Where do bed bugs hide?
Bed bugs are easily one of the most feared pests in homes. That is because they are so adept at hiding. Being the nocturnal pests that they are, they sneak out of their hiding places at night when you are asleep, choose a host and suck on their blood to their hearts content. The thought that you may have them in your house is sickening.
Why they are so good at hiding
An adult bed bug measures 4-5mm and is oval shaped. Contrary to popular opinion that bed bugs are to small to see, an adult bed bug is easy to spot in the light. They have a brown shape but will turn to reddish brown when they have fed on blood. If you manage to catch one after feeding and press it using your thumb against a hard surface such as a table, the bug will burst open and splutter blood while giving off a distinct bed bug smell.
Their oval shape and color allows them to fit into very tiny spaces such as on the seam of mattresses and on wood joints. One thing that causes dread among many people when it comes to bed bugs is their ability to hide in hard to reach areas and therefore it becomes difficult in killing them and their eggs.
Where do bed bugs hide?
Bed bugs have earned that name for a reason and that is because they will often hide within 8 feet or so to you sleep or recline. More often than not, if you have an infestation, these creatures will be found in the joints of a wooden bed or the hollow of a steel bed.
They also love to occupy the mattress seams. Where things get complicated is if your mattress has a hole, beg bugs will take advantage to live and breed in there out of your reach. Given that they populate so fast, your place of sleep will be overrun with them as soon as the lights go off and you fall asleep.
Other common places for bed bugs to hide is in linen seams, curtains, cushions, drapes crooks and crannies that may be located near your bed.
This includes area sure as wall sockets and the framing if wall artwork. Joints and drawers of any wooden furniture near your bed is also suspect.
How to get rid of bed bugs
While doing it yourself may work if you have only but a small infestation, half the time it does not work at all. To save you some valuable time and headache, it’s best to get in touch with a licensed pest officer.
They will inspect your premises to see the extent of the infestation and the areas of challenge. They will then formulate a plan that can systematically and effectively work on getting rid of the bugs.
As every individual infestation is different, solution may involve sealing mattresses with socialized insulation that locks the bed bugs in and eventually starve them to death while preventing further spread of the vermin into other parts of the house. In short, successfully getting rid of a bed bug infestation is very involving and needs meticulous planning and execution.
Conclusion
A licensed pest officer will formulate a workable plan together with you on how to effectively combat the bed bugs based on your unique situation
