The Dreaded Bed Bug

If you find small, itchy bites, you may be in trouble. Groups of little orangish, apple seed shaped bugs on your mattress would be the next step. Red and black dots all over your bed. These are the major signs of a bed bug problem. But how could this happen? How did they get here? Bed bugs predominant move from place to place by latching on to our clothes, luggage or other fabric materiel and hitching a ride to where ever you are going.

Bed bugs will most often move from home to home using this method. These insects have no wings. This means that their second favorite way of travel is by crawling. For their size, they are some what quick. How quick? These insects can move about two to three feet per minute. They don’t jump, so these two means of travel are their only options.

There are two tell tale signs of bed bug infestation. Finding them on your mattress is the first one. Small red and black dots on sheets and mattresses signal their presence. Bed bugs feed on our blood. The red spots show where a bed bug has eaten, and the black spots show where they have defecated. Contacting a Tulsa exterminator can get you more information and help.

Bites on your body are the second sign of infestation. Bed bug bites can have many forms, but often show up as red, itchy bumps on the skin, much like a mosquito bite. Bites can vary from person to person because everyone responds differently. Some people have a severe allergic reaction, some don’t have a reaction at all. Each bite is the site of a blood meal. Without a blood meal, bed bugs do not have enough stored energy to move from one life stage to another. One of those life stages is laying eggs. So if you have been bitten, it could mean that the colony underneath you is getting larger!

Bed bugs can be very persistent and difficult to get rid of. They hide well, and have developed resistance to many pesticides. Modern effective treatments require specialized equipment and a high level of expertise. Because of this, it is best to employ the help of an Oklahoma exterminator experienced in removing bed bug infestations.

Almost all of the over the counter pesticides are part of a family of pesticides known as pyrethroids. Pyrethroids are derivatives of a natural occurring insecticide found in plants. In addition to DDT, pyrethroids have been over used against bed bugs. Because of this, most bed bugs have developed a resistance to them. An experienced exterminator will not only use different methods that are effective against these bugs, but also will rotate these methods to keep insects from developing tolerances against insecticides.

If you are having problems with bed bugs or any other pest, contact an Oklahoma pest control company. Here at TermMax Pest Control, we are here to help!