After a day of running errands, fighting traffic, or stress at work, it is nice to turn into the driveway, open the garage door and pull the car inside. As you turn off the engine while the garage door closes behind you, you let out a sigh of relief because you are home. 

Our homes are our refuge away from the hustle and bustle of life. The ultimate sanctum within our fortress is our bedroom. When the day is over, we sink into the mattress, pull up the covers and sink into a satisfied sleep — unless there are bed bugs. When bed bugs invade your house, what is supposed to be a refuge becomes a battleground. 

If you are itching from bed bug bites on your body, you need bed bug control in Western Massachusetts from American Pest Solutions. We are a fourth-generation, family-owned company that has removed bed bugs from local homes since 1913. We pioneered Integrated Pest Management (IPM) methods and are one of the few pest control companies with a QualityPro certification. Our president is a Board Certified Entomologist and a member of the Entomological Society of America. When you partner with us, you know you are getting the best pest control company in the area. 

The Problems Bed Bugs Pose For Western Massachusetts Residents

A bed bug infestation causes these problems for homeowners:

• Discomfort
• Anxiety
• Loss of sleep
• Skin problems
• Odor

Let's briefly examine each of these issues. 

Bed bugs are parasitic insects that require nutrients from the blood of people and animals to survive. When bed bugs invade a Western Massachusetts home, they hide during the day in cracks and crevices in mattresses, box springs, behind baseboards, picture frames, and headboards; they also take refuge inside electrical outlets.

When a human or household pet is in the room, they emerge from their hideouts between midnight and 5 am to eat a blood meal. They crawl onto the victim, insert their needle-like proboscis into the skin and search for a capillary-rich area. When they insert their mouthpart, they inject their victim with an anesthetic and an anticoagulant to enable blood flow and keep the host from feeling the bite. Once established, a bed bug feeds for five to ten minutes before detaching and returning to its hideaway. 

Bed bug bites occur in exposed areas on the body (i.e., arms, legs, face, neck, and hands). Because bed bugs search for capillary-rich locations before settling in to eat, victims often experience bites in clusters or rows, which is one way to distinguish between bed bug bites and spider or mosquito bites. 

Wounds caused by bed bugs are red, slightly swollen, and itchy. Anxiety and loss of sleep are often the result of the impulse to scratch multiple bites on the body. Skin problems may result if the bite areas become infected from the scratching. In rare cases, those with severe allergy sensitivities may experience painful swelling, enlarged swollen areas, and anaphylaxis.

Bed bugs in Western Massachusetts communicate by releasing chemicals known as pheromones. The insects deposit the fluid from their scent glands to alert one another of hiding locations where they can aggregate. One of many bed bug signs is a musty smell in the room, which can be embarrassing and disconcerting to a homeowner. 

You can avoid these many bed bug problems by partnering with American Pest Solutions for bed bug control. Our background-checked technicians know bed bug signs, where to look, and how to eradicate these problematic insects from your Western Massachusetts home. 

Proven Steps To Keep Your Home Bed Bug-Free

No one wants bed bugs to infest their home, but the desire to keep them away is not enough. Implement the following bed bug control techniques for your home to keep bed bugs out of your house: 

• Inspect luggage, bags, and clothing after using public transportation. 
• Wash and dry laundry on the highest heat fabric.
• Investigate hotel and motel rooms for bed bugs before unpacking clothing. 
• Review used furniture for bed bugs before bringing it into the house.
• Vacuum the house regularly.
• Suction out corners and cracks.

Unlike other pests, bed bugs do not enter from the lawn or by flying into the home. Instead, they penetrate houses by hitchhiking on luggage, clothing, shoes, bags, and items. Public transportation and venues are a hub for bed bugs where they move from one person to another. Before entering your home, inspect your clothing and shoes for the 1/4-inch long flat, oval bugs. After returning from a trip, immediately wash and dry all clothing items, bed linens, etc., on the highest heat possible for at least 30 minutes to kill bed bugs hiding in the folds. 

Before settling into a hotel room and unpacking, inspect the room for bed bugs by investigating the mattress, behind headboards, and picture frames. In addition to the bugs, search for reddish-brown fecal stains on bed linens and walls, smell the air for a musty odor, and look for creamy-white molt skins or egg shells in cracks around the nightstands and baseboards. If you find these signs, do not unpack and immediately vacate the room. 

Ask the seller whether or not they have had bed bugs when purchasing used items. We do not recommend buying the item if the seller admits to a prior infestation. Even if they claim to have had no problem, carefully inspect the furniture for signs of bed bugs. Use a magnifying glass to focus on cracks and gaps between the upholstery and the wood or metal. Search for creamy-white 1/32-inch eggs, eggshells, fecal stains, and adult or nymph bed bugs.  

If a bed bug enters your home, you may thwart an infestation by regularly vacuuming the house. When you sweep, focus on the cracks between the baseboards, flooring, and walls and suction the corners. Seal the vacuumed contents in a bag and dispose outdoors in a closed garbage can. 

When an American Pest Solutions technician arrives for bed bug removal, we can provide additional ideas based on your situation. 

Protecting Your Luggage From Bed Bugs

Bed bugs are parasitic insects that feed on live animals and people, but how do they know if a host is present? Bed bugs detect the presence of living beings through carbon dioxide emissions, warmth, and vibrations. When these elements are present, they assume a host is nearby and crawl out of their hiding spots to get a blood meal. 

The carbon dioxide emitted by your body saturates your clothing, and when you put previously worn items into a suitcase, it can attract bed bugs. Even though you may thoroughly inspect your hotel room, you may miss a bug hiding in a crevice, and if you are not careful with your luggage, the bug may crawl into it because it smells of carbon dioxide from previously worn clothing. 

How can you deter bed bugs from entering your luggage? Many hotels include a frame to place your luggage in the room. Although luggage stands are convenient, they are also advantageous because bed bugs cannot climb the slick legs. So, place luggage on a rack when available and do not let the luggage stay on the floor. Also, place used clothing in a sealable bag before storing the clothes inside your suitcase to keep bed bugs from sensing the carbon dioxide on them. When removing your clothes, immediately place them in the sealable bag; do not throw them onto the floor. Another suggestion is to purchase a plastic luggage cover.

When returning from a trip, transport used clothing from the bag immediately into the clothes washer. (the best procedure is to wash and dry all clothing in the luggage, including those never worn items) Vacuum the luggage and suction out all corners and crevices before storing it in the house. 

These suggestions will help you avoid a future infestation, but if you currently have bed bugs, you need professional bed bug control in Western Massachusetts from American Pest Solutions. 

What To Do If Your Home Already Has Bed Bugs

If you already have bed bugs in your house, you need bed bug control services in Western Massachusetts from American Pest Solutions. We will dispatch an experienced technician to inspect your home for bed bug signs. Because these pests are elusive, our technicians use trained K-9 dogs to detect bed bugs. These highly trained animals can determine if bed bugs are inside the home within two to fifteen minutes; they do not disrupt your belongings and detect bed bugs even if they hide under papers, inside upholstery, underneath the carpet, or behind baseboards. 

A few years ago, the National Pest Management Association surveyed pest control technicians, and bed bugs ranked among the most troublesome pests to eliminate. Because these insects are troublesome to eradicate, we use several techniques from vacuuming and treatment products, which we apply over three visits during the first month. We provide a prep sheet to our customers so we can maximize our treatment time. Contact us today to learn about our bed bug services and put an end to your bed bug problem.