Some Frequently Asked Questions:
Why, What, How and Where of Bed Bugs.
What is a Bed Bugs? What do they look like?
An adult Bed Bug is about quarter of an inch in length, oval in shape (some are more elongated than others), with 6 legs, quite flat in height and reddish-brown in varying degrees of color.
A bed Bug’s head is broadly attached to its wingless body. A Bed Bug’s color ranges between shades of red and brown depending upon the timing and amount of it’s blood meal. The size, in terms of fatness or height, depends upon the size of the last feeding. A hungry Bed Bug looks almost paper thin while a fully fed Bed Bug would appear to have gained some height.
Size: You can see the adults the largest one approach to be nearly ¼ inches in length.
Behavior: Bed bugs crawl scurrying into dark, tight spaces to hide they move as fast as an ant. They can’t jump or fly and you will never find them burrowing into your skin. If the insect you have found came out on its own accord at night when the lights were out, near the bed or a couch, it was probably a bed bug looking for a meal.
Bed bugs are not social insects like ants, so they don’t need a colony. But while they group together in good hiding spots, loners could be hiding elsewhere.
A picture is worth a thousand words so click and enlarge this image to see Red-Brown Bed Bugs, Black feces and white eggs. Notice difference in sizes as they are at varying life stages.
Now you can imagine a small and transparent looking baby Bed Bug being born from among hundreds of these white long eggs that have been cemented onto the surfaces. This is a very high level of infestation that was not treated in time.
Temperature: Bed Bugs prefer warmer temperature like most other bugs. Adults Bed Bugs, nymphs and eggs can survive sustained hot and cold temperatures, as they will adjust in time.
Baby Bed Bugs are called Nymphs. These will grow to become adults in about 5 weeks. They are ready to feed on your blood soon after birth. The more they feed the better their chances of becoming adults and laying more eggs.
You see their black feces ! It is dark color fluid in the beginning. If excreted onto a fabric, it would sometimes burst out into the fibers and would get absorbed and would leave a dark mark. If it is left onto a non-absorbent surface, with time, it will loose moisture and become solid – An extruding dot like mark. If smudged hard, it will leave a black streak.
Skin sheds: Like many other insects, Bed Bugs go through five stages of growing up called molting.
They do not change their appearance (like butterfly does) when they complete each one of the 5 stages to adulthood.
They only loose their skin when they grow a new one. Hence, finding skin sheds is also a sign of having bed bugs.
Egg laying: The female Bed Bug can lay 5-7 eggs in one week.
Bed Bugs feed when people are sleeping or dozing off in couch and usually when it is dark. Bed Bugs would remain in cracks and crevices of the bed when they are not feeling hungry enough to venture out of these safe quarters.
Adults Bed Bugs, nymphs and eggs can survive sustained hot and cold temperatures, as they will adjust in time.
Bed Bugs can be brought into the cleanest of homes. But the clutter and mess near a bed and around a bedroom would make it harder for the residents to spot these pests.
Do Bed Bugs transmit disease?
Being sleepless or not well rested, being fearful of being bitten, and feeling intruded and violated in the privacy of your bed room is most unbearable. What drives people mad is not the physiological affects of loosing some blood to these parasites but emotional side of things.
There is certain misplaced stigma attached to a home that has Bed Bugs. The prevalent perception is that a household having Bed Bugs must be poorly managed to say the least.
And people worry what their friends, family, and neighbors will say if their problem becomes known. Bed Bugs are not a product of unkept households , but many people think that they are.
Bed bugs are not known to transmit disease. And some people don’t even get marks (skin inflammation) after they are bit. But significant scratching of bite spots can lead to further irritation and inflammation of the skin. Resist the urge to scratch. People with existing health problems and children are at a greater risk for infection because their immune systems are compromised or they can’t resist scratching.
Did Bed Bugs cause the reaction on my skin?
How can I tell if my bites are caused by bed bugs? Why only one of the two person in the bed is getting bitten?
What most people would call a Bed Bug bite is in fact the skin reaction. It may be caused by an insect such as Bed Bug, Flea, Tick, Mosquito, etc. Not all people that are bit even by the same insect get same skin reaction. Also the skin inflammation varies from person to person. And some people may have no skin reaction at all whereas other few may have an extreme allergic reaction.
It is a myth that bed bug bites occur in a group of three. The Bed Bug bites can occur as single or many, and in groups or without an identifiable order. Like most bites, these usually occur on the extremities and on softer areas of our skin.
