Bed bugs are back!
In 1978 The Rolling Stones sang these lyrics in their classic, “Shattered”
“To live in this town you must be tough, tough, tough, tough, tough!
You got rats on the West Side
Bed bugs Uptown
What a mess this town’s in tatters, I’ve been shattered”
42 years later, and guess who’s still kicking?
The Rolling Stones AND bed bugs. Sorry friends, but they are back, with a vengeance, and not just in Manhattan. (This blog should have come with a disclaimer…” this post may make you itchy”. )
Some of us may not remember the old days of bed bugs, back when people traveled with their own pesticides in their luggage. When you sprayed your motel mattress down because it was assumed bed bugs were present. This new generation of bed bugs is stronger, more resilient than ever and it takes more than a good travel-sized spray down to attack.
How do bed bugs get into my clean home?
Bed bugs have nothing to do with cleanliness. They are called “hitchhikers” and will ride home on the bottoms of your shoes, your luggage, purses and backpacks. They usually hide out on soft or upholstered surfaces like beds, sofas, carpets. They can even travel from room to room in apartment buildings, five star hotels and dormitories. All bed bugs are looking for is a good meal and a place to hide, they don’t need trash or filth, just your blood.
Speaking of blood.
Bed bugs like a good “blood meal”. Yes, that is a term that is hard to erase from memory. Some can go for almost two years without a “blood meal”. After engorging themselves on your blood (while you sleep), they scurry away to hide in the seams of a mattress, under the baseboards, sometimes behind the paintings on the walls. If there is an infestation, they can be found in the folds of curtains, and seams of sofas and chairs.
Are you afraid to even look for them?
This is totally understandable. Even the signs of bed bugs make you need a shower. Look for these signs of bed bugs:
Tiny blood stains that look like rust on your sheets or pillowcases.
Dark/rusty spots of bedbug excrement on bedding, mattresses and walls.
Fecal spots, eggs shells or shed skins in hiding places.
A musty odor.
Is anyone else feeling dirty and itchy yet?
Could this blog get any yuckier?
Imagine researching bed bugs for a living. Then having to go to a hotel and actually get some sleep! But just in case you need more, here’s a video that shows bed bugs in action. Now that you have been fully exposed to everything you could ever want to know about bed bugs, you must be asking….
What can I do to get rid of bed bugs? Or better yet, why did they come back?
The world thought it had taken care of bed bugs forever. Two things happened. First, the bed bugs became stronger and more resistant to the poison. Second, the pesticide used to kill them was banned. This can be likened to how doctors tell us to not overuse antibiotics because we will become resistant to them. Not that we want to have anything in common with bed bugs.
Here’s where we come in.
When you suspect you have bed bugs (you may notice tiny bites on your body) it’s a really good idea to call professionals ASAP. There are plenty of DIY applications you can attempt, but how comfortable do you feel with baking soda getting rid of a pest that eats a “blood meal” and hides in your bed? Exactly.
If you call us at Lawn and Pest Solutions, we will come inspect your home and if needed, treat it very thoroughly. Then we will come back in 7-14 days and treat it again (because those eggs will have hatched by then). You will have some work to do as well. Our technicians will leave you with a checklist of things to do, like washing and drying all linens with high heat. Getting rid of bed bugs is not fun, it’s not easy, but it can be done. For most, the worst part about bed bugs is just knowing they are there. Count me in that number.
Our pest technicians are making their way all over the Memphis area, North Mississippi, Oxford, Tupelo and of course, New Albany. Let us help you fight the war against pests, as we say, “you shouldn’t have to live with them!” Contact us here for a quote.
