Combing the internet brings a multitude of suggestions on how to deal with bed bugs. Unfortunately, most of these are from those who have attempted to eliminate bed bugs through means of trial and errors of others.
Learning what NOT TO DO when it comes to bed bugs is more important than knowing what to do.
A call came in this morning from a man that works as a pest control technician stating that he went on an estimate where the people had been “attempting” to treat for bed bugs themselves for over a year.
He did not even have to ask how long they thought they had them, as the evidence was everywhere. When he drove up to the house he saw a couch, easy chair and two mattresses leaning up against the house outside. In addition, what was disconcerting was one of the mattresses had a torn encasement on it.
As he entered the front door he noticed clutter everywhere, mounds of Diatomaceous Earth covering the furniture and pushed into every corner of the rooms like snow drifts, empty rubbing alcohol containers, Flea Bomb cans, Hot Shot and other cans of sprays, bed bugs on the walls, ceiling and literally everywhere!
Can you imagine that? These people have been the feeding ground for bed bugs for over a year. For over a year!
When trying to figure out the amount of bed bugs these people had in their home, think about the fact of the – first hatch to breeding adult – and the time it takes (approx. 21-36 days) of course with regular blood meals and temperatures promising for their growth patterns. Now think that half of them are now breeding females, which lay eggs on a regular basis (from 200 to 400 in their life). I know you probably do not know these things about the breeding times of bed bugs and their lifecycle but you should!
Therefore, after a couple of months, two bed bugs turn into hundreds. Now allow another month or so to pass and all the time the eggs that were laid in the previous month are now becoming breeding adults. They continue to receive regular blood meals (YOU) and they lay more eggs, and after several months… You get the picture
I am sure that if you put those figures into an Excel Spread Sheet you can easily figure out the exact moment they start to grow EXPONENTIALLY.
ALL OF THIS WAS AVOIDABLE
The number one and biggest mistake these people made was that they thought they could handle bed bugs on their own without education and often try processes that are used for other types of pests. After all, they are just bugs, right?
Sure, if you discover them early and know the nature and signs of the bug, where they hide and what works with them, you can be successful in eliminating them but without this information, it will prove completely fruitless, time consuming and costly.
The products and bad advice received from the Internet or friends or just your own intuition can cause what will cost triple of what it would have cost in the first place. Let us not forget about the numerous amounts of bed bugs that you and your family have now taken to work, school, or a friend’s house, causing yet another possible infestation for someone else.
MassBedBugBusters is a member of the International Bed Bug Resource Authority (IBBRA) and is committed to helping people understand the vital elements of identifying early signs of bed bugs.
In the event you or one of your family members are experiencing bites and cannot find any signs of bed bugs, give us a call and we will come in with our dogs and search to find areas of concern.
Whether or not you use our services, we are here to help you understand bed bugs but more importantly, we will teach you what not to do to avoid the spreading of bed bugs. Learning early signs helps people know they need to address them properly and immediately, or get help right away in order to stop the problem from getting out of hand. If you need help, call us at 508-713-8267.
