Bed Bugs in Jacksonville: A Complete Guide
A bed bug infestation is not indicative of a dirty home. These insects are not attracted to filth but to carbon dioxide, blood, and body heat. B&T Pest Control provides highly effective bed bug removal services that quickly eliminate these insects from your property. Our experienced technicians understand the difficulty of getting rid of these pests. That’s why we equip them with the right resources to get the job done the first time.
Read further to learn more about bed bugs and how our Jacksonville bed bug exterminators can keep them away for good.
What Are Bed Bugs?
Bed bugs are blood-hungry parasites. They’ve earned their name with their propensity to hide in beds close to their favorite food supplier. Around the size of an apple seed (3/16 inch), they can quietly settle into multiple areas around your home. Before bed bugs feed, they are typically a brown coloration, oval, and flat; after feeding, their bodies bloat, expand, and exhibit a reddish-brown coloration.
Bed bugs in Jacksonville will leave signs of their presence, such as reddish-brown fecal spots on mattresses, walls, and upholstery. Sometimes people will find empty eggshells or molted skins (pale white). Bites on your legs and arms can also be a possible sign of bed bugs. If homeowners see or notice bed bug signs, a professional pest control company like B&T Pest Control is vital to remove bed bugs from their homes.
Checking For Bed Bugs: A Complete Guide
If you have a bed bug infestation, you may notice the following:
- Dark, rusty red spots of bed bug excrement on pajamas, walls, and mattresses.
- Egg shells and shed skins in areas bed bugs hide.
- An offensive, musty odor.
- Blood stains on sheets and pillowcases.
Contact professional bed bug pest control in Jacksonville for assistance removing these insects from your home or business.
Bed Bugs Won’t Just Go Away On Their Own
Bed bugs are like that uninvited houseguest who wears out their welcome and never wants to leave after they’ve become comfortable. The only difference with bed bugs is that most people don’t even realize they have company until the infestation has exploded. Once that happens, it becomes even more challenging to eliminate these pests. Bed bugs can travel to different rooms in your house and reproduce. Their offspring is virtually naked to the human eye with their translucent, whitish color. Plus, bed bugs are expert hiders and can burrow deep within the creases and corners of plush, overstuffed sofas, seams of mattresses, and different fabric types.
If you think these pests have infiltrated your living spaces, contact professional bed bug control in Jacksonville immediately.
How Do Bed Bug Infestations Spread?
Bed bugs are not like other insects that invade homes in our area. They do not get indoors by crawling through openings like cracks around windows. Instead, they use people to travel around. This usually involves climbing onto an item like a backpack, purse, or pile of used clothing. Things that have the scent of carbon dioxide and residual heat are more likely to attract bed bugs.
Once these pests hop aboard an item, it is only a matter of time before they find their way into someone's home. It is just as likely that you will bring these pests into your home as it is that one of your family members or friends might carry these bugs inside. Keep this in mind.
All The Ways Bed Bugs Can Find Their Way Into Your Home
Bed bugs are parasites of opportunity, using people or things to transport them into homes. Because they favor human blood, they typically hang out where many people congregate. Lodging establishments, schools, public transportation, offices, libraries, second-hand stores, and yard sales are some places where people pick up bed bugs. While lurking in these areas, bed bugs will latch onto various items to transport themselves into homes.
Five things bed bugs commonly latch onto when traveling include:
- Shoes
- Clothing
- Suitcases
- Furniture
- Boxes
Most people never see a bed bug infestation developing and rarely know they are in their home until they feel the effects of their presence. For bed bug pest control service in your home, homeowners should seek help from the experienced pest control specialists at B&T Pest Control.
Easy Tips To Prevent Bed Bugs Catching A Ride Into Your Home
The most common way bed bugs get into your home is by hitching rides on or inside everyday items, such as clothing, luggage, cardboard boxes, purses, backpacks, and furniture. These insects are the experts when it comes to stay hidden for long periods. This is the biggest reason why bed bug infestations can last months, even years, without anyone knowing they exist. If you want to prevent a bed bug infestation in your home, try the following tips below:
- Vacuum regularly.
- Inspect secondhand furniture before bringing it home.
- Eliminate hiding places by cleaning up cluttered areas.
- Encase your box springs and mattresses in protective covers.
- Examine all clothing and luggage before returning home from a trip.
Also, regularly use hot water to wash your blankets, bedspreads, sheets, and clothing on the floor, and dry them on the highest heat setting to destroy live bed bugs and their eggs. For assistance eliminating these insects, reach out to your local pest control for bed bugs.
Three Things You Can Do To Avoid Bed Bugs While In Public
Know that you know how bed bugs get into homes; let’s talk about how you can avoid these pests. Here are three of the best DIY bed bug control tips to avoid an infestation{
- Check hotel rooms for signs of bed bugs before settling in. If you see anything concerning, change rooms.
- Check used items for bed bugs before purchasing them.
- Do not leave items on the ground in public for more than 20 minutes at a time.
If you cannot avoid bed bugs and find these pests inside your home, we are here to help.
How Can I Prevent Bed Bugs From Coming Back?
The number one prevention tip to consistently keep bed bugs away is to enlist the services of professional pest specialists. They have spent years acquiring the knowledge and skills to resolve various pest issues that plague many residents’ homes and businesses. Using industry best practices along with the highest quality products and latest equipment, experienced technicians can fight infestations with pinpoint precision.
DIY Bed Bug Control Is A Waste Of Time And Money
DIY bed bug control in Jacksonville, NC is likely to be a waste of time and money for the following reasons:
- Many DIY bed bug control products are expensive and difficult to use.
- As mentioned before, these pests breed incredibly quickly, and over-the-counter pest control only kills the adults, leaving the eggs behind to mature, starting the problem over again.
- Because there are many areas in your home you may not even think to look at, such as inside electronics, hiring a company that works in local pest control for bed bugs can help discover all the places they may be hiding.
Unfortunately, dealing with a bed bug infestation isn’t a DIY job.
At B&T Pest Control, we’ve been delivering exceptional pest management solutions to our customers since 1982 that they can trust. Our expertly trained team will carefully devise a treatment strategy that suits your needs using the most effective bed bug control techniques for your home. If you want to start living a peaceful, pest-free life, you’ve come to the right place. We’re the best bed bug pest control near you. Get in touch with us today so we can give you an estimate.