The public perception of bed bugs works a lot like bed bugs themselves. Even though you don't hear anything or see anything, those bugs are still there. Here are a few ways those bugs hide from us.
- You can cover your mattress and boxspring with an encasement, turn the heat up in your bedroom, and apply dangerous chemicals to your rug--and think you've taken care of the problem. But those bugs know how to hide. They crawl into your outlets, your wall voids, and inside electronics. It is never smart to try to get rid of these bugs on your own.
- You can go out and spend thousands of dollars on the right heating system and circulation fans, scour the internet to learn how to set temperature meters around your house--so you don't burn it down--and those bugs can still escape you. These bugs have escaped professional bug treatments by hiding in the clothing or bags of family members who leave while the treatment is going on. All it takes is a batch of eggs in a sweater for the infestation to return.
- You can think you've gotten rid of your bugs, and not see anything for months. Under the right conditions, some laboratory bed bugs have lived as long as 400 days without feeding. That means they're still there, even though you think they're gone.
- You can watch the news all day every day and never hear a story about bed bugs, and they can still be waiting for you in hotels, motels, resorts, cabins, cruise ships, buses, planes, trains, taxis, libraries, movie theaters, and other public areas. Surveys done by The National Pest Management Association (NPMA) show that 99.6% of pest control companies deal with bed bugs each year. When you compare this to 15 years ago when only 25% reported dealing with bed bugs, you realize the extent of the problem. You may not hear about these bugs, but they're still out there. And, they're still a problem.
So, if you hear about bed bugs in the news it isn't because they're back. They never left. Bed bug reports are not going down. This bug continues to be a problem.
If you find bed bugs in your home, contact the bed bug specialists here American Pest Solutions. We have the state-of-the-art gear to find and completely destroy all bugs in your home, and the experience to show you how to protect your home from a future infestation. When American Pest Solutions handles your treatment, you can know your bugs are completely gone.