Bed Bug Control In Marietta: Essential Steps For Elimination

Do you want to live a hassle-free life? Do you want to be pain-free? Most people would answer "yes" to those questions because most want to enjoy life to its fullest. Therefore, when something is in your body causing pain, you go to the doctor, take medication, or have surgery because you want it gone. When there is something wrong with your car that is making it difficult to drive, you go to the mechanic and pay to get it fixed. We want anything that hurts or inconveniences us removed from our lives because we want to enjoy a pain-free, hassle-free life. 

When you notice red itchy bumps on your body, you want to know the cause, and you want it removed. You probably found this article because you suspect bed bugs are the source of the bothersome bumps on your body, and you want them gone. If that is the case, you are in the right place because, in this article, we give you the information you need about these pesky pests. 

Before we get into the details, your ultimate and best solution is to secure pest control in Marietta from ProCare Pest Services to eliminate the bed bug issue in your home. ProCare Pest Services is a family-owned and operated company that has served this area for almost a decade. From our humble beginnings in 2014 to operating two locations and servicing thousands of customers, we can proudly say ProCare is the best care you can get to solve your bed bug problems. Please keep reading to be educated about bed bugs and how to eliminate them from your house. 

Examining Your Home: Where To Look For Bed Bugs

The first step to determine if you have a bed bug infestation is to learn about these insidious creatures. Bed bugs are insects with six jointed legs, two antennae, and a 1/4-inch three-part body consisting of a head, pronotum, and abdomen. If a bed bug has enjoyed a blood meal, it will have a reddish-brown, elongated, swollen body; if it has not eaten in several days, it will have a mahogany, flat, and oval body. Bed bugs have wing pads but no wings, nor can they fly.

You won't find bed bugs unless you know where to look because they are nocturnal creatures. While you sleep, usually between midnight and 5 am, bed bugs emerge from the cracks and crevices where they hide and climb onto your body. It takes about five to ten minutes for a bed bug to eat, and once they have eaten, they detach and retreat to their hiding locations. 

Now that we know what bed bugs look like and their feeding habits, we need to be able to identify bed bug signs when we investigate common locations. Search for bed bugs, exoskeletons, eggs, eggshells, stains, and odor. We already have a description of bed bugs, so let's get information on the other indicators of bed bugs. 

Insects have their skeleton on the outside of the body, and bed bugs are no exception. For a bed bug to progress through its five growth stages, it must shed (molt) its exterior skeleton (exoskeleton) each time. You won't be able to detect the cream-colored exoskeletons from the first few molts without magnification, but you should be able to see the last one or two.

Bed bugs lay eggs in cracks and crevices along the wall. These white eggs are only 1/32-inch, so you'll need a magnifying glass to locate them. After five days, a black eye spot appears on the eggs, which may help you to find them. 

As bed bugs feed, they defecate a material consisting of old blood and waste. The fecal matter creates reddish-brown stains on bed linens, mattresses, and box springs. Of course, they also deposit feces as they travel and where they hide; you will find markings also on walls, corners, and the floor. 

Bed bugs release pheromones to communicate with each other. These chemicals alert nearby bed bugs of food sources (hosts) and nesting areas; pheromones also play a role in mating. When a bed bug concentration exists in a room, you can detect a musty-sweet odor from the pheromones. 

Now that we can identify the insects and their signs and we know their habits, here is where you need to focus your investigation: 

• Behind headboards
• Behind picture frames
• Inside electrical outlets
• Upholstered items
• Cracks in wood flooring and furniture
• Crevices between walls and baseboards
• Bed linens
• Mattress seams
• Box springs

If you see bed bug indicators in those areas, you need bed bug control in Marietta from ProCare Pest Service. Our highly-trained technicians know the signs and where to investigate; they can confirm your observations or make adjustments if they determine the indicators point to another pest.