Bed bugs are found in virtually every place people tend to gather, including residences, hotels, schools, offices, retail stores and even public transportation.
If you do identify bed bugs in your home, contact a pest professional promptly. They will be able to inspect your home, confirm the species and recommend a course of bed bug treatment. Bed bugs like to travel and are good hitchhikers. They will hide in suitcases, boxes and shoes to be near a food supply. They are elusive, nocturnal creatures. They can hide behind baseboards and in cracks, crevices, and folded areas of beds, bedding and adjacent furniture, especially mattresses and box springs. Bed bugs can also hide in electrical switchplates, picture frames, wallpaper and nearly anywhere inside a home, car, bus, or other shelter. Bed bugs usually come out at night for a blood meal. However, they are opportunistic insects and can take a blood meal during the day, especially in heavily-infested areas. Bed bugs usually require 5-10 minutes to engorge with blood. After feeding, they move to secluded places and hide for 5-10 days. During this time in the bed bug life cycle, they do not feed but instead digest their meal, mate, and lay eggs.You can get rid of bed bugs, but there is always a chance another bed bug will find its way back into your home or business. If you find bed bugs are a recurring problem, you are either not solving the problem in the first place, or you continue to visit a place (or have guests that visit a place) where bed bugs are present. This is particularly common in multi-family housing such as apartments or condominiums. Bed bugs can easily be carried from unit to unit, and it can be a huge frustration. The best prevention is diligent inspections, and if you find you have bed bugs in a multi-family property, make sure to notify your property manager. If you have an issue, it is possible your neighbors do too, and then things can get out of hand very quickly.
Can an exterminator get rid of bed bugs?
Yes, an exterminator can get rid of bed bugs, and they are really your best bet. A pest control provider has training on bed bug biology and behavior, meaning they know where to look for bed bugs and how to eliminate them when they find them. By using a combination of techniques, they can eliminate bed bugs at all stages of development, something virtually impossible to achieve with DIY products.
Experienced exterminators know exactly where to look and use a wide array of tools to assist them with this task. Because they can travel throughout a home or building, inspections of adjoining rooms or apartments are also often required.