Why Do I Have Bed Bugs In My Kittitas County Home And How Do I Get Them Out?

They lurk in dark spaces, they come out at night while you're sleeping, and they leave multiple bites on your skin. How do you deal with these irritating pests when they invade your Kittitas County home? Do you start searching for the best pest control for bed bugs near you? You can. In fact, we can help you with that. But we can also help you learn about these pests so you can prevent infestations, detect them quickly, and take fast action to address a bed bug problem and avoid the cost of professional treatment. Join us as we show you how to check for bed bugs in your home, how bed bugs spread, what to do about bed bug bites, and what works best to get rid of these creepy pests. If you want to skip ahead to where you no longer have bed bugs lurking in your home, give us a call. We provide the best solutions for pest control in Kittitas County.

How Can I Be Sure Its Bed Bugs In My Home?

Bed bugs leave lots of tiny bumps and a rash on the skin. Early bites are slight and may only look like a rash—not insect bites. Some early bite wounds may not even look like a rash. The rash develops due to an allergic reaction, and your body may not have a pronounced reaction at first. If you do see bites on your skin, here are a few factors to consider:

One bed bug bites three times if it can. The bug will bite, move forward, bite again, and move forward one last time to bite.
Five bugs will likely leave fifteen wounds. It doesn't take many bed bugs to leave numerous bites. When several bugs bite you, the wounds will look like they create a path on your skin.
Bed bugs prefer to bite skin that is exposed during the night, and they usually bite the upper body because they're attracted to the breath you exhale.

Bites are a helpful way to detect bed bugs in Kittitas County, but finding bites (or continuing to find bites) is not the best way to detect them. It is also not the way to know for sure that you have bed bugs. There are many insects that can bite you while you sleep.

Here are a few ways to find Kittitas County bed bugs in your home so you can know for sure that you have an infestation:

• Look for black fecal spotting on your pillowcases or on the sheets of your bed.
• Look for black feces in the creases of your mattress or box spring.
• Look for brown, dried blood stains.
• Look for the skins shed by bed bug nymphs. These are small and tan.
• Look for tiny white eggs.
• Use your nose to check for an unpleasant scent.
• Use a flashlight and a probing tool to check for bed bug feces, dried blood, shed skins, and eggs in every tight space of your bed and furniture.
• When checking beds and furniture, look under labels, around grommets, inside pockets, and in the tight spaces between mattresses, box springs, and cushions.
• Check underneath the feet of your bed and other furniture.
• Inspect gaps and cracks in wood furniture.
• Check for black streaks on baseboards, crown molding, and outlet covers.
• Inspect carpet edges as you did the seams of your mattress.
• Inspect bookbags, luggage, duffel bags, and other items used on vacations and sleepovers.
• Inspect laundry items for black streaks.  

Bed bugs are experts at hiding from view. You'll need to check carefully to find them inside your home. When you find evidence that they've gotten into your walls, or that they are in more than one location, contact us for a bed bug inspection. These pests are incredibly hard to control once they leave the first area they find a food source. We'll help you determine where those pests are lurking and provide treatment options to quickly address your bed bug problem.

Is It Dangerous To Have Bed Bugs In My House?

The bed bugs in your Kittitas County home will bite you and can leave numerous wounds on your skin. How bad are these wounds? Should it concern you? It is important to evaluate the issue appropriately.

Bed bug bites are not necessarily dangerous. While researchers have proven that bed bugs are able to spread diseases to humans, there are currently no real-world cases of disease transfer.

Insect bites are often itchy. You'll itch for the same reason you have a rash and raised bumps, it is your body reacting to the saliva of the insect. Bed bug saliva has certain proteins that cause your body to produce histamine. If you have an insect allergy, a dangerous reaction is possible. For most people, the result is just an irritating itch.

Scratching itchy wounds can lead to another small problem. Bites can get infected. An infected wound is only a minor problem for most people.

The last point to consider is that bed bug bites can cause anemia. It isn't good to allow insects to feed on your blood over and over. We strongly recommend contacting a local Kittitas County bed bug control professional when an infestation persists.

Why Do I Have Bed Bugs In My Home?

Bed bugs spread passively. They don't decide to live in your home. That means there is nothing about your home that will attract them. It is a common misconception that bed bugs only live in dirty homes. While they can certainly hide more easily in a cluttered space, they are not attracted to decay. They go where food (blood) is found. Here is a step-by-step description of how bed bugs spread.

Step 1: The egg hatches, and the bed bug nymph emerges. The nymph prefers dark or dim spaces and hides in tight cracks. It will hide in a bed, couch, chair, electronic device, bookbag, or structural voids. If a bed bug hides in a location that is movable, it can move with the object, such as when a used bed, couch, or computer is sold.

Step 2: The bed bug will come out of hiding in search of a food source. It will do this over and over in the same location, or it will do it in a new location when it emerges from an object that has been moved. The bed bug is drawn to carbon dioxide and the warm skin of a human. It will not prefer to bite dogs and cats because it can't easily move through fur or hair. When it finds someone to bite, it will want to stay near the person for reliable food.

Step 3: The bed bug will create more bed bugs as it mates. As the population grows, some of the bed bugs will search for new sources of food (other people in the home). When they search, they may enter wall voids and move between one apartment and another, or one room of a home to another. Therefore, the spread of bed bugs is local. They don't go from house to house unless they are carried.

At the heart of a bed bug problem is understanding how they spread, so you can prevent them from continuing to invade your home. If you've bought something used, you could have gotten bed bugs that way. If you live in an apartment, they may have come through the walls. What you can know for sure is that they did not come from the outside. These are indoor insects. They don't want to live outside because the creatures out there are far too furry and hairy for them to feed upon.

What's The Best Way To Get Rid Of Bed Bugs In My House?

When it comes to addressing bed bug infestations, we always suggest natural pest control for bed bugs. Many products used by Kittitas County residents in an attempt to get rid of bed bugs are far more harmful than these insects

Here are a few DIY bed bug control techniques for your home:

• Consider how they may have gotten in and take steps to prevent more bed bugs from invading your home.
• Inspect bags first, as they're likely the vehicle bed bugs used to enter your home.
• Check beds, couches, and chairs second.
• Inspect tight spaces and gaps.
• Keep a vacuum handy and suck up any bed bugs or eggs you find.
• If you have bed bugs hiding in an item that can go into your dryer, put it in your dryer for thirty minutes.

Fast detection and a quick response can stop bed bugs quickly. There are also preventative steps you can take to prevent a bed bug infestation. When you can't find bed bugs and continue to get bites, it is best to contact a licensed pest control professional. If you're in Kittitas County, Washington, Prosite can help you sort things out. Our friendly, knowledgeable, and experienced technicians deal with bed bugs all the time. We use trusted materials and strategies to get results. 

Contact us today for assistance and to learn more about our residential and commercial pest control services in Kittitas County.