These bites can manifest within few hours to a few days. Having bites is not enough an indication that you have bed bugs. You need to find a bed bug or a few feces to come to that conclusion. Ultimate proof would be to find a live or dead bed bug itself.
Bed bugs usually feed while people are asleep, about an hour before dawn. Although when a Bed Bug feels hungry, it will try to find a host regardless of time. When a Bed Bug injects its mouth parts into human skin, it is painless as bed bug saliva would numbs the skin and the blood becomes thinner and does not clot to facilitate easier sucking. It is later, that many people would begin to itch and develop skin rashes at the spot where bed bug sucked blood from. Typical feeding session lasts for about five minutes and costs only a drop or two of human blood. The period between two feedings by a Bed Bug is usually less than 2 weeks, under typical conditions.
The only way to be certain that what caused your skin inflammation was a bed bug bite, is to find the creature and have it positively identified.
The only thing that Bed bugs can feed at, is the blood of a mammal. Bed Bugs find their hosts by being sensitive to the warmth and the carbon dioxide produced. Also, bear in mind that not all people react to the bites. Just like people have different level of reaction to poison ivy or wasp sting etc. If you think you have bed bugs, it is best that you have one of our professional bed bug exterminator do an inspection of your property.
Bed bugs, being mere insects, only have instincts that have served them well. They don’t care if a home is clean or messy. They just like good hiding spots and good hosts.
Fortunately, there are some modern insecticides that work well. The excellent residual of these insecticides will affect not only the current bed bug population but also as the nymphs are hatched and begin to move around and come into contact with the surfaces that have been treated. Whether you would be rid of these pests in one application depends upon the insecticide used and the professional caliber of the exterminator. We are confident that in more than 90% of the cases, it will be only one application from our experienced licensed exterminator that the bed bugs would be entirely gone for good.
We suggest that you do not utilize over-the-counter pesticides, as they will cost you more in money, time and mental distress. It is not worth it. You may end up spreading bed bugs to yet in-infested areas. Similarly, if the exterminator services provider does not provide a reasonable grantee on the quality of their work, keep looking for one that does. We provide a 7 month limited guarantee on our bed bug extermination services.
Does lack of cleanliness results in Bed Bugs ?
No. Not really. But…
A structure that is used as sleeping quarters and has a bed bug situation, when kept on neglected, would become a source for new infestations. Typically these sources to initiate new infestations are such places as neglected bed rooms in some of the homes, some group homes or temporary sheltering facilities for the less privileged. A key characteristic of places that seed new infestations are the demographic of the people residing in them. Though, the demographic is not the only factor. The second factor is that of probability given your demographics. You are likely to be aware of bed bugs presence in a cleaner environment. You are likely to engage professional resources if you are well off. The only time, we have seen a high level of bed bug infestation in homes of well off families, where there is an individual whose skin does not react to bed bugs bites. If someone in such residences gets skin inflammation due to bed bug bites, they are very likely to immediately react to it.
Common situational elements of a high to a severe BedBug infestations are:
How to locate or find Bed Bugs ? Where do they live or hide ?
Once bed bugs have fed on a human, they instinctively would move away just enough to find a safe seam, piping, gap, hole, crack or crevice where they could stay hidden and remain safe from the movements of the host until they would become hungry again. These cracks and crevices are usually in the seams and piping of mattress or box spring; joints and holes in the frames of the bed or sofa; and similar places in the headboard or foot-board. Also uneven wood planks in a bed frame provide plenty of spots where bed bugs can make resting quarters.
When bed bug infestation reaches greater population, they would gradually spread their nesting areas further away from bed and couch. These areas would be the baseboards, night tables, bookshelves etc that are within 3 feet of the bed.
Bed Bug Nests:
Bed Bugs are not social insects. Their nest do not resemble that of ants or bees. Similar to Cockroaches, they nest in groups simply because a good spot is a good spot. And if it would accommodate a few of them, then, more than likely there will be a few bed bugs and their black feces and white eggs.
Bed Bugs do not make a nesting infrastructure like ants or bees. Similar to cockroaches, there tell tale signs of feces and eggs indicate a nesting area.
I found an insect that looks like a Bed Bug. What should I do next ?
You can seal it in a plastic bag and freeze it or place it in a jar with some rubbing alcohol and book an inspection service to have the bug and your place inspected. If you have a camera that can take a good macro shot of the bug you captured, then email it to us for verification. Try not to disturb other bed bugs nesting in the bed unless you are prepared for a good vacuuming of your bed components. Contact us for an inspection service.
