Have you ever had a nightmare experience with a hotel? The deal looked great online, but when you show up, you find a spot of black mold above the toilet, unwashed sheets on the bed, and a vending machine that only dishes out diet soda despite you clearly pressing the button for tea. As horrifying as this scenario sounds, there is another nightmare hotel experience that takes the cake. We are talking about bed bugs. These small parasitic pests are always a problem, especially when you are traveling. To prevent bed bugs from invading your Modesto home, use this handy prevention guide.
What Are Bed Bugs
Bed bugs are codependent insects that rely on the blood of humans and other animals to survive. Almost entirely found indoors, these parasitic pests use items people carry to get around. If you are not observant, your luggage could be their bus ride, your used couch their taxi; your kid might even pick them up in their backpack at school.
You can identify bed bugs by their reddish-brown, oval-shaped, 3-7mm long body. When inspecting a room for live bed bugs, check the cracks and crevices around beds, around baseboards, inside loose wallpaper or paneling, in the back of drawers, and in other hard to reach places around the room .If you have trouble spotting live bed bugs, it is because they are excellent at hiding. To identify a bed bug infestation without ever seeing an actual bed bug, use these signs:
Dried spots of blood on bed coverings or around sleeping areas
Speckles of reddish-black fecal matter along baseboards, on power outlets, and around cracks and crevices around rooms
Shed skin on mattress tops and bedding
Red, sometimes raised bite marks on your skin in a straight line or zig-zag pattern
Bed Bug Hotspots
You will never find a bed bug in the middle of the rainforest, or at the top of a mountain. That is unless a human brought them there. Even then, they won’t survive for long without a reliable host. Most commonly, bed bugs are found within homes or inside buildings where people congregate. Lodging establishments, medical facilities, transportation hubs, and movie theaters are hotspots for bed bug activity. One thing you should always keep in mind is that it only takes 20 minutes on average for a bed bug to crawl from one item to another. When you are out in public, be conscientious of where you leave your belongings.
How To Avoid Bed Bugs
Because bed bugs need people to invade, it is entirely up to you and those you invite into your home to prevent them. Here are some of the best ways our experts recommend you use to avoid bringing home a bed bug infestation:
When traveling, thoroughly inspect rooms for signs of bed bugs before settling in. If you find any, request to change rooms or find a different establishment altogether.
Before bringing used clothing home, store it inside an airtight plastic bag. Once you arrive home, immediately wash this clothing in a washer and dryer on high heat.
Check all used furniture for bed bugs before buying and bringing them home.
Avoid leaving luggage or backpacks in one place in a public place for more than 20 minutes.
Teach your children, family, and friends about bed bugs so they can also actively avoid them.
What To Do If Bed Bugs Invade
Bed bugs are a lot easier to prevent than they are to eliminate. If you find yourself dealing with an infestation inside your Modesto home, there is only one solution you can trust. At Insect IQ, Inc, we understand bed bugs and have the advanced tools and methods needed to eliminate them from homes. Give us a call today to find out more about our reliable pest control services at Insect IQ, Inc, or to schedule a bed bug inspection for your Modesto home and property.
