Pest Spotlight: What To Do About Bed Bugs In Tampa?
October 10, 2022 - Bed Bugs
If there is one place in your house you want to feel secure and comfortable, it is your bed. No one wants to go to bed with the fear that they will be dinner for a pest while they sleep, but that is what happens when you have bed bugs! If you wake up and see red bites on your body that were not there before, you probably have bed bugs.
The Tampa pest control team from EcoSmart Pest Solutions is the answer to your bed bug problem. We have over 25 years of experience in the pest industry; we know how to eliminate bed bugs from Tampa homes.
The Lifecycle Of The Tampa Bed Bug
A bed bug infestation begins after a fertilized female bed bug enjoys a blood meal from her host. Over the next ten days, she will produce five to twenty eggs. Of those eggs, over 97% will hatch over the next nine days, and nymphs will emerge.
The skeleton of mammals is the collection of bones (skeleton) located inside their bodies. Bed bugs, like all insects, have their bones outside their body (exoskeleton). For bed bugs to grow, they must shed (molt) their exoskeleton. Over the next 37 days, a nymph molts five times before adulthood. Since an adult bed bug lives anywhere from 99 days to one year, and a female bed bug releases up to 113 eggs throughout her one-year lifetime, an infestation can happen in a short time.
Signs You May Have A Severe Infestation
Although adult bed bugs are visible to the naked eye, you may not see them because they are active while you sleep and hide while you are awake. Despite being in incognito mode during the day, you can see signs of bed bugs on mattresses, box springs, headboards, behind baseboards, picture frames, and upholstery. Because bed bugs hide in spaces no wider than a credit card, check all cracks and crevices in the area of suspected infestation.
Early signs of bed bugs include reddish-brown fecal stains in mattress seams, behind mattress buttons, or on the sheets. Other indications of infestation are cream-colored eggshells or eggs in baseboard cracks, crevices in picture frames, inside electrical outlets, or behind wallpaper. Of course, seeing mahogany or red-brown adult bed bugs indicates their presence.
Six Simple Tips For Bed Bug Prevention
Although there has been a resurgence of bed bugs, that does not mean you have to experience them in your Tampa home! These six tips for bed bug control will help prevent bed bugs from infesting your home:
- Inspect clothing and items when returning from public places or after traveling on public transportation.
- Examine used furniture before bringing it into the house.
- Vacuum the house regularly and use a wand attachment to suction out crevices.
- Remove clutter like old magazines, cardboard boxes, and piles of clothing.
- Check cardboard boxes and storage containers for bed bugs from public storage areas.
Regularly wash sheets, blankets, pillowcases, and bed skirts and dry them on the highest heat for at least 30 minutes. If bed bugs have been a problem, seal mattresses and box springs with dust mite control covers; seal zippers with duct tape. Implementing these bed bug control techniques for your home will enable you to sleep comfortably in your bed.
Professional Bed Bug Removal For Tampa Homes
According to a survey by the National Pest Management Association, pest control professionals stated that successful bed bug extermination is challenging. EcoSmart Pest Solutions knows what it takes to eliminate bed bugs from your Tampa home. Our trained technicians will thoroughly inspect your home, looking for signs of bed bugs and identifying hot spots. Once we have isolated the problem, we will treat the area to kill existing bed bugs and their eggs. Contact us today and request your estimate.
