5 Things You Didn’t Know About Bed Bugs
A tiny, wingless insect that feeds on human blood, bed bugs are one of the most common causes of pest infestations in Australia. Despite their small size and simple names, bed bugs are a complex insect, and dealing with an infestation often requires the help of professional pest control specialists. Bed bugs are found all over the world. An opportunistic creature that can live just about anywhere, they’ve got a few tricks up their sleeves that make them hard to spot and even harder to eradicate. In this article we’re going to look at 5 things you probably didn’t know about bed bugs.
Bed Bug Saliva is an Anaesthetic
Ranging in size from 1 – 5mm, bed bugs are small but they’re not impossible to spot with the naked eye. Unfortunately, unless you’re really keeping an eye out for these pests, you might not notice an infestation until you start waking up covered in bite marks. One of the challenges is that the bite of a bed bug contains both an anticoagulant and an anaesthetic. Their bites are often completely painless and you may be totally unaware that bed bugs are busy feeding on you in your sleep.
Luckily, bed bug bites are relatively easy to distinguish from other types of bites. The anticoagulant they inject makes it easier for them to feed, but it means the bites tend to continue bleeding afterwards, leaving telltale blood spots on your sheets.
Bed Bugs Can Live Just About Anywhere
Bed bugs get their name from the places they like to live most – our beds. But that’s not the only place you’ll find them lurking.
In fact, bed bugs are happy to live pretty much anywhere. Just like other insects, they’re looking for a safe, warm, dry place to live, preferably somewhere that’s close to both food and water. Often that means they take up residence in the beds of humans and other animals, but they can also be found hiding in boxes, suitcases and linen cupboards.
Bed Bugs Are Attracted to Carbon Dioxide
While thorough hygiene routines are one of the best tools we have to fight infestations, it’s a myth that bed bugs are attracted to dirt. In reality, they make their homes in our beds because they’re attracted to the carbon dioxide that humans produce. That means humans, pets and other animals are a convenient source of food, and we’re even more attractive thanks to the gases we breathe out.
Bed Bugs Are Active at All Times of the Day
If you can’t guess from their name, bed bugs are usually most active throughout the night. The hours before dawn are their active period and it’s when you’re most likely to become a snack for these tiny pests. But, bed bugs are opportunistic, and they are happy to come out at any time of day to feed. They’re attracted to the carbon dioxide you breathe and the warmth of your body. So any time you lie down in bed is an open invitation to the bed bugs that are hiding in your sheets.
Bed Bugs Reproduce Quickly
Getting rid of bed bug infestations can be incredibly difficult thanks to the length of their life cycle and how quickly they reproduce.
Adult bed bugs can live for up to 6 months if they stay well fed. That gives female bed bugs plenty of time to reproduce, and they can lay up to 3500 eggs in their lifetime. Under warm conditions those eggs will hatch within 5-10 days, becoming tiny “nymphs” that are very difficult to spot and eradicate. To make matters worse, bed bug eggs can also lay dormant for much longer if the hatching conditions aren’t ideal. For that reason it’s important to use pest control methods – such as steaming – that are capable of dealing with both adult bugs, their offspring and any unhatched eggs.
Struggling with Bed Bugs? Contact Pete’s Pest Control Today!
Bed bugs are one of the most common pests in Toowoomba. They’re found throughout the region, hiding in beds, linen cupboards and just about everywhere else. The specialists at Pete’s Pest Control are experts at designing bed bug treatment plans! Getting rid of bed bugs once and for all can be a challenge. Tiny and hard to spot, bed bug pest control solutions usually include a mix of physical and chemical treatments. We’re equipped to handle bed bug infestations for all residential and commercial clients, and we can tailor a treatment package that’s suited to your property and the problems you’re experiencing.
Contact us today to find out more or to make an appointment with our team!