How Big A Problem Are Bed Bugs In Colorado Springs?

Bed bug infestations in the United States continue to climb, and we're not excluded. More and more residents are reaching out for pest control in Colorado Springs to deal with these bugs every year. The reason for the climb in infestations has (somewhat) to do with a lack of knowledge. Citizens of the U.S. were given a reprieve from bed bugs for over a century due to the widespread application of a product called DDT. That material is no longer legal for general use because research found it to have negative health implications. It is still used worldwide, particularly in areas where mosquitoes and malaria are a significant threat to human health and where the benefits outweigh the negatives. Without DDT to make us taste bad to bed bugs, they've returned. While we can't say how big the bed bug problem in Colorado Springs is, there is one thing we know for sure, it is best to learn how to detect them and deal with them when you find them. Join us as we look at bed bug detection, DIY treatment ideas, how bed bugs impact dogs and cats, and how local pest control for bed bugs is the right choice in certain situations

How To Tell If There Are Bed Bugs In Your Home

You might think that bed bug bites are how you detect bed bugs and that this is the only warning sign you need. Unfortunately, bites aren't one of the early signs of bed bugs because they're often not recognized as bed bug bites. Let's begin by looking at why this is the case.

When bed bugs hitchhike into your home, they may come as a batch of eggs. These eggs don't need the mother bed bug to hatch. When they hatch, you'll have several nymphs looking to bite you. Each nymph typically bites three times, so ten nymphs will leave thirty bites on your skin. These initial bites may produce a significant rash but only slight bumps, making these bumps look like an allergic reaction to food or fabric.

Sometimes an infestation will start with a few adult bed bugs. When this happens, you may have fewer bites and larger bumps at the onset, and you'll likely know that bugs are biting you. But you may not know bed bugs are to blame. Why? It has to do with how your body reacts to insect bites. You don't immediately get a swollen bump, rash, and itchy sensation when a bug bites you. It can take hours or even days. When you wake up and find bites on your skin, they aren't necessarily bed bug bites, and when you find bites while you're outside in the middle of the day, they aren't necessarily outdoor bug bites. Do you see the problem?

The best way to diagnose bug bites and determine that bed bugs are biting you is to consider the number and pattern of the bites. Since each bug is likely to bite three times, you'll have lots of bites even when only a few bed bugs bit you. The bumps will range from slight to severe. The sets of three bites will look like a line or zig-zag pattern with the wounds close together. When several bed bugs bite you, the bumps and rash will follow a path across your skin because bed bugs feed in the same area as a group.

Before you see bumps, there are other ways to detect bed bugs in your home. The secret is knowing what bed bugs look like in all stages of development and the materials they leave for you to find.

What Do Bed Bugs Look Like?

You've probably seen bed bugs on the news or the internet. The bugs you've seen are likely adult bed bugs, which are reddish-brown, seed-shaped insects with six legs and three body parts. But bed bugs don't always appear this way.

• Eggs. Before they hatch, bed bugs are in white eggs that are about 1mm in diameter.
• Newly hatched nymphs are about 1mm, pale, seed-shaped, and have six legs.
• When a newly hatched nymph draws a blood meal, its abdomen (which is significantly larger than its other parts) becomes red. So it may look like a red insect, not a pale insect.
• As it develops, a bed bug will become tan.
• At any stage, a bed bug can look black. The black coloration is fecal matter visible inside the abdomen of the insect.
• Adult bed bugs are typically flat and seed-shaped but may look bloated after a blood meal.

Keep these visual characteristics in mind as you look for bed bugs in your home. Also, keep in mind that bed bugs hide in tight spaces and dark voids. They don't crawl around in the open, particularly in rooms that are well lit.

What other warning signs will you find if you have a bed bug infestation? As you look for bed bugs, search for these signs in the places bed bugs hide.

• Blood stains
• Black fecal spotting
• Shed skins
• Bed bug pheromones

Over time, bed bug warning signs are hard to ignore, but at first, they are often subtle. When you find signs but no bed bugs, it is best to contact a licensed professional to address your infestation. A professional knows how to treat bed bugs in hidden locations and is best equipped to handle this job. If you see bed bugs or their eggs, there are a few ways to stop an infestation yourself. Let's look at them.    

Stop Infestations Before They Begin

There are a few ways you might find bed bugs or their eggs in your home. You might examine luggage, bags, or other items you brought back from a trip and find bugs or eggs in creases, pockets, or gaps. You may inspect your bed and uncover bed bugs or their eggs tucked in a seam, under a label, or in the space between your mattress and box spring. You may examine your couch and find bed bugs under a cushion or in a gap. However you find them, there are a few ways you can deal with them when you find them.

• Suck the bugs or eggs up with your vacuum and store the bag outside.
• Put an infested item in your dryer for 30 minutes.
• Put clothing through a hot and soapy wash.
• Put an infested item in a bag and store it in your freezer for four days.
• Routinely vacuum your rugs and wash your bedding until the bugs are gone.

These tips can stop an infestation if you catch bed bugs early. Unlike flea or tick infestations, you won't have the added complication of bed bugs living on your pets. Let's take a quick look at this.

Are My Pets Safe From Bed Bugs?

It is rare for bed bugs to bite dogs and cats. Why? Because they can't move through fur or hair easily. They also don't have a preference for their blood. They almost exclusively bite humans. So, you don't have to worry about bed bugs living on your pets or harming your pets. If bed bugs do bite your dog or cat, you may see the bite wounds on their bellies where there is no hair or fur.

Another factor to consider is that bed bugs don't like hairy people and they don't typically bite areas of the body that have hair. Understanding this helps identify bed bug bites. If you have hairy legs and find lots of bites on your legs, they're probably not bed bug bites. 

Professional Pest Control Is Your Strongest Ally When Fighting Bed Bugs

If you find bed bugs and they aren't isolated and easy to treat, reach out to Beeline Pest Control for bed bug control in Colorado Springs or the surrounding region. These insects spread throughout homes, grow their populations, and are difficult to track and eliminate. Professionals know where bed bugs hide and what products and methods work to draw them out of hiding or treat them in the places they hide.

We are sometimes asked, "Are bed bugs really difficult to treat?" The answer is a resounding yes. Consider the fact that bed bugs have lived with humans since before written history. Researchers have found fossilized bed bugs that probably tormented our ancestors living in caves. If they were easy to exterminate, there wouldn't be any bed bugs left in the world. They'd be extinct.

Are you dealing with bed bugs right now? Jump to our contact page and connect with us, or give us a call. The pest control technicians at Beeline Pest Control have the training and experience to address your bed bug infestation effectively so no bed bugs remain in your home. You don't have to let the bed bugs bite. Let us get rid of those bugs so you can get back to getting a good night's rest.