Do you suspect your home has a bed bug problem? Find bites on your skin after long restless nights? Notice spots of blood on your bed coverings even though you don’t have any cuts or open scabs? Have the eerie suspicion that bugs are crawling on your skin as you roll around in the middle of the night? All good reasons to suspect these invasive pests are around. But are bed bugs dangerous, and if so, do they pose any risk to your pets? We have your answers and some simple strategies to deter these annoying sleep-wrecking pests.
What Are Bed Bugs?
Bed bugs are small parasitic insects that feed on blood. Despite what their name suggests, these pests are not just found around beds, but use the entirely of a home as their living space. It is only late at night after people have gone to bed, that bed bugs emerge from their hiding spots to feed. Much like mosquitoes, a bite from a bed bug is not painful at first, but can become itchy after a few hours.
How Do Bed Bugs Get Into Homes?
Bed bugs lack mobility; they do not crawl fast, do not have wings to fly, and don’t have legs strong enough to jump. What these pests do have, however, is determination. To travel from place to place, bed bugs hitch rides on items humans carry and hope they end up in a new home. This isn’t always the case though. Sometimes bed bugs hitch rides on used furniture and end up at the dump, other times they hop into electronics and end up in a factory where people don’t sleep. It’s a hit or miss game, but one thing is always true; bed bugs will find a home eventually.
The Dangers Of Bed Bugs
When you think of blood-feeding pests, the first thing that probably comes to mind is blood-borne diseases. Mosquitoes kill one million people each year, ticks spread Lyme disease and Rocky Mountain spotted fever, and fleas were the main spreaders of the bubonic plague back in the 14th century, which killed over 50 million people. All of this must mean bed bugs are dangerous, right? Interestingly enough, bed bugs aren’t known for spreading any major diseases. Some studies show they can carry Chagas disease, a disease more common south of our border, but all other signs point to bed bugs being relatively harmless to both people and animals. The worst you can expect from these pests is itchy bites on your skin, sleepless nights, and with severe infestations, anemia.
Avoiding Bed Bugs
Because bed bugs use people to invade homes, it is entirely up to you to prevent these pests. Our recommendation is to find out what bed bugs look like and learn how to identify the signs they leave behind. This will help you spot these pests early and avoid unwittingly bringing bugs home with you. Another great thing to do is inform your family and friends, keeping in mind that you aren’t the only one that might bring bed bugs into your home.
Eliminating Bed Bugs
Bed bugs are one of the most difficult pests to eliminate. If you suspect your home is under attack by these sleep-wrecking pests, do not hesitate to get an expert involved. At Quik-Kill Pest Eliminators, we understand bed bugs and have the industrial-grade equipment needed to get them out of your Davenport home quickly.
Contact us today to find your best solution to bed bug problems or to have any pests related questions answered by one of our friendly service representatives.