How to find Bed Bugs ? Where do bed bugs live or hide ?
Once bed bugs have fed on a human, they instinctively would move away just enough to find a safe seam, piping, gap, hole, crack or crevice where they could stay hidden and remain safe from the movements of the host until they would become hungry again. These cracks and crevices are usually in the seams and piping of mattress or box spring; joints and holes in the frames of the bed or sofa; and similar places in the headboard or foot-board. Also uneven wood planks in a bed frame provide plenty of spots where bed bugs can make resting quarters.
When bed bug infestation reaches greater population, they would gradually spread their nesting areas further away from bed and couch. These areas would be the baseboards, night tables, bookshelves etc that are within 3 feet of the bed.
Bed Bug Nests:
Bed Bugs are not social insects. Their nest do not resemble that of ants or bees. Similar to Cockroaches, they nest in groups simply because a good spot is a good spot. And if it would accommodate a few of them, then, more than likely there will be a few bed bugs and their black feces and white eggs. Bed Bugs do not make a nesting infrastructure like ants or bees. Similar to cockroaches, there tell tale signs of feces and eggs indicate a nesting area.
How and where should I look for Bed Bugs?
Have a second person available to help and have these items available:
Have a vacuum cleaner available just in case where you may across a severe infestation and you wanna be able to suck them away before they spread around looking for shelter. Afterwards seal and throw away the vacuum bag or carefully clean/wash the dust bag sealing and discarding the collected garbage.
When looking for bed bugs, you are in fact looking for not only the adults, but the nymphs and their eggs and feces too. An established infestation would have all the signs of a bed bug establishment:
Most situations would benefit from use of a flashlight. When something of interest or concern is found, a magnifying glass would be the second most valuable utility to discern whether what you found is just debris or lint or a moving insect.
Put away at a fair distance and out of the way all the pillows, blankets and sheets and covers.
Imagine yourself to be an apple seed size insect wanting to hide. Where would you hide but remain nearest to the host. That’s the parasite think.
You need to examine and inspect the piping and tufts and seams of mattress and box spring. Pay particular attention to the areas of corners and middle seams. Take time and examine closely. Bed Bugs generally behave in a sneaky and shy way. They do not start running around when looked upon or lightly disturbed unlike many other insects. This is a typical nature of a parasitical behavior that it does not want to be noticed by the host.
No Bed Bugs found, yet?
Look closely into the frame of your bed particularly any wooden elements of the bed frame. If it is all metal frame and no wood then it might be free of bed bugs. Consider next closest thing to the bed including any articles stored within 3 feet of the bed.
Now if you did find some bed bugs in mattress, box spring and/or bed frame; then, do not stop looking.
Expand your search to other places in the vicinity of the bed such as the pleats of curtains, beneath loose pieces of wallpaper near the bed, the corners and drawers of desks and dressers and shelving units, within spaces of wicker furniture, under or behind all kinds of trim and woodwork near the bed.
Any crack, crevice, hole or joint in bed frame, flooring, wood work of housing structure can be used as a nesting spot by bed bugs.
If you don’t find bed bugs but bites continue or you find blood spots on bedding, contact us for a professional bed bug inspection service.
Professional inspection is performed by an experienced bed bug exterminator. Since to exterminate these pesky bugs, one needs to be a good inspector who is knowledgeable and experienced about bed bug traits.
Should I start sleeping elsewhere now that I have found bed bugs in my bed ?
It’s your decision based on what you have come to observe and understand; and what other sleeping options are available to you.
Understand the extent of your infestation, the possibility of bed bug movements looking for a new host after being hungry beyond two weeks. Also, keep in mind the susceptibility and ease of transfer of bed bugs to any new areas and furniture that you may want to switch to.
For example a wooden bed frame with lots of crack and cervices near your existing bedroom would be more susceptible to becoming infested and at a higher degree than an air mattress on a different floor.
How did I get bed bugs in the first place?
Bed bugs problem spreads similar in fashion to cockroaches or head lice. That is via some contact between a established infestation to the new ( to be ) one.
Bed Bugs hitch hike when they are out of an established infestation environment or are lost or can’t find their usual host. All of which means the same thing to a Bed Bug that they need to start search for a new host environment staying where they are means dying of hunger.
