Bed bugs can move into your Western Massachusetts home and become a full infestation before you even really notice. Learning more about bed bugs and their habits will help you prevent them more effectively.
Understanding Bed Bugs
While many people think that bed bugs will only infest dirty homes, this is a common misconception. Bed bug infestations can happen to anyone, thanks to their small size and travel habits. Bed bugs are highly skilled at hiding in clothing and luggage so that they can travel from area to area with their hosts.
Bed bug hotspots include areas such as:
- Hotels and motels
- Airports
- Libraries
- Schools and dorms
- Offices
- Gyms
- Public transportation
These areas are so suspectable to bed bugs due to the number of people that pass through each place daily – as bed bugs hitchhike in individuals, they often drop off in these locations and find new hosts to hold onto.
When you are in bed bug hotspots, you can follow a few prevention tips to deter bed bugs from coming home with you:
- Place all baggage on elevated surfaces when staying in a hotel or motel. This makes it harder for the bed bugs to crawl into your luggage when they come out at night.
- Check the gaps, cracks, and seams in the walls, floors, and furniture with a gloved hand. If the gloves become stained with a red or rust color, or you discover dead bed bugs, there is an infestation problem in the area.
- In hotels or motels, pull back the sheets and mattress cover and check the corners of the beds. Bed bugs prefer to hide out here, and you may find some. You can also examine the sheets, pillows, and blankets for red or rust-colored stains as these indicate a bed bug infestation.
- Use a flashlight to shine light into gaps and cracks in any bed bug hotspot. The light can illuminate hiding bed bugs in hard-to-reach areas that you may not have seen otherwise.
Another major source of bed bug infestations is the purchase of second-hand items. When buying second-hand furniture and appliances, there are some checks you should perform to ensure the item is bed bug-free before you move it into your home.
- Examine the seams and gaps in all second-hand furniture or appliances. Use a gloved hand to check for dead bed bug bodies or to see if you collect any red or rust-colored stains on the glove.
- Place all second-hand items on a white sheet for several hours before moving them into your home. If you find bed bug bodies or rust-colored stains on the sheet, you should not bring the item into your house.
- Use a flashlight to shine light into gaps, cracks, and seams of all second-hand items. This will help you find bed bugs that may be hiding out in areas you can’t usually see.
Professional Bed Bug Removal
Due to their small size and skill in silently hitchhiking, bed bugs can be one of the most difficult pests to prevent from entering your home. If you do end up with bed bugs in your home, you should call the professionals at American Pest Solutions. For over 100 years we have customized treatment plans and year-round coverage. Call us today for effective bed bug removal services.