We’re sure you’d agree that the bed is the coziest place in your home, but unfortunately, bed bugs would also agree. If you don’t take precautions, these itchy, uncomfortable, bloodsucking pests will become a permanent feature of your Dallas home. The good news is these bed bug problems, while overwhelming and cumbersome, are treatable and curable. Read on to learn how these nasty critters end up in Dallas households, and what you can do to prevent them.
Bed Bug Identification Guide
Usually, Dallas homeowners don’t know they have a bed bug infestation until they wake up with small, itchy welts on their arms and legs. Bed bugs often go unnoticed because they’re so small and usually prey on sleeping people and pets (hence their name), but identifying them is key.
Bed bugs can grow to about ⅕ of an inch. These pests are reddish-brown and often grow darker after they’ve ingested blood. When bed bugs get in your home, you and your loved ones provide that blood to nourish them, as these pests rely on it to feed and reproduce.
Bed bugs are recognizable for having a small head, a larger apple seed-shaped body, six legs, and two short antennae. Avoiding them is key because once a bed bug gets inside, it’ll take nothing less than your local pest experts to get them out.
How Did Bed Bugs Get In My Dallas Home?
Bed bugs are slow, tiny creatures that can’t fly or run. So, how do they manage to sneak into so many Dallas properties?
Bed bugs are hitchhikers, meaning that they can get from place to place via clinging to people’s belongings. Hitchhiker pests are usually picked up in high-traffic areas, such as public transport, museums, schools, and the library. You can also pick them up from work or other densely occupied spaces.
You can even get bed bugs from buying used second-hand furniture. Always check for the signs of bed bugs on resold furniture. These signs include:
- Small pellets from bed bug excrement
- Reddish-brown stains around the furniture
- Discarded skins on or beneath the cushions
- The pests themselves are crawling in crevices
Knowing all the distress these pests can cause, prevention is key.
Bed Bug Prevention Tips
Since bed bugs are so hard to remove, your best bet is to prevent them from sneaking inside in the first place. You can do this by looking for all the aforementioned signs to make sure these pests don’t hitch a ride from you.
If you’re traveling in high-traffic places, check your bags to make sure they are bed bug-free. If you do see any bed bugs, place those belongings in a plastic bag and seal them in a ventilated room with a no-pest strip. This will release an odorless pest-toxic vapor and kill the bed bugs in any stage of their life cycle.
In addition to this and to checking any used furniture for bed bugs, you should also vacuum frequently, as this reduces the chances of bed bugs camping out in your furniture. If you keep waking up with itchy bumps every morning, you’ll need your local pest experts to get rid of your bed bugs. Reach out to Dallas’s best pest technicians at Evolve Pest Control, and we’ll remove those bed bugs for good.