Those places of human rest and comfort that have reached a high level of bed bug infestation would make bed bugs feel the congestion and consider expanding the zone where they would consider establishing a nest.
Any luggage articles, furniture, books, bed related items, card board boxes and even a person coming out of such places can potentially be carrying the hitch hiker bed bugs.
So where did your bed bug come from? Who or what brought it to your place?
Though the possibilities are endless, the most likely cause would be a person or a thing brought to your bed room some times ago.
People, like the health and social workers that often visit less privileged individuals or things that often come in close proximity to articles of such residences (such as articles used by professionals servicing such residences or some moving trucks) would be the conduit that makes the spread happen.
Some people would leave their infested furniture, bed and other related articles by the curbside without any warnings. The items may look not too old and in good condition and even the bed bug infestation in them may not be very high to be immediately noticeable. These items are a sure way of spreading the problem. If you discard such items, put a sign or mark them in some way to indicate that they should not be taken unless the new owner knows how to handle bed bugs.
Should I move out to a new residence ?
Moving out or destroying your current residence is not the solution. Bed Bugs can be eradicated with one or more applications by an experienced and reputable extermination operator like us. There is a good chance that by moving you may also take the bed bug problem with you. That is very similar to how it got to you in the first place!
Can I get rid of bed bugs with domestically registered insecticides available at local home hardware stores or online stores ?
Please, use the information on this page to understand bed bug behavior and make Do and Do not decisions to prevent getting them in the first place. If you have got bed bugs then we discourage the use of domestically registered insecticides available at local home hardware stores. Bed Bugs would most likely not all die off and likely spread to other areas of the household. It would not be a good use of your time and money. Contact us for a professional bed bug extermination service.
How can I prevent bed bugs from hitching along with me when I go traveling?
You would need to learn about bed bugs and their habitat. Every traveler should learn about bed bugs. Always inspect before settling into any room.
If you are tired and the place is well kept and you do not feel like inspecting the bed:
Keep the luggage and other articles as far from the bed as possible. Bring the least number of articles (including clothing) to your bed. Inspect well all the articles that were brought to bed, before you would pack them away for the next destination. Any dirty clothing should be tied up in plastic bag and should only be opened at the laundry facility at the time of washing. If the place is kept in less than desired state and you have the energy to inspect:
Launder your clothes before or as soon as these items are brought back into the home. If you found bed bugs after moving into a hotel room, you could ask the hotel to pay for laundering and for steam-cleaning your luggage. The hotel may refuse, but it’s worth asking. Regardless, once home you should unpack on a dining room floor that will allow you to see bed bugs and stay off carpets where bed bugs may easily get away from your sight! Unpack directly into plastic bags for taking clothes to the laundry.
Suitcases should be carefully inspected and vacuumed and stored in garage or other far away areas as bed rooms would be a concern.
Do Bed Bugs hitch hike via people’s bodies? Can Bed Bugs be on a person ?
Usually, it would be a severe infestation that a person leaving that property would be carrying bed bug on his or her person. And the person would tend to be less aware of his or her situation than normal. Accidents are possible but not that likely. Usually it would be articles such as luggage or furniture that would be used for bed bug’s spreading around and migration.
What is the one message in regards to bed bugs?
Bed Bug infestation can be eradicated completely and effectively with one ore two treatments by our certified and licensed bed bug exterminators. Awareness and professional handling is the key to success.
What should I tell my dinner guests?
Giving a heads up to potential visitors to your residence may be a good idea. Particularly, if they will spend any time in your places of sleep or rest. That’s how the bed bugs spread. However, a Dinning room only visit would not be a reasonable threat to visitors in a typical case of bed bugs.
What are recommendations for furniture and surroundings?
What are legal obligations of landlords ?
The answer is unclear as bed bug’s historical migratory moments are hard to trace. Whether an infestation moved from apartment A to apartment B or vice versa – is hard to prove. What is clear that the property owners have legal obligations to provide safe and habitable environment for tenants. Likewise tenants are required to cooperate to have an extermination service executed.
The best way to cover all bases is to inform all parties who may be potentially involved early on. These would be the managers, neighbors, friends, etc.
Must I throw away my mattresses, couches and other furniture?
Just like trying to solve any problem – first, do not panic. Then, sectionalize the solution into logical and manageable pieces. Although bed bugs can make a living extremely stressful, you can become free of Bed Bugs if you learn about bed bugs and do some laborious cleaning and organizing work.
