Banning Bed Bugs From Your Hartford Home

Imagine a home that is impenetrable to pests. What comes to mind? Do you see a home covered with mosquito netting and completely barren of any vegetation? Do you imagine layers of pest control products applied to every inch of the exterior? If you let your imagination run wild, you may even envision a fire mote going around the entire structure or a home glossed with plastic. But we're here to tell you that there is no home you can envision that will keep bed bugs out. If there is a door (no matter how well-sealed) and there is one human living inside who comes and goes, bed bugs can get in. Understanding this is the first step to banning bed bugs from your Hartford home.

Why We Get Bed Bugs

These insects don't live in our yards and they don't come in through gaps and cracks in our exteriors. They are carried in. The insect we call the bed bug, which is known scientifically a Cimex lectularius, has been living with humans almost exclusively since the beginning of recorded history. They don't "get in" Hartford homes, they're "already in" homes. The secret to keeping them out of yours is to prevent them from leaving an area of infestation and spreading to your place of residence.

How Bed Bugs Spread

• Adult bed bugs crawl into luggage, bags, pocketbooks and other carriables. Once at a new location, they crawl out.
• Female bed bugs lay eggs in carriables and these eggs hatch at a new location.
• Adult bed bugs hide in beds, furniture, electronics and other items. When these items are sold or transferred from one location to another, the infestation goes with it.

How to Stop Bed Bugs from Spreading

• Look for the signs of bed bugs. If bed bugs are infesting a location or an item, you may see black streaks, black speckles, black patches, brown stains, tiny white eggs, shed insect skins, or bed bugs. You may also be able to smell bed bugs. The pheromone scent of bed bugs can be described as a moist locker room towel.
• Recognize bed bugs when you see them. An adult bed bug is oval-shaped with horizontal creases on its abdomen. Newly hatched bed bugs are pale, oval-shaped, and transparent. As a bed bug develops, it becomes tan and eventually rusty-brown in color. In all stages, you will be able to see the black excrement in the abdomen of the bed bug and blood that has been collected. Bed bugs have six legs and three body parts.
• Always do a quick inspection when you stay anywhere for the night, no matter how clean it is and even if it is the home of a friend or relative.
• Keep laundry in a sealed plastic bag because worn items are highly attractive to bed bugs.
  When you return home from staying overnight somewhere, wash all your clothing on the hottest temperature and run them through the dryer for at least 30 minutes.
• Routinely inspect items that come into your home. If you see tiny white eggs in the cracks and creases, put the item in the dryer for 30 minutes. If it cannot be put in the dryer, consider having it treated by a licensed pest professional.
• Teach your children, your extended family and your friends to detect bed bugs and the signs they leave.
• If you purchase a used item or pick one up from the side of the road, do a careful inspection of it to detect signs of bed bugs. As an extra precaution, consider keeping it in the garage or outside your home till it gets dark and examine it again with a flashlight. Bed bugs may come out of hiding when it is dark.

The more you know about the detection of bed bugs the better your chances will be of detecting them before they get into your home. Take some time to learn about all of the many places bed bug infestations have been found. They are not isolated to hotels and motels. They can be found in many unexpected places like libraries, clothing stores, and airplanes. They can even be found at a friend's house. Your friend could have bed bugs and not know it. Always be on the lookout.

If a bed bug infestation takes root in your Hartford home, remember that the bed bug experts at American Pest Solutions know exactly what it takes to completely eliminate these bugs. Reach out to us for immediate help.