Protect your home from Bed Bugs!
Since 1998 bedbugs have become a major problem in major cities across America. They began to spreading fast to less populated areas. Travel, relocation, immigration, used furniture, and moving van/trailers are some of the ways the bugs are spreading. It is important when buying a home to inspect the moving van and any blankets (especially the blankets that come with a moving van), bedding and furniture before bringing them into your new home. Used furniture can be a great deal but may end up costing you more in trying to remove an infestation. If you have bed bugs call a professional pest control company immediately. The Sun City Insider recommends Rudy’s Termite and Pest Control as our top choice for Pest Control in the Coachella Valley.
Rental Agreements and Bed Bugs
Renting your house is one of the top reasons a bed bug infestation can start in your home. Did you know that you can add a bed bug clause (Addendum) to your rental agreement?
Bed Bug Addendum includes all of the expectations of the landlord and the tenant. It clearly identifies what the landlord must do regarding pest control as well as the tenants responsibilities. This may be an option for landlord protection.
Be sure to take all the proper precautions before renting your home to ensure these nasty creatures will not infest your rental. Call professionals to prepare your rental home before an infestation happens!
Take this brief BED BUG QUIZ
- What is the primary reason the problem of bedbugs is increasing at an alarming rate in the Coachella Valley?
- _____ People are keeping their homes dirtier and more unclean.
- _____ The increasing temperatures and hot weather
- _____ The increase of travelers, visitors and guests to the valley
- Homes, hotels and buildings in lower-income areas are more susceptible to bedbug invasions?
- _____ TRUE
- _____ FALSE
- _____ NOT SURE
- Once located, bedbugs are fairly easy to get rid of.
- _____ TRUE
- _____ FALSE
- _____ NOT SURE
The answers are C, False and False. The common misconception about bedbugs is an invasion has to do with lack of cleanliness as would be the case of roaches. But bedbugs can be found in the most elite of homes and hotels. The reason is simple. Incoming guests are the primary reason that bedbugs can infest your home and inflict a painful experience for you and/or your family. There are PREVENTATIVE MEASURES that should be taken, especially if you are one who rents out a room or your home to guests.
Here’s a little background information about these UNWANTED GUESTS.
What do Bed Look Like?
The adult bedbug is about 3/16 inch long and ovate; coloration is a rusty-red.
The Bedbug is flat and thin when unfed but becomes more elongated, pump, and red when engorged with blood. The bedbugs cannot fly as its wings are reduced to short wing pads.
Biology of Bed Bugs
The female bedbug lays one to five eggs per day and 200 to 500 within her lifetime. She uses a clear substance to attach them in cracks and on rough surfaces. Eggs will hatch in about seven days.
Development time from eggs to adult is as little as 21 days. Adult can live for 13 months and they can survive a year without feeding when they are adults. Bedbugs usually have one host and when there are multiple host that means the bedbugs are over populated. Bedbugs carry a numbing agent and use it before they poke you to draw blood for feeding.
Habits of Bed Bugs
Bedbugs hides in cracks and crevices during the day, preferring to rest on wood and paper surfaces instead of stone and plaster.
It leaves these harborage areas at night to feed on its host which may include humans, birds, hogs and family pets. The blood meal requires three to 10 minutes and usually goes unnoticed by the victim.
After feeding, the bite site may become inflamed and, in sensitive individuals, itch severely. Although the bedbug has not been associated with more than 25 diseases, transmission has not been proven. These areas have a characteristic “stink bug” smell caused by secretion emitted by the bedbug. Female bedbugs often are found away from the bed like high up on the walls and on window or drapes. This is natural for the female bedbugs after mating with the males. When bedbugs become over-populated, they will began to seek places to harborage like nearby dressers and desks that are close by.
Controlling Bed Bugs
Bedbugs are extremely difficult to manage. Some of the reasons for this are 1] they have a high reproductive potential; 2] they seek out harborage in unusual places beyond the bed – e.g. such as behind picture, frames, baseboards, switch plates, etc.
Clutter removal is one of the most effective actions in bedbug control because it assists the homeowner’s awareness. Removal of some of the harborage areas helps make bedbug mitigation more effective. Because of cross-resistance and heavy applications of pesticides over the past 15 years, the effectiveness of pesticides varies and efficacy must be evaluated on a case-by-case basis. Keep in mind that all products aren’t labeled for bedding and furniture application. Call the experts at Rudy’s Pest Control and let them handle your UNWELCOME GUESTS.
Rudy’s Termite & Pest Control
