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Q. I think this rash on my skin could be bed bug bites. An exterminator is coming, but I’m worried about bed bugs coming back. How do you get bed bugs and what causes bed bugs to move into a home?
Bed bugs are a nuisance that hopefully most people will never encounter. These insects leave bites that can cause swollen red welts on the skin and constant, irritating itching. In addition, bed bugs can evade even the most painstaking efforts to get rid of them.
As the saying goes, an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure – and that couldn’t be more apt for combating bed bugs. The best way to treat bed bugs is to avoid them in the first place. Unfortunately, these stubborn bugs can invade your home, especially if you’re an apartment dweller or frequently stay in hotels. If you suspect bed bugs, contact a pest controller to address the problem right away. While the very thought of fighting a bed bug infestation can make your skin tingle, there are steps you can take to treat bed bug bites and get these tiny pests out of your home.
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Bed bugs can enter the home from other infested areas. You can ride on furniture, luggage and backpacks.
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Although called bed bugs, these insects can nestle in rooms beyond the bed. A common myth is that if someone has bed bugs or has been in contact with them, either they or the bed they slept in is unclean. This is because bed bugs are said to be attracted to dirt or grime, but this couldn’t be further from the truth: humans, whether clean or not, are attracted to bed bugs when they feed on blood. Unfortunately, all it takes is an encounter with a few bugs for them to ride along on luggage, furniture, or backpacks.
You can get bed bugs from just a night in a hotel or a trip on public transport.
It only takes a visit to the wrong place at the wrong time to bring bed bugs home and create a widespread infestation. Although less common, bed bugs can burrow into seats on buses, planes, and other forms of public transportation, so making a habit of checking for them helps to prevent further bites or a possible infestation.
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More commonly, people find larger concentrations of bed bugs in hotel beds and furniture that have not been thoroughly cleaned and washed. To avoid this misstep, travelers should read online hotel reviews before deciding to book a stay to see if other guests have reported incidents of bed bug bites after their visit. In addition, it is important to leave the infested area at the first sign of bed bugs and place any clothing or luggage from the trip in a sealed plastic bag before returning home.
To avoid bringing bed bugs home, when staying at a hotel, keep your luggage on a stand rather than on the bed or floor. When you return home from your trip, wash your clothes and run them through a hot dryer before bringing them back indoors. On public transport, choose to stand instead of sit and hold your items instead of putting them on the floor.
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Bed bugs can move between rooms in multi-unit buildings such as apartments or hotels.
No indoor space is safe from bed bugs, especially when there are many potential spaces for these insects to explore. Although bed bugs take refuge in beds and furniture, even the smallest of holes in walls and floors can provide the necessary passageway for them to take up residence and feed in a home. This means that people who live in apartment buildings or stay in a hotel may encounter bed bugs from a neighboring unit. Unfortunately, your best attempts to avoid bed bugs can be thwarted through no fault of your own.
In addition, bed bugs can survive for up to a year without food. Even if they go unnoticed for a long time after the first encounter, people who live in apartment buildings should still regularly check their beds, walls, and furniture for signs of their presence.
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Inspect used furniture before bringing it indoors, especially upholstered furniture.
If you’re a frequent Facebook Marketplace or thrift shopper, it never hurts to double-check furniture for signs of bed bugs. It’s easy to spot signs of bed bugs in beds and furniture if you know what to look for. Bed bugs feed on blood, so if there are small blood stains on the upholstered furniture, that furniture could be infested. Bed bugs also leave dark stains of feces, tiny egg shells, and skins. If any of these more obvious signs are present on used furniture or bedding, don’t risk bringing it into the home.
In addition, bed bugs also leave behind a rather unpleasant odor that secretes from their scent glands. If a homeowner sees (or smells) any of the warning signs listed, they should act immediately and give the furniture a thorough scrubbing before seeking professional help from an exterminator.
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Bed bug bites and skin rashes in household members can indicate an infestation before you discover the bugs themselves.
If you experience an irritating itch or a bright red rash on your skin without explanation, it could be the first sign of an even bigger problem: a bed bug infestation. Because they’re so difficult to spot and can move fairly quickly, bed bugs can bite people without ever realizing it happened until it’s too late.
Anti-itch ointments can relieve the symptoms of a bed bug bite and provide temporary bed bug treatment. However, to get to the root of the problem, one must take preventive measures to stop an infestation.
Do you have bed bugs?
Maybe it’s time to call in a pro. Receive free and non-binding cost estimates from exterminators in your area.
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Scrub the infected mattress with a stiff brush to remove the bed bugs and their eggs before vacuuming the area. After cleaning and vacuuming, throw the infested bedding in the laundry to wash and dry at the highest possible temperature. Finally, repair any cracks and fissures in walls and floors where bed bugs may be hiding. This ensures that they have no way of getting back into the house. However, at the first sign of a more serious problem, contact a professional as it can be difficult to contain the infestation on your own.
If you suspect a bed bug infestation, call a pest controller immediately.
If bed bug problems continue to get out of hand, call an expert right away. If all the necessary steps still don’t eliminate the bed bug infestation and the problem persists, a licensed bed bug exterminator can offer an effective solution to rid a home of bed bugs and other nasty pests.
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