Signs You May Have A Bed Bug Infestation In Your Lake Worth Home

Have you noticed how many signs are on Lake Worth roadways? As you travel down the highway, you see speed limit indicators, mile markers, and many other road alerts. If you glance to the side as you drive down the road, you'll see billboards filled with advertisements and local signs in the yards along the freeway. Signs are everywhere! 

What is the purpose of signs? Road signs alert us to conditions, oncoming traffic, etc., and billboards exist to give information about upcoming local events or a product. The size and shape of signs may vary, but they all do one thing; convey information. 

Bed bugs may not be sophisticated enough to create billboards or metal signs, but they leave signs when they are in your home. In this article, we will highlight bed bug indications in your home, give you some action steps to prevent a future infestation, and save you the hassle and frustration of attempting to remove them without professional help.

If you take the information in this article and investigate your Lake Worth home and see bed bug signs, you need pest control in Lake Worth from Above and Beyond Pest Control. Our family-owned and operated company has removed bed bugs from Lake Worth homes before the twenty-first century began. Our commitment to providing customers with a pest-free environment, combined with decades of experience, has made us a pest control industry leader. 

How Do I Know If I Have A Bed Bug Infestation?

Bed bugs are minuscule insects that hide in cracks and crevices during the day and emerge at night while you are sleeping to feed. Even though these elusive creatures are active at night, that does not mean there are no early signs of bed bugs. However, you need to know where to investigate bed bug indicators to stop an infestation before it becomes overwhelming. 

Begin your inspection by searching for these bed bug signs:

• Stains
• Bed bugs
• Bites
• Odor
• Eggs
• Eggshells
• Body parts

Before we explain this list, we need to show you where to search for these signs. Look for these indicators in mattress seams, box springs, bed linens, behind headboards, picture frames, electrical outlets, upholstered furniture, cracks between baseboards and the walls, and wood floor crevices. Let's explain the list in detail now that we know where to investigate. The list above is in order of visibility, so we will begin by discussing signs you can readily observe.

Search for reddish-brown stains. These blemishes are from fecal matter deposited by the bugs as they feed. The spots may also be from dead bed bugs squished by the host when she rolled over on them as they ate. Cockroaches, rodents, and other pests spread disease through feces, but bed bugs do not spread disease. 

Adult bed bugs have a 1/4-inch body, but their appearance varies slightly depending on whether or not they have recently enjoyed a blood meal from a host. Engorged bed bugs are reddish brown and elongated bodies, but the bodies of unfed bed bugs are mahogany and flat. Although you can observe adult bed bugs, maturing offspring (nymphs) are colorless and, depending upon the growth stage, are almost invisible without a magnifying glass. 

The appearance of small, red bumps on your arms and legs are early bed bug indications. Once you notice the bites, the bed bugs have been infesting your home for a few days because they inject an anesthetic to numb the area; you typically won't feel it when they bite you. The bites can be anywhere on your body, but they are often in a cluster or line in exposed areas. 

Bed bugs have a gland that produces a musty odor. You will not notice the smell when the population is small, but you will sense the unpleasant aroma when the bed bug infestation grows.

Bed bugs produce cream-colored eggs, which are invisible to the naked eye. When nymphs emerge, they leave the eggshells behind. Bed bugs are insects, and one characteristic of insects is that their skeleton is on the outside of the body. Thus, for them to grow, they must shed their shell, known as an exoskeleton. Bed bugs progress through five growth stages (instars) before becoming adults; at each instar, they shed their exoskeleton. Initial exoskeletons require magnification, but you can see the shells discarded at the final growth stage.

If you see bed bug signs, you need bed bug control in Lake Worth from Above and Beyond Pest Control. We will stop the infestation before it overtakes your house.

Does Bed Bugs In My Home Mean It's Dirty?

No, the presence of bed bugs in your house has nothing to do with your housekeeping abilities. Rats, mice, ants, and cockroaches often enter homes from the yard due to open garbage cans, crumbs on the floor, and debris in the house. However, bed bugs do not enter homes searching for sweets and protein-rich food. 

Bed bugs are hitchhikers, and public spaces are their transportation hub. These insects catch rides into homes on clothing, shoes, bags, suitcases, used furniture, and appliances. Bed bugs attach themselves to the things you carry along as you enjoy a night in a hotel or motel, appreciate a movie in the local theater, or on a public bus, cab, or subway car. Bed bugs also enter homes through used furniture purchased from a bed bug-infested home or office. 

Bed bugs in your Lake Worth house are not present because it is dirty. Their presence means they attached themselves to someone in the house while in a public place. You may never know the bed bug source, but you can stop them by using the best pest control for bed bugs near you from Above and Beyond Pest Control. 

Why DIY Bed Bug Control Is A Waste Of Time And Money

Upon discovering bed bugs in the house, our instinct is to purchase a product from a nearby hardware store and spray the house to eliminate the bugs. Although you may try this method and experience a reprieve, you will quickly realize it does not remove bed bugs. 

Bed bugs are incredibly resilient. Over the last one hundred years, bed bugs have developed a resistance to many chemical treatments, so what used to be effective no longer works. Also, bed bugs can sense some consumer-grade treatment products and avoid the sprayed area. Another issue with DIY methods is the quick reproduction rate. 

When a fertilized female bed bug feeds, she can produce one to five eggs daily for several days. Nymphs emerge from the eggs within three weeks and grow through the five instar stages feeding on the host as they progress to adulthood. Under favorable conditions, a bed bug advances from egg to reproducing adult in about 37 days. It is frightening that the bed bug population doubles every 16 days inside Lake Worth homes.

Above and Beyond Pest Control provides bed bug pest control near you, so you don't have to waste money on ineffective store-bought treatments. Avoid frustration and anxiety; partner with us to stop the bed bugs in your Lake Worth house.

How Do I Get Rid Of Bed Bugs In My Home?

If you see signs of bed bugs in your Lake Worth home, you can do the following to reduce the infestation:

• Vacuum the house
• Suction corners and cracks
• Remove clothing piles
• Eliminate debris in sleeping areas

These methods will not eliminate bed bugs, but they will help until you can schedule a service technician from Above and Beyond Pest Control. 

The best way to get rid of bed bugs is to use Above and Beyond Pest Control. When you schedule an inspection, a friendly, highly-trained service technician will inspect your Lake Worth house for bed bugs signs. To avoid wasting your time, we will begin our investigation by focusing on known bed bug hot spots looking for the bugs, stains, discarded exoskeletons, eggs, and other indicators. 

If we determine bed bugs are causing the bites, we will discuss the treatment, answer your questions and quote a reasonable, custom bed bug control price for your home. We will schedule the first treatment as soon as possible and provide you with a preparation checklist. Ten to 14 days later, we will return to apply the second liquid treatment to the entire home. 

One advantage of using Above and Beyond Pest Control for your local pest control for bed bugs is our use of Integrated Pest Management (IPM) bed bug removal techniques. The IPM method ensures the minimal application of effective products to protect the environment, family, and pet members. This method also focuses on the future prevention of bed bugs in your house. 

Once our service technicians eliminate bed bugs from your house, use the prevention methods listed above and other methods provided to you by the service technician to prevent a future infestation in your Lake Worth home. Contact us today and speak with our knowledgeable staff about your concern and let us partner with you so you can once again enjoy a good night of rest in your home.