What To Do If You Think You Have Bed Bugs In Your Kittitas County Home

No one likes having their sleep disrupted by pests, whether it is mice making noises behind floorboards, mosquitoes buzzing in your ears, or bed bugs attacking your legs all night. With the latter, an added problem is that these biting insects are becoming increasingly resistant to common pesticides and are very good at hiding and going undetected when the infestation is still small. However, by the time you realize you are dealing with a bed bug problem, it often has had time to grow exponentially. Bed bugs might have invaded your home for many reasons. You might have picked them up during a hotel stay or by bringing in used furniture or clothing. They can even come in through infested books or a neighboring apartment.

If you think you have bed bugs in your home, now is the time to learn to tell if they are what you are dealing with and not another type of invasive pest. Learn how and why bed bug infestations worsen with time and get educated on the many reasons why it is tough to eradicate bed bugs independently. Find out how and why bed bug control works.

If you are struggling with a bed bug infestation, Prosite provides pest control in Kittitas County that you can rely on to sleep soundly once again and for good.

How To Tell If Its Bed Bugs Infesting Your Home

Occasionally, other pests are mistaken for bed bugs, like baby cockroaches, ticks, or carpet beetles. Determining what type of pest has taken over your property is essential because treatments will vary, and using the wrong ones could worsen your bed bug problem. You can tell if it’s bed bugs infesting your home if you see these signs of a bed bug infestation:

• Live bed bugs: If you see live bed bugs, you likely have a bed bug problem. Bed bugs are tiny, more or less the size of an apple seed, and they are flat and brown when they haven’t eaten. After a blood meal, they swell up and turn reddish-brown. Bed bugs do not fly or jump, but they can run very fast, making them nearly impossible to catch. They are also tough to crush because of their hard exoskeleton, which has become harder with time.
• Blood stains: Bed bugs feast on blood, so it makes sense that you would find blood stains on your bedding. You might find them near the bottom of the bed as bed bugs will often bite legs and ankles, but they can bite anywhere that skin is exposed.
• Rust-colored stains: The rust stains that bed bugs sometimes leave behind are also blood but result from them getting crushed, for example, if you roll over them during the night. You might also find stains from bed bug feces.
• Bite marks: If you find small, red, swollen bites that are itchy and sometimes grouped into clusters, in lines, or in a zigzag pattern, you might be the victim of bed bug bites. These bites will also have a dark spot in the center and can turn into welts or fluid-filled blisters. If you suffer from bed bug bites, wash your skin thoroughly with soap and water, and ask a medical professional about using a corticosteroid cream if they are itchy.
• Bed bug shells: Bed bugs shed their skin several times during their lifespan. These shells look like empty bed bugs and are translucent.

These clues strongly indicate that you have bed bugs in your home. If you see one or more, it is best that you look for quality local pest control for bed bugs because bed bug infestations get worse with time.

How And Why Bed Bug Infestations Get Worse With Time

If you are dealing with bed bugs, you will want to take basic precautions like vacuuming your floors often and washing and drying your bedding and curtains at high-temperature several times a week. Beyond that, it is crucial that you inspect your home because these tips alone will not eliminate a bed bug problem. Bed bug infestations get worse with time for many reasons, including the following:

• Bed bugs reproduce quickly: They may not reproduce as fast as fruit flies, but they still multiply quickly for such a bothersome pest. It takes about a month and a half for a bed bug to reach adulthood, at which point the females can lay over 50 eggs after every blood meal. 
• Bed bugs are nearly impossible to crush: Bed bugs have strong exoskeletons. You can only hope to crush them when they are in the nymph stage or have just fed. Even crushing several every day is unlikely to take care of an infestation.
• Bed bugs can hide in hard-to-find spots: Bed bugs will hide in unlikely hiding spots, like behind electrical outlets. They will also hide in cracks in the structure of your bed, behind tags, and anywhere that is dark enough for them to go undetected.

Because bed bugs are bound to get worse with time, you will want to understand why eliminating them on your own is very hard and can make matters worse.

Why It Is So Hard To Get Rid Of Bed Bugs On Your Own

It is challenging to get rid of bed bugs for many reasons. They have been around for over 3,500 years and evolved to be unaffected by pesticides. Some treatments that used to be very effective are becoming increasingly ineffective. They are also the size of an apple seed, making them hard to see and even harder to catch. Besides, they can reproduce so prolifically that it would be impossible to catch them all. And because they go through a reasonably long life cycle, you would need to exterminate the bed bugs at every stage to take care of the whole infestation. Leaving even a few eggs behind will cause a new bed bug problem soon after.

Because bed bugs are tiny and do not typically transmit diseases, you might want to take care of the infestation on your own to save money and avoid potentially-dangerous treatments. Still, bed bugs are resilient pests that can be hard to exterminate. A quality pest control company can answer all your questions regarding bed bug pest control costs for your home and offer treatment options that are safe and effective. You might not need any conventional treatments depending on the size of your infestation, as bed bug heat treatments might be all you need since these tiny pests cannot survive temperatures of over 122° F. When it comes to getting rid of bed bugs, we can show you how and why professional bed bug control works.

How And Why Professional Bed Bug Control Works

Professional bed bug control works because licensed and well-trained technicians know how to take care of serious bed bug infestations. DIY bed bug treatments are usually not practical or effective, especially with large groups of bed bugs.

At Prosite, we proudly offer top-rated bed bug control in Kittitas County that you can rely on to eliminate these unwanted pests using the latest, most-effective products on the market. We are science-driven and service obsessed, and our team of pest control professionals will determine why bed bugs got inside your home. Sometimes, just treating the infestation is not enough if bed bugs come from neighbors who will also need to have their apartment treated.

Our technicians will also show you how you can exterminate them and protect your family and pets. Request a consultation today to discover more about our bed bug elimination process, including inspection and a bed bug preparation checklist reviewed before treatments are applied. We may also use heat treatments or conventional treatments like liquids and dusts, and we will follow up with a visit to be sure we have exterminated the infestation at every stage of the bed bug life cycle. We also offer professional K-9 bed bug inspections, organic treatments, and large-scale monitoring programs.

As one of the best bed bug control companies near you, all our technicians offer exceptional bed bug exterminating services. Contact us today, and we will show you how you can eliminate these biting insects once and for all. All our methods are highly effective and will depend on your unique situation, which we can assess after your initial home inspection. We will also re-treat your property if needed. Bed bugs, from hotel rooms to used furniture, might have invaded your home, but you do not have to put up with an infestation.