Bed bugs can invade your home all year long and can quickly infest your residence if left unchecked. When bed bugs first infest your home, they will provide signs of their presence. However, it is important to know what signs to look for and what to do to prevent these pests from infesting your home and making a banquet out of the entire household. A-Tex Pest Management will share how to identify an infestation and what you can do to prevent bed bugs in the future.
Early Signs of Bed Bugs
Bed bugs are very small blood-sucking pests that infest an area by hitchhiking from host to host. When they make their way into a home they tend to look for a primary feed site. In most cases, this is the bedroom as they can easily access human blood while you sleep. However, bed bugs have been found inside upholstery as well. When bed bugs infest a home, the first sign to emerge is bug bites. Bed bugs leave distinct bug bite patterns. They tend to feed in tight clusters or in straight rows. Bug bites found in rows or patches usually come from bed bugs. The next sign to emerge is little red or brown stains on bedding or the upholstery. These stains are bed bug droppings that they leave behind. At this point, you may even have encountered physical sightings of bed bugs. The last sign of their presence is a musty odor which occurs when the bed bug population is out of control. Once signs of bed bugs have been confirmed, you can seek pest control services to inspect and treat your home.
How to Prevent Bed Bug Infestation
You never know when bed bugs will invade a home. This is why it is important to practice bed bug exclusion. It’s not easy to keep bed bugs out of the home as they are hitchhikers. However, there are steps you can take to prevent a major infestation. Primarily, to prevent bed bugs, you should have a clean home. It is important to wash bedding once a week and vacuum the mattress once a month. By following this basic cleaning routine can reduce and eliminate bed bugs around the bed. You will want to vacuum the floor thoroughly and vacuum along baseboards and door trim regularly. Cleaning the carpet every six months also helps to prevent bed bugs. Make sure to also wash linens such as curtains as well. When washing bedding or linens make sure to use hot water and dry using high heat if possible. After returning home from vacation or other sites prone to bed bugs such as buses, wash the clothing you are wearing immediately. Also empty out bags, purses, luggage, or backpacks. Wash or vacuum them from the inside out. If you have unknowingly picked up a bed bug or two you will want to kill them before they have a chance to spread.
Bed Bug Inspection, Control & Removal in Round Rock, Leander, Pflugerville, Cedar Park & Austin Texas
Bed bugs can become a major nuisance inside your home, if you have signs of bed bugs and need bed bug inspection and treatment, contact A-Tex Pest Management today.