We do not require you to discard any furniture. However, we do ask you to clean and clear all bed room and living room furniture in order to be treated with insecticide.
Exposing bed bugs to temperature higher than 120 F for more than an hour will kill all life stages of bed bugs.
This temperature must be reached in all layers of your residential structure – that is behind the drywall if bed bugs are hiding behind it, inner layers of sofa and other furniture, etc. If any pocket of area fails to reach this temperature for the necessary duration of 60 plus minutes, and has bed bugs, then the problem will not be eliminated. Also there is a decent potential to damage to furniture, paintings, art work, appliances, electronics, etc. Hence, we employ insecticides to exterminate bed bugs as it is most successful method.
I hear bed bugs are shy of lit environment. If I keep the light on, would they remain in the nests ?
Even though bed bugs are less likely to be looking for host in lit conditions, they would not hesitate to begin the search if they feel hungry enough, which usually happens every two weeks or less.
Can I make them die of hunger by moving away and sleeping at other places ?
Not a good idea. Bed Bugs can stay alive without a meal for several months. Also, in hunger, they will spread throughout the house looking for a host. You need to face this problem and running away from it does not work. This problem will wait for you to return.
What steps are needed for my pets if I have got bed bugs on my property?
Though bed bugs could feed on other mammals, the likelihood is negligible. A thorough cleaning of pets’ facilities and a decent washing and grooming of the pet would be more than enough as long as bed bugs are exterminated in all human sleeping quarters.
How long does it take to get rid of bed bugs?
After we have performed bed bug extermination service, it will take at least three weeks to be rid of bed bugs. It take about two weeks for the eggs to hatch then these nymphs would crawl onto treated surfaces and die off. From our many years of extermination experience, we are confident that after 5 weeks all bed bugs would have been eliminated.
What should a pest control company do for me? What would be expected from me to do?
A Pesticides Operator licensed in Ontario should educate and explain what a bed bug extermination service entails and what is required of the client before hand. If a Pest Management Professional (PMP) does not explain the prep work required by the client, then move onto calling the next company on your list. We understand what it takes to launder clothing, bedding, and other similar items, so we provide you with guidelines in the sequence of priority. You would understand what is required at the least and what further you could do to get the maximum benefit out of the whole exercise.
Please see our GuideLines for preparing for a bed bug extermination service. You would need some plastic containers or bags to sort and store all your possessions when you clear empty areas near and around the bed frame. If you could, then next you would want to clear away articles from the closets, dressing tables and night tables. Along-with clearing away of these areas, you would want to vacuum and mop or wipe as well.
If you are confident that you have bed bugs, that is, you have seen them and have a few saved samples for the exterminator to see, then you might as well clean under your box spring and bed frame too. However, you are not sure that you have a bed bug problem and have not seen and saved any bed bugs, then you may want to leave the bed as is, if it is relatively clean. If it is quite dirty under and around the bed then even if you are not sure of having a bed bug problem, still go ahead and do a good vacuuming and save anything that might look like a bed bug in a sealed plastic bag and frozen up.
Can cold, heat or steam kill bed bugs?
Steam: If steam is applied directly to eggs, nymphs, or adults, it will kill them. That’s the simple part. Not many living organism would find steam as friendly. There will many areas in bed frame or flooring that would provide a safe distance from the steamer’s application port. Any bed bugs, nymphs and eggs at such distances would remain safe. Introduction of this moisture later may prove to be pleasant to bed bugs. Hence, we do not use steam as a means of killing bed bugs.
Heat: Similar to steaming technique. Heating a residential structure to the core at above 120 ºF for more than 60 minutes is overkill without guarantee of success. Soon as the extreme heat application is terminated there remains nothing to kill any bed bugs that may have been left alive or are brought in, a few days later. Hence, we do not use heat (applied to the entire structure) as a means to exterminate bed bugs.
Though bed bugs least prefer to nest in bed coverings, sleeping covers, pillows, etc – you could put these articles in dryer on highest heat setting for 90 minutes to kill any bed bugs, nymphs or their eggs. Afterwards, look in the lint filter for bed bugs to confirm their presence.
Freezing: Like heat or steam it is not a practical approach to getting rid of bed bugs. However, if you could put your bed components in – 3 Celsius or below for more than 30 days, the bed bugs and eggs would have died. But having constant cold weather is not always possible.
Other useful documents are: Guidelines for preparing for the Bed Bug Extermination Service.
