Let’s face it. Bed bug infestation can be a nuisance and cause extreme discomfort, especially if your property has been infested. It’s important to note, however, that their presence does not necessarily reflect poor hygiene.
These nocturnal insects feed on warm-blooded hosts, including humans, and can be easily transported through clothing, luggage, and other personal items.
Bed bug bites can result in red, itchy welts and skin irritation and can even lead to sleepless nights.
Find out how to prevent bed bugs from entering your Dallas property with these prevention tips.
Why Do I Have Bed Bugs?
There are numerous ways bed bugs can enter your home. The most likely way is to bring an item into your home that has bed bugs on it.
You can also bring in bed bugs if you’ve been traveling. Travelers should take extra precautions to avoid bringing bed bugs home with them. First, inspecting the hotel room before settling in is important.
Travelers should carefully examine furniture and mattresses for signs of bed bugs, such as a musty-smelling mattress and small dark marks on the linen.
If any signs of bed bugs are found, it’s best to switch rooms or hotels immediately.
Although there is a general preconception that bed bugs occur in unsanitary homes, this is a misconception, as even the cleanest of homes can become invested with bed bugs.
Where Do Bed Bugs Hide?
Bed bugs are reddish-brown, wingless insects of a flat oval shape measuring 1/4 to 3/8 inch in length, which feed on the blood of humans and animals.
To identify bed bugs, look for them around beds or other furniture where people sleep or sit for long periods. Bed bugs may also be found behind wallpaper, carpets, and cracks in furniture or walls.
When looking for signs of a bed bug infestation, check mattress seams and folds as well as crevices between mattresses and box springs. Look out for dark spots on mattresses that could indicate their droppings or shed skins.
You might even find live bed bugs themselves crawling around your sheets at night.
These pesky critters can often be found in the tiniest of cracks near sleeping areas such as:
- baseboards
- picture frames
- electronics
- dressers
- closets
Anywhere they can hide during the day when not actively feeding on hosts at night.
If you start suspecting there are bed bugs in your home, look for the following signs:
- a nasty, musty odor
- small dark marks on items like your bedding or mattress, or even walls.
- eggshells or shed skins on the ground or surfaces
- bloodstains on your bedding
How to Prevent Bed Bugs From Entering Your Property
How do bed bugs end up in your Dallas home? There are numerous ways they can end up in your home, including:
- On the clothes that you or anyone entering your home might be wearing.
- On second-hand furniture.
- Items you bring into your home, like luggage, parcels, etc.
To prevent bed bugs from getting into your Dallas home it is best to check all items before you take them into your home.
Regularly inspecting your property is the best way to prevent a bed bug infestation. Examine your home for indications of an infestation, like black marks on bedding or furniture and tiny white eggs in cracks.
Vacuuming and cleaning frequently can also help keep your home free from bed bugs by removing their hiding places and food sources (i.e., dust mites).
You can also try sealing cracks and crevices in walls and floors can also help prevent an infestation by blocking off entry points into your home.
Once they’re in your home, there isn’t a whole lot you can do.
While vacuuming and other methods may kill the top layer of pests, they lay their eggs deep within items, so getting rid of every bed bug is extremely difficult.
You might not see bed bugs for a few weeks, but the infestation is still there and will come back eventually.
The most efficient way to eradicate bed bugs is to hire pros. You can end up with headaches and sleepless nights if you try to tackle an infestation yourself.
If you are worried about a potential bed bug infestation in your home, contact our professionals at Romney’s Pest Control at the first sign of a problem.
Providing home pest control services to Texas for over 10 years with top-of-the-line treatments and our team of experienced, highly-trained professionals, we’ll easily prevent bed bugs from entering your Dallas property.
