You wake up one morning, and before your very eyes you see it: the shed skins of bed bugs all over your Saratoga home. Suddenly, all of the itchy bumps you keep waking up with make perfect sense: you’re not suffering from allergies, you have bed bugs.
Bed bugs are one of the quietest pest infestations you can have, but also one of the most difficult to deal with, and an infestation can pose a serious problem to your overall well-being. Places like Saratoga County are total hotspots for bed bug infestations, as these critters prefer dark, cool places, and prefer homes like yours in the New York winter.
Let’s talk about what bed bugs are, how they get in, and what you can do to avoid them.
Bed Bug Identification Guide
Bed bugs are small, brown apple seed-sized insects that rarely grow larger than 0.2 inches. Unlike most household insect pests, they’re not much interested in the food you have in your kitchen or pantry. That’s because their food is you – bed bugs feast on mammal blood, which is why they like to bite humans so much.
Bed bugs don’t fly, jump, or run, so you might be wondering how they got in your home in the first place. Most likely, they hitched a ride with you from somewhere that you accidentally picked them up. These buggers are total hitchhikers: they move slowly on their own, but you can find them in certain hub spots and carry them back home with you.
Five Ways To Avoid Bed Bugs In Saratoga County
You might be surprised to learn that you can pick bed bugs up from any location: libraries, bus stops, hospitals, thrift stores, etc. You might also be surprised to learn that bed bugs are commonly transported on secondhand goods and furniture. Thus, avoiding bed bugs means following strict, pest-busting rules.
Don’t let bed bugs get a foothold in your Saratoga home. Here are five simple yet effective strategies you can use to stop the bed bugs from biting around your home:
- Whenever returning home, especially from vacation or travel where you stayed in hotels or motels, check your bags and luggage before bringing them inside. Travelling in luggage is one of the most common ways that bed bugs hitchhike from one site to another.
- Check for warning signs of bed bugs on used furniture. These signs typically include reddish-brown stains, discarded bed bug skins, and small brown excrement pellets. In sever infestations you may also find live or dead bed bugs. Stay aware of these warning signs especially in the walls and corners of bed bugs, closets, and laundry rooms.
- Avoid leaving your belongings unattended in high-traffic areas, such as transportation stops and public service buildings. Do not leave your bags or clothing on the floor for any extended period of time.
- Vacuum regularly so that, should bed bugs do get inside, they are less likely to survive. Bed bugs inside a home are often found in the rolls of rugs or thick carpeting.
- Buy a bed encasement that you can wash if bed bugs get on them. This may help keep bed bugs out of your mattresses.
Unfortunately, while bed bug prevention is a necessity to hopefully save you the time, money, and headaches that come with dealing with an infestation, even the best prevention methods can sometimes fail. If and when that happens, you still have options – namely, the best pest busters in Saratoga, Old School Pest Control. If bed bugs got in your home, reach out to us today and we’ll keep your family safe and your home pest-free.