HOW TO AVOID BED BUGS THIS THANKSGIVING
What will you have in your home this Thanksgiving? Is there going to be turkey? Are you sure to have something made with cranberries? Will there be friends and family? These are all great things to have in our homes for Thanksgiving. But no Thanksgiving and no home is better with bed bugs.
In order to understand the threat bed bugs pose around Thanksgiving and other holidays, we must look closely at how bed bugs spread. It is a process called passive dispersal. Active bugs live in the woods, crawl into your yard, and exploit holes in your exterior walls. They do all of this without assistance from any other creatures. Passive bugs need help going from one location of infestation to the next. While it is possible for an infestation of bed bugs to actively spread from apartment to apartment or room to room in a large building, they spread from structure to structure passively.
Here are two ways bed bugs spread:
- Female bed bugs lay eggs on items in an infested home and those items are carried to another home.
- A bed bug crawls into an item in an infested home and is transported to another home. Usually, this will be immature nymphs, which are very small.
How Does This Help Us Stop Bed Bugs?
Understanding that humans can carry bed bugs into your home is the first step. The next step is knowing what to look for, and where.
Bed bug eggs are tiny, white, and usually 1 mm in size. They can be by themselves or in batches. These will usually be tucked away in seams, creases, pockets, and other hiding places. They may also be stuck to fabrics. If you see tiny white eggs, it could alert you to a problem.
Immature bed bug nymphs range from 1 mm – 4 mm, are pale in color, and may appear red and bloated if they have had a blood meal. If you see a pale or tan bug with six legs feeding on your skin, it is a good idea to capture it and get a proper identification. It is probably a bed bug.
If you need a second opinion on a bug you’ve captured, or you need bed bugs eliminated, reach out to us. We can’t prevent bed bugs from hitchhiking into your home, but we know exactly what is needed to get rid of them if they do.
Call Viking at 800-618-2847 to learn more about our bed bug control and extermination services, or get a fast, free quote online today!
