If you know nothing at all about bed bugs, you probably know that they are cryptic pests. Just about everyone knows this about this troublesome pest. In addition to this, they are excellent hitchhikers, possess the ability to rearrange their entire living arrangements, can thrive with little to nothing, and can only go two weeks with a feeding.
All in all, there is a lot to be known about bed bugs. Information will not only help you detect and remove these pests from your property, but the right information will ensure that these pests stay gone for the long term. With all this in mind, bed bugs are one of the quickest witted pests out there. These troublesome bugs will go out of their way to avoid detection. This includes changing their feeding habits.
For instance, if you sleep during the day but get moved to the day shift and start sleeping at night, these critters will start sleeping while you are away, so they can feed while you sleep. It’s troublesome when you sit down and consider it. In addition to all this, they are reddish-brown with slim and sleek profiles that give them the ability to blend in with most everyday surroundings. It almost becomes necessary to know how to force these bugs out of hiding just to determine if your home is infected.
Just because you are waking up with bites marks doesn’t necessarily mean you are getting bitten by a bed bug while you sleep. You could also have mites, fleas, or even a common mosquito problem. The bites are similar and show up in similar places. Although bed bugs bites are like fleas, mites, and mosquitoes, bed bug bites only appear on the hands, arms, neck, face, legs, shins, and ankles. Bites from the other pests could appear in these spots as well as other locations.
Am I Dealing With Bed Bugs? Help Me Procure A Sample!
The best way to determine that you are indeed dealing with a bed bug problem is by procuring a sample of the bug. Of course, this isn’t child’s play and will prove to be more difficult than you’d ever imagine. These bugs are smart enough to avoid half-hearted attempts. However, with the right tools, information, and tactics, you shouldn’t have a problem luring the bugs into the open.- The first part of this process begins with knowing when to search. Now, this might require taking some time off work and missing some sleep because that is when you will essentially begin your conquest. You want to be looking for these bugs when you know they will be active. You’ll want to place the traps when they are inactive, but you’ll want to search for them when you know they’ll be out and about. This is usually when you are sleeping.
- The second step starts with a little remodeling. Nothing too major, but a simple relocation of the bed and bedroom furniture. You want to get them off or away from the walls if they are too close. The theory with this is that you want to dictate the path in which the bugs travel to access the mattress. Of course, this will only work for the bugs that haven’t already occupied the mattress, but it will be more than enough to give you some sort of idea as to what you are dealing with here.
- With the bed and furniture relocated, you’ll be ready to start placing lures or traps. These will be installed under the feet of the furniture. Doing this will force the bugs to travel through the devices before accessing the mattress. The theory is the bugs enter but do not leave! As far as traps and lures go, you’ll have a wide selection. It comes down to what you are looking to spend. Most traps are effective even the cheaper ones. Just remember that some of the more expensive ones do have nice features further guaranteeing success. If you want to go the cheapest possible route, you’ll opt for the dish device.
- The dish device is simply a trap or lure designed like a bowl. They allow the bugs to enter yet are unable to climb out. Other traps available are the CO2 and heat lures. These devices work similarly, but the major difference is that they either emit CO2 or heat to attract the bugs. There are some traps or lures that can both. The two usually come with refillable cartridges that can be swapped out when needed. They usually last for about a month.
- In addition to the added CO2 and heat, some traps utilize glue-like paper as opposed to the design. This further increases the overall rate of success.