Lawrenceville Homeowners' Ultimate Guide To Bed Bug Control

Because we live in a world on roads and access to public and personal transportation, many have family members living in other states or countries. Although technology allows us to video chat, email, and text, it is not the same as a face-to-face conversation. So, when a relative or friend says they are coming into town, you anxiously await their arrival.

On the other hand, you may have family members who live in another state or country, and as far as you are concerned, having distance between you and them is a good thing. If they call and inform you of an impending visit, your heart sinks, and fear of a face-to-face meeting forms in your soul.

Bed bugs are an insect that we thought was a pest of the past in the mid-twentieth century. With the advent of new technology, they appeared eradicated from the Western hemisphere, and everyone breathed a sigh of relief. However, as more people began to travel overseas and bed bugs developed defenses against treatments of the day, they returned to the United States with a vengeance.

If you suspect bed bugs are in your house, you need pest control in Lawrenceville from ProCare Pest Services to free your home from an infestation. Our highly trained technicians remove bed bugs using the latest techniques and technology. 

You probably found this article because you suspect bed bugs are in your rooms and need answers about the next steps. In this article, we give you information to help you discover if these pests are the problem and what you should do if they live inside your Lawrenceville home.

Telltale Signs Of A Bed Bug Infestation

Bed bugs are tiny insects active at night while most people sleep. How do you know if they are sharing a room with you? The answer begins with identifying the following signs of a bed bug infestation:

• Bed bugs
• Bed bug bites
• Fecal stains
• Discarded shells
• Eggs and eggshells
• Odor

Let's look at the indicators and get a thorough knowledge of what to look for. 

Adult bed bugs are visible to the naked eye. A bed bug has six legs, two straight antennae, and a three-part body consisting of a head, pronotum, and abdomen. An unfed bed bug has a flat, oval 1/4 inch mahogany body, but one that has recently enjoyed a blood meal will have an elongated, swollen red-brown body. Immature bed bugs, or nymphs, are almost translucent and require magnification to locate — especially if they are in the first few growth stages.

Of course, bed bugs are not the only insect that bites humans. Fleas, ticks, mosquitoes, and spiders also wound people, but not always for a blood meal, as in the case of spiders who bite in self-defense. How do you know if the red, swollen bites on your body are from bed bugs and not another insect? First, bed bug bites are usually in clusters or lines. Second, bed bugs bite exposed areas of the body, usually the arms, legs, and back. Third, bed bug bites do not produce immediate pain; you may not notice the wounds for two or more days. Fourth, bed bug bites result in small, red, itchy bumps; they do not cause rashes or big, fluid-filled lumps. 

When bed bugs feed and return to their hiding places, they defecate a dried blood mixture. Fecal matter from the bugs stains bed linens, mattresses, and box springs; it can also mark the edges of cracks where the bugs hide. Dead bed bugs are another source of stains. Occasionally, sleeping hosts roll over on the feeding bed bugs, squishing them and creating blood stains.

A characteristic of all insects is an exterior skeleton (exoskeleton). When a bed bug hatches, it progresses through five growth stages known as instars. During each phase, it must shed its exterior shell (molt) to allow its growing body to expand. Discarded exoskeletons are another indicator that bed bugs are in your house.

As previously mentioned, bed bugs hatch from eggs. You can find the creamy-white minuscule eggs with a magnifying glass. When the bed bugs hatch, they leave the eggshells to find a host and a hiding place. Unhatched eggs and discarded eggshells are more signs of a bed bug infestation. 

Bed bugs communicate using pheromones from glands on the underside of their bodies. When a bed bug population is dense, you can smell a musty-sweet aroma in the room.

ProCare Pest Services provides home pest control services in Lawrenceville to help with bed bugs. Our certified technicians know where to investigate bed bug signs in the house. We will help you confirm whether or not bed bugs are in your home.