning them away first.
How to Get Rid of Bed Bugs?
Getting rid of bed bugs is the best way to control them! Using pesticides causes you harm and other beings found in your home. Do not use any chemicals made for their extermination because of the negative effects they bring.
You can clean items with a mixture of 70 percent alcohol solution for at least one hour to kill them on contact. Another way is putting them into a clothes dryer for at least 20 minutes. An alternative is freezing until solid before disposing of safely.
While you are required to become careful, these causes do not require professional help when handled correctly during their early stages. It is important to remove all causes of bed bug infestation so it will never happen again!
Try using natural causes first by using soap, white vinegar, and water solution for cleaning when you have an infestation right now. This causes 98 percent of bed bugs to leave your home!
Other causes must have professional treatment using certain pesticides that are unavailable to the public. Using an organophosphate pesticide causes this effect after a few days when properly applied. Apply them correctly and you will get rid of them.
Bed bugs are persistent pests that can become difficult to get rid of. Seeing a single one means there are more behind hiding in your home and ready for another attack! Take this threat seriously by doing preventative or elimination measures as soon as possible. This is before those annoying critters make themselves at home again!
