Bed Bugs in Edmonton | Are Bed Bugs Due to Poor Hygiene
While no one wants to experience bed bugs in Edmonton. Unfortunately, these tiny pests are found throughout the world. While they are more common in developing countries, even in Canada, they can be found. A common misconception is that they only exist in dirty or messy homes, but that’s not the case. The state of the home has no bearing on bed bugs, they will happily live in clean as well as dirty homes.
How Bed Bugs Get Into Your Home
Though the common myth is that bed bugs in Edmonton move into your home because it is dirty or messy, but that’s not the case. In most instances, bed bugs hitch a ride on someone’s clothing, such as on a coat or in luggage. Second hand furniture, or stays in a hotel that has had bed bugs as well. Since they can live a very long time in between meals, they have the ability to wait patiently for their next meal. While they typically eat every 3 to 7 days, they only need to feed once every two weeks in order to reproduce.
They will lay 1 to 7 eggs a day for 10 days after one meal. Bed bugs will hatch after 10 to 15 days, and will be able to reproduce six weeks after hatching. They will be able to go an entire year without eating and still survive – it doesn’t take long for the infestation to grow.
They get into your home, and wait for their food source to become available. They feast on blood meal, and while they will prefer humans, they will bite any animal they come across. Though bed bugs don’t post a health risk, they don’t cause or transmit diseases, many people react to the bed bug bites. Waking up with a red rash is an indication of bed bugs in Edmonton.
Unfortunately, the rash is not enough to diagnose bed bug bites, bug knowing the signs of a bed bug infestation can help you catch them while the infestation is smaller and more controllable.
Normal Signs of Bed Bugs in Your Home
Although one of the most common signs of a bed bug infestation are itchy bites, not everyone develops the rash, and the rash may only develop after two weeks or more. Other signs to be familiar with include spotting the bed bug exoskeletons. They will shed their outer shell as they grow, that can look like dead bed bugs. Even though bed bugs in Edmonton do not live in the beds, they are simply drawn to the beds to feast on their food source while we sleep, you may find bugs in your bed.
Particularly where the sheets start to fold, or in the cracks and crevices of your mattress. Because they are very small, and very flat, they can find many hiding spots. They will likely lay eggs near their food source, so look for small, white, oval eggs in the cracks and crevices of your mattress.
Other than finding actual bed bugs in Edmonton or their exoskeletons, you may see reddish black spots on your sheets, or bedframe. These spots are their fecal matter they excrete quickly after eating a blood meal, which is why you will likely find these spots close to where they feed. And finally, bed bugs are known for their smell, which can be detected when they gather in large groups. People have described the smell as a sweet, musty odor, similar to the smell of rotting raspberries. If you catch a bed bug and squish it, you will smell that odor as well.
Bed Bugs | First Steps After Finding Bed Bugs
Do not panic if you find signs of bed bugs in Edmonton within your home! Act quickly and calmly to prevent the bed bugs from scattering and infiltrating other rooms. Until now, they likely have stayed in one spot, close to their food source in your bedroom. Major Pest Control Edmonton suggests cleaning methodically to clean without spreading the infestation.
First, make your bed “an island” to prevent new bed bugs from climbing up to you. Move your bed six inches away from walls and furniture. Ensure your bedding doesn’t touch the floor, and you can purchase bed bug inceptors – discs to put each bed leg in, that will prevent the bed bugs from climbing up your bed frame. Take this time to vacuum the floor very thoroughly. Remove the filter or bag from your vacuum and take outside to the garbage immediately.
Wash your bedding, being very careful not to carry bed bugs that may be hiding in your sheets to other areas of your home. Take a large plastic garbage bag, or plastic sealable bin, remove the bedding and place the sheets directly in the bag or bin and seal it. Take it to the washing machine, and put the bedding in the machine immediately and wash on the hottest water setting. Throw out the bag immediately, or clean out the bin as soon as the laundry is in the washing machine.
Now, vacuum the mattress and box spring thoroughly, removing the filter immediately. Purchase a mattress and box spring cover specially designed for bed bugs and use them immediately. No bed bugs in Edmonton will be able to get in, or out. Any bugs caught inside will eventually die, just take care to keep the zippers closed, and don’t open it back up for a year, and all the bed bugs are dead.
Getting Rid Of Bed Bugs
Hopefully you will have called Major Pest Control in Edmonton as soon as you find bed bugs in Edmonton. They will be able to do a thorough 58 point inspection to find where exactly they are hiding, how significant the infestation is, and make a plan to get rid of them for good. The benefit of calling the experts like Major Pest Control is that they guarantee they will get rid of bed bugs, even if they need to come back. They have many tools at their disposal, including heat treatment to make sure they get rid of these pests for good!
Preventing Bed Bugs
While it may be very hard to prevent getting these pests 100%, there are many things you can do to help prevent bringing these tiny bugs into your home in the first place. Be wary about accepting second hand furniture. If you decide to pick up previously owned items, take precautions, such as leave in your garage until you can get the pieces heat treated, or purchase a mattress cover. Wash any second hand clothing immediately, before bringing them further into your home.
Because you can bring bed bugs in Edmonton home from a hotel, you can take precautions to avoid bringing these little hitchhikers home with you. Upon arriving in the hotel, put luggage in the bathroom – it’s the room that’s least likely infested. Do a quick inspection for bed bugs by looking for fecal matter spots, eggs in the crevices of the mattress and exoskeletons.
Bring large plastic trash bags with you when you travel. After inspecting the room, ensure your luggage is stored in the plastic bag, and minimize the possibility of bed bugs climbing into your suitcase. If you do spot any evidence of bed bugs in your hotel, contact the management immediately, and ask for an adjacent room. Check out our informative video on this topic.
Contact Us!
Being diligent can help you reduce the chances of getting a bed bug infestation. And if it does happen, don’t panic, and keep in mind that you didn’t get these pests because you weren’t clean enough. Then call the experts: Major Pest Control in Edmonton to help you evict these freeloaders.