Characteristics of Bed bugs

• Size: 1 – 5 mm (1/16 inches to 3/16 inches) long.
• Bed Bugs are oval shaped and reddish brown in colour.
• They feed on blood and can live up to one year on a single feeding.
• They don’t carry disease, but their bites can cause severe allergic reactions. Many people don’t react to their bites at all.
• Bed bugs are mainly nocturnal and live close to their food source – YOU!
• They are highly attracted to heat and carbon dioxide.
• A female will lay 2 – 5 eggs per day – up to 500 in her lifetime.
• A bed bug takes 4 – 5 weeks to grow from an egg to an adult.

Where can Bed bugs be found?

Don’t just throw out your mattress and hope the problem is gone. Bed bugs can be found in many other areas then just your mattress.  They live within striking distance of where you sleep which can be up to 20 feet away. They can hide in these areas in the daytime, waiting to ambush you at night:

• Bed frames
• Headboards
• Mattresses and box springs
• Under baseboards and behind window trim
• Near electrical outlets and electronics
• Dressers and night tables
• Behind picture frames

How do I know if I have Bed bugs?

The first indications of an infestation is often the appearance of itchy bites and reddish-brown stains on your bedsheets. Live bed bugs, cast skins and small white eggs (approximately 1mm long) can be found in the seams of the mattress, box spring and headboard.  More advanced infestations will expand to other bedroom furniture, curtains, picture frames, and baseboards as well as couches and chairs. If you are unsure, try to identify a pest.

What should I do if I find Bed bugs?

Consider contacting a professional exterminator if you detect Bed bugs in your home or business.  If not handled properly, the infestation can spread and become more difficult and expensive to treat.  Do not remove infested furniture from the home since they can dislodge and spread to other areas.  Do not leave the affected room vacant for long since the Bed bugs will search out a new food source.  This can result in a longer treatment process if they find their way into areas such as wall and floor voids.

Chemical free Bed bug treatments

Although newer chemical treatments are very safe and effective at remediating Bed bug infestations, they can be very labour intensive for the resident of the home.  The introduction of biological pesticides has provided good options for those concerned with conventional chemical treatments.  Biopesticides will often continue to kill bed bugs for up to 3 months which is not provided by other chemical free treatments such as expensive heat treatments.  A biopesticide application exterminates the existing population and prevents a reinfestation for up to 3 months.

Aprehend® is a biopesticide which is completely harmless to people and pets.  The active ingredient in Aprehend® is a natural fungal disease of insects called Beauveria Bassiana.  The Aprehend® treatment is very effective in exterminating Bed bugs from many different settings and often works quicker than conventional treatments.

Progressive Pest Control provides biological, chemical or hybrid treatments to remediate Bed bug infestations. We are happy to evaluate your home or business to determine which option is best for you.