Bed Bug Myths
When you hear about bed bugs, you might think about hotel rooms and unclean homes. While these environments are where these pests are the most common, there are a few other places where you can find them. You’ve also probably heard of a few myths that aren’t true about these small bugs that could change your outlook on them.
Bed bugs were once an insect that you didn’t hear much about. Now, the bugs are known in every state. The resistance to pesticides is getting worse, which means larger outbreaks. Some people think that the reason bed bugs spread so fast is that they can fly. They don’t have wings. They crawl around and hitch rides whenever possible on everything from luggage to pillows so that they can spread to other locations.
It might seem like bed bugs multiply like rabbits, but they are among the slowest insects to reproduce. A female bed bug produces one to two eggs each day. Flies can produce around 500 eggs each day. Bed bugs take about 10 days to hatch, so they really don’t multiply as quickly as you’ve probably heard. Most bed bugs can live for a year without any kind of food, but they need water and blood to survive. One of the myths that you’ve probably heard is that bed bugs come out at night to feed and find warmth. While they do tend to perform most of their activities at night, they can come out during the day to feed. This means that keeping lights on during the day or even at night doesn’t do anything to keep bed bugs away.
Another common misconception is that bed bugs only live on mattresses. They do enjoy the crevices of mattresses and box springs because of the skin cells and dirt left behind, but they can live on just about anything, such as suitcases, couches, and chairs. If you pay attention, you can usually see adult bed bugs, especially on surfaces that are lighter in color, such as white or beige.
Dial Environmental Blog
Dial Environmental can offer assistance to rid your home of bed bugs before they take over. We will begin with an initial evaluation to determine if your home has bed bugs. We utilize the services of a “third party” (to eliminate a conflict of interest) Canine Scent Detection Team to sniff out bedbugs before and after our heat treatments. “Roxie” is a friendly and small – Rat Terrier/ Jack Russell mix, with full credentials and extensive training to perform extremely well in the field.
During our initial evaluation our Canine Scent Detection Team (Roxie and a handler) will be deployed with our technical staff to detect and confirm the presence of bedbug; and if bed bugs are detected a treatment plan will be put in place.