Bed bugs are tiny, oval-shaped insects, about 4-5 mm long when fully grown. They’re flat and can be either rust-brown or a deeper red-brown.
Their flattened bodies let them easily hide in small spaces like baseboards, cracks in floors, under carpets, behind loose wallpaper, bed frames, sofas, and behind picture frames. Finding them can be tough. They often stick together, and if there are a lot of them, they give off a sweet but unpleasant smell.
What Are the Signs of Bed Bugs?
If you suspect bed bugs or just want to make sure, look for live or dead insects as well as their shed skins when growing. After feeding on their blood meal they leave behind reddish-black poop which they leave scattered about on bedding, mattresses, or box springs after their meal is complete. They lay their eggs ranging in size between 1/32″ to 1/8″, in dark crevices near where they feed and lay eggs that measure from 0.13”-0.08″.
Bed bug bites often go undetected and doctors often misidentify them for something else – making their detection all the harder!
How Bed Bugs Spread
Once bed bugs have settled somewhere, they usually stick around. But they can move if:
- They’re disturbed (like if furniture is taken apart or pesticides are used incorrectly)
- They can’t find food (like if there’s nobody to bite), so they might move to rooms nearby
- There’s nowhere for them to hide, so they might go to other rooms
- They can spread when infested furniture is moved, or even by using the same vacuum cleaner in multiple rooms or washing clothes in a shared machine.
What to Do If You Find Bed Bugs
Don’t make things worse:
- Leave the room as it is. This helps pest control experts figure out what’s going on.
- Don’t move anything out of the room. It could just help the bed bugs spread.
Do these things instead:
- Stop using the room and keep it separate from the rest.
- If someone’s staying in the room, get them moved to a different one.
- Get in touch with a
best pest control company right away to check the room and treat it if needed. In British Columbia, you can only treat rooms if there’s proof of an infestation.
Preventing Bed Bugs
To keep bed bugs away:
- Look for bugs or their skins.
- Check for red spots on beds.
- Clean and vacuum bedrooms often.
- Use special covers for mattresses and box springs.
- Use light-coloured sheets to spot stains easily.
- Inspect furniture near where you sleep.
- Seal up cracks in walls and around beds.
As bed bugs can easily hide from being seen, professional help should often be sought to eliminate them for good. Companies like Get ‘Em Out Wildlife Control employ trained dogs that sniff out where bedbugs may be hiding before developing an effective plan to eliminate them permanently.
What Are Bed Bugs Like?
Bed bugs go through three distinct life stages – egg, nymph, and adult. Nymphs resemble miniature versions of adults; they will shed their skin several times until reaching full maturity and become adult bed bugs.
Female bed bugs may produce 200 to 500 eggs over their lifespan, typically depositing 10 to 50 at once on rough surfaces. They usually hatch within 6-17 days and adults can survive without food for over one year!
Common Questions About Bed Bugs
Why do I have bed bugs?
Why are bed bugs back?
How worried should I be about bed bugs?
Bed bugs have made an incredible comeback across Canada and even homes with impeccable sanitation can have them. Bed bugs come out at night to feed on sleeping people before returning during the day to dark and quiet places such as furniture or under carpets to hide during daylight. Their carbon dioxide- and heat-attracting abilities attract them, so they often appear where there are lots of people coming and going from places such as hotels or apartment buildings; though these parasites don’t attach themselves directly to people but can hitch rides through our belongings like suitcases or bags! Sanitation doesn’t matter—anyone can get bed bugs.
They’re fast when they’re looking for a meal but will usually hide close to where their host sleeps. Unless you know what to look for, they’re easy to miss. Bed bugs can leave behind reddish-black spots on your bed, but finding them can be tricky. They reproduce quickly, and even just a few bugs can turn into thousands in a few months. Plus, they can survive for a long time without feeding, so even if you leave, they might still be there.
Contact Us For Bed Bug Removal Services
Ottawa Bed Bug Removal – Expert extermination service for homes and businesses. Effective treatment to eliminate bed bugs swiftly. Reliable solutions for a bug-free environment. Call now for hassle-free service.
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Enjoy a stress-free lifestyle in Ottawa and its neighbouring regions, including Brockville, Russell, Arnprior, Kingston, Embrun, Carleton, Kanata, Kemptville, Nepean, Orleans, Stittsville, Barrhaven, Cornwall, Greely & Glebe, with the reliable pest management solutions provided by Get ‘Em Out Wildlife Control. Bid farewell to unwelcome pests – reach out to us now for top-notch pest control services in Ottawa!
