Sweating from bed bugs? Time to use the heat to your advantage
As many of you know, bed bugs are infesting homes across the country. Well, if you didn’t know, here’s your warning. Bed bugs are an almost microscopic nighttime pest that will easily go unnoticed if you are not allergic to their bites. Before talking about prevention and elimination techniques, I’m going to give you a little bit of general information.
Made of bed bugs vs. Fiction:
1) – When a bed bug bites you, you are injected with anesthetic to numb the area, resulting in a relatively painless bite (or food if you see it from the bed bug’s eyes).
FACT: Sorry folks, but this is definitely true. Bed bugs release a numbing agent that allows them to feast without their host feeling a thing.
2) – Characteristic of its name, bed bugs are only found on your bed / mattress.
FICTION: Bed bugs often reside in mattresses and are most commonly found in box springs. They retreat to dark, sheltered areas during the day and are attracted to human hosts at night. Bed bugs can also be found under carpets, in electrical outlets, in cracks and crevices around the house, and on other furniture, including plastic chairs.
3) – Bed bugs are carried by their human host, similar to lice.
FICTION: Bed bugs do not travel on their preferred host. However, you can ask for a ride from them. That’s right, bed bugs often broaden their horizons by attaching themselves to a piece of clothing, material, or furniture that is being removed or removed from the room or house.
4) – Bedbugs should be called “modern vampires”; they suck your blood and feed at night.
FACT: Well, if they should be called modern vampires it may not be a fact, but it is true that they suck your blood and feed at night. Bed bugs are nocturnal, which means that they prefer to leave their dark corners at night and attract their hosts. These blood-sucking parasites are mainly attracted to carbon dioxide and the heat that the human body gives off. Before feeding on their host, these pests are flat, oval in shape, and brown in color. After feeding, these insects will fill up, expanding sometimes to their original size and turning dark red.
5) – This blood-sucking parasite is one of the easiest pests to detect and eliminate.
FICTION: They are, in fact, one of the most difficult household pests to detect and eliminate for residents and professionals. Adult bed bugs will reach about 5 mm in length and often hide during the day. Their best time to feed is during the early morning hours, when most humans are in their deepest stages of sleep. Bed bugs have 7 stages in their life cycle from egg to adult. Due to their various life stages and microscopic size, they are most efficiently detected by human or k-9 inspection. Inspection is only one of the first, but essential, steps to a successful removal program. Removal can be very difficult for residents and licensed professionals because without a thorough inspection you will never know if any of the little ones got into the next room.
6) – Small stains of blood and feces found on the sheets are a clear sign of bed bugs.
FACT: RED FLAG !!! These guys will leave behind their food. You got it! The barely visible black spots are the stains of blood and feces left by its nocturnal plague. Go! Go check your sheets!
7) – Bed bug bites are small red bumps. You will recognize them if you see them.
FICTION: Not all people will have the same reaction to the bite of this annoying parasite. In fact, some people will not react at all. So another reason why the presence of a bed bug infestation can be overlooked or mistaken. If you have an allergic reaction to the sting, you may notice varying degrees of size and redness. Some bites may have a small red dot in the center or even appear in groups.
8) – I can eliminate my bed bug problem with home remedies, over-the-counter sprays, or plastic mattress covers.
FICTION: As mentioned above, bed bugs are one of the most difficult pests to detect and control. Using a home remedy or over-the-counter product may not target all pests and therefore send them underground. Without a thorough inspection by a trained professional, it is unlikely that all infected areas will be treated properly, down to the last mistake. Licensed professionals can provide a checklist of preventive measures for the resident to help ensure that professionally administered treatment is effective. Placing a protective bed bug mattress cover on your mattress AFTER treatment will help prevent reinfestation. DO NOT put this mattress cover on your bed if you think you have an infestation. You will simply be giving the best of a protected closed area to live and prosper; I don’t think you want that.
9) – These pesky little bloodsuckers breed at a rapid rate, infesting your home like roaches.
FACT: Yes, it’s true! These bed-dwelling insects are capable of reproducing faster than the dreaded cockroach. I bet you haven’t heard that before. A female cockroach will generally produce around two to three hundred eggs during her life. A bed bug, on the other hand, is capable of laying several hundred eggs, averaging 5 to 10 per day. An egg will develop into a full adult in about a month. And you guessed it, a month later those ten are putting ten of their own. The spread of bed bugs is not a joke. The rapid rate of reproduction increases the possibility of infestation, especially in the absence of early detection. So put the cockroaches aside, we have a new epidemic in town!
10) – Pesticides are the most effective removal techniques.
FICTION: Surprise! Surprise !, my friends ecologists! I’m about to tell you about a green solution to your irritating nocturnal pest problem.
Don’t worry about bed bugs … Use the heat to your advantage. That’s right, one of the most effective methods of getting rid of bed bugs is a technique called heat treatment.
The type of heat treatment that I am going to discuss with you is a 100% proven bed bug extermination technique that is also 100% GREEN. This method is cost effective, you return home that same night and allows you to keep your precious belongings and furniture.
How does heat treatment work?
Good question, but DO NOT try this at home! Licensed technicians and professionals use specialized equipment to heat the infested area to a thermal kill point of more than 125 degrees Fahrenheit. Do not try to raise the temperature in your home to this degree. It can be very dangerous if not done with the right equipment. Treatment can vary from eight to twelve hours depending on the size of the area to be treated. But you haven’t heard the best part, heat permeates all areas of the house, including furniture, cracks and crevices; therefore, make sure that no bed bug can get out of your way. After inspection, your licensed professional will be able to provide you with a list of heat sensitive materials that should be removed from the room prior to treatment. Another advantage of using environmentally friendly heat treatment techniques, as opposed to chemical treatment, is that you don’t have to throw away your furniture and mattresses. Both you and your furniture are safe from damage.
One of the most frequently asked questions is “will they come back?” Re-infestation is a big problem with bed bugs due to their hitchhiking habits and rapid reproduction. Fortunately, companies that use heat treatments often guarantee that reinfestation will not occur. Please note, however, that heat treatment companies cannot guarantee that the original or alternate source will not return bed bugs to the facility. They will likely provide you with information on how to locate the source of the problem and thus help prevent reinfestation.
Where do I find a heat treatment company?
Right here in your own neighborhood! Oh yeah … A new heat treating company has been launched right here in Queens. Hot Bugs is a local business with over 10 years of experience serving New York City. All of their technicians are licensed and insured, trained, and knowledgeable professionals who can provide customers with exceptional service and tons of information on how the customer can make it easy to prevent and eliminate these creepy knights sniffer.
Bed bugs can be a devastating experience for both families and businesses. They can be physically, mentally and financially draining and are spreading at an epidemic rate. The heat treatment is 100% guaranteed and is respectful with the environment. GO GREEN with your pest control.
Don’t worry about bed bugs anymore … Use the heat to your advantage!
