Crucial Bed Bug Prevention Tips for Your Home

Your bed is your most beloved sanctuary within your home. After a long and difficult day at work or an especially challenging situation that has left your mind, body, heart and soul exhausted and longing for rest, there’s nowhere else you want to turn to for some much-needed comfort than your own bed. This personal space lets you relax and recharge. It also provides a space where you can do some quiet thinking. You can simply savor some alone time in this space before you have to head back out to the world.

However, this treasured space can become a battlefield. Thanks to a tiny creature that can cause some serious damage: the bed bug.

A pesky little (no, big) problem

Bed bugs are parasitic insects that like to nest in beds and feed on the blood of people as they sleep. Bed bugs are also known to bite and feed on animals such as rats, mice, chickens and rabbits.

It was previously thought that bed bugs would only infest dilapidated or crowded homes or commercial spaces with beds, furniture or upholstery. But according to a trusted Modesto pest control company, these insects can be found even in the cleanest, most well-maintained homes or even hotels.

This is because bed bugs can be easily transported by people, their clothing, their luggage while traveling, or their furniture while moving to a new location.

If you believe that bed bugs should have no place in your home (much less your precious bed), here are some bed bug prevention tips that you can try to turn your home into a pest-free zone:

You won’t normally see bed bugs during the day, so try using a flashlight to take a closer look at your bed and other things at night. Older bed bugs are oval-shaped and reddish-brown in color.

More than the actual bed bugs, there is a greater chance that you’ll see signs of their presence on your possessions, particularly their feces. These appear as small black or dark brown dots on the sheets or mattress. Check for these signs regularly.

In other cases, bites would alert you that there are bed bugs in your home. Have your lesions examined by a physician to identify whether bed bugs are indeed the culprit.

One of the best ways to address a bed bug infestation is to clean all of your things. Clothes, sheets, pillowcases, suitcases, and items you may have traveled with should be washed in hot water.

Steam cleaning and heat treatments can effectively kill adult bed bugs as well as their eggs. For more severe infestations, it would be prudent to call in the local pest control specialists for a stronger and more potent (yet safe) solution.

Dispose of any furniture that can no longer be treated in a locked dumpster. Also provide a label saying that it is infested with bed bugs.

To prevent bed bugs from coming back, keep your space clean and uncluttered. It is also important to regularly inspect for signs of the pesky little bugs.

Of course the best method of bed bug prevention is to call your local pest control company in Stockton. Contact the experts at AAI Pest Control today!