As you lie down for the night, the last thing you would want to deal with is bed bugs. These pests cause incredible discomfort and can be extremely difficult to eliminate once an infestation begins in your home. You may need to call Council Bluffs pest control company to get rid of your bed bug problem.
What Is A Bed Bug's Lifespan?
The nocturnal, wingless, reddish-brown bug has an average lifespan of four to six months. However, some bed bugs can live up to a year without feeding and under the right conditions.
A bed bug's life cycle begins with an egg laid singly or in a cluster. After ten days, the eggs hatch, and the nymphs begin to feed immediately. These immature bugs can start to molt after a single blood meal.
After five molting cycles in approximately ten weeks, the bed bug matures. The nymphs require at least one blood feeding before molting to the next stage.
Can Bed Bugs Reproduce Quickly?
The bed bug's reproduction cycle is relatively slow compared to other insects. A mature female lays at least one egg daily. The number can increase to five to seven eggs under optimal feeding and breeding conditions. And female bed bugs lay 200 to 500 eggs during their lifetime.
Bed bugs and their eggs are hardy pests and can survive in a variety of conditions. While they may not lay as many eggs as other pests, bed bugs are much more likely to survive throughout their lifecycle, growing their numbers exponentially.
A pregnant female can be responsible for hundreds of nymphs, kickstarting an entire infestation within weeks. Therefore, you need to call your local pest control service at the first signs of a bed bug infestation.
What Can Cause Bed Bugs To Come Into My Home?
Bed bugs are slow-moving bugs that cannot jump or fly. However, they can quickly move from one place to another by attaching to clothing, suitcases, or any other belongings.
Some of the ways bed bugs can enter your home include:
- Used furniture: Bringing infested used furniture into your home can help spread infestations.
- Cross-contamination in multiple-resident living spaces: Bed bugs can crawl and spread quickly from one room to another in infested apartment complexes.
- Guests coming into your home: Bed bugs hitching a ride on the clothes of guests can find a new habitat in your home.
- Contamination from travel: Bed bugs can attach to your clothes or luggage and travel back home with you from your vacation or commute.
You will need to call a bed bug control service in Council Bluffs to prevent the infestation from spreading any further.
What Can I Do To Remove Bed Bugs From My Home?
After identifying a bed bug infestation, you need to act quickly. The first step is to identify infested areas within your home.
Common areas where bed bugs love to hide include:
- Drawer joints
- Seams of chairs and couches
- Mattress seams
- Loose wallpaper and wall hangings
- Crevices in baseboards and bed frames
Identifying the hiding spots can narrow your treatment target options. The next step for bed bug control involves containing the spread. You can vacuum your furniture and carpets to pick up live bed bugs and eggs, seal the contents with a plastic bag, and dispose of them.
You can also use natural pest control for bed bugs. Diatomaceous earth is an excellent desiccant with a high kill rate. Steam heating or washing infested beddings and clothing in boiling water for at least 30 minutes can help kill the bugs.
You can also use conventional treatments such as insecticides or bug bombs to kill bed bugs. However, the high toxicity of these methods will require you to vacate your home for a period as the chemicals work their magic.
The most effective method is to hire a professional bed bug control company in Council Bluffs. At Beeline Pest Control, our team will evaluate the extent of the infestation before deciding on the best treatment plan. Our bed bug treatments are guaranteed and we will follow up if necessary at no additional charge. Contact us today for a free estimate.