Bed bugs are commonly referred to as “the ultimate hitchhiker.” They earned this title by being easily transported from place to place. They don’t care who “picks them up”…all they care about is their destination and their ability to make the next place they arrive their home. Bed bugs can be picked up really anywhere that large groups of people have congregated, for example, public places such as hotels and motels (you can even count B&B’s), airports, libraries, movie theaters, and shopping centers. They aren’t afraid to crawl onto people’s clothing or personal belongings, such as a purse or backpack, without being noticed, and then accidentally be brought back to that person’s home. Once they reach their new home they will proceed with feeding and breeding and ultimately turn into a large infestation. You just never know when that person will be you.
Homeowners should be looking for signs of bed bugs in their home, especially after traveling. Some signs are more obvious than others, for example, you may notice the actual bugs themselves crawling on walls, wooden furniture, or on the seams of mattresses and box springs. For those of you who don’t know, bed bugs are reddish-brown and have a flat, oval body. Other signs aren’t as obvious: piles of skin that bed bugs leave behind as they shed and grow, red or dark brown stains on sheets and other bedding, and a sickly sweet smell in the home (this occurs when an infestation is large). Homeowners should check for these signs often, as being aware of them will help you identify bed bugs as quickly as possible—which is important for eliminating them.
It’s important, however, to understand that DIY solutions are very unlikely to work. There are chemicals that are designed to kill bed bugs and can be used. However, the consumer-grade products that can be purchased at a store are unreliable and may be risky to have applied inside your home. Bed bugs are also showing signs of resistance to certain chemicals, and what used to work often will not affect bed bug eggs at all anymore. Bed bugs ability to hitchhike is matched only by their ability to survive, and with a life cycle and habits that are flexible and hard to predict, they can become a homeowner’s nightmare; a problem that reoccurs right when you thought it was fixed.
The best solution to your bed bug problem is to call in a professional. The technicians at Spencer Pest Services know that once bed bugs have infiltrated your home they are extremely hard to get rid of. We have the right techniques to eliminate them and we offer homeowners a free bed bug inspection as well as our bed bug warranty. The only sure way to get rid of bed bugs and kill them off completely is to use heat treatments. The way a heat treatment works is the temperature of the room is raised up to 120-140 degrees. This is not something that homeowners should attempt to do on their own—it takes special equipment and special training to control and regulate these temperatures safely. If you are a homeowner in Greenville, upstate Southern Carolina, or Northern Georgia, don’t hesitate to call Spencer Pest Services as soon as you see any signs that a bed bug has hitchhiked their way into your home. The sooner, the better.