The common bed bug are relatively small bugs that are about 3/16 inch long, 1/8 inch wide, broadly oval, flat, brown to reddish-brown true bugs with 3 segmented beak, 4 segmented antennae and vestigial wings. Prior to feeding, nymphs appear translucent or pale in color. Bed bugs have very thin, vertically flattened bodies covered with short, golden-colored hairs. They are very aggressive egg layers and in fact the female bed bug lays between 200 to 500 eggs (in groups of 10 to 50) on rough surfaces such bedding, paper, wood etc. Eggs are covered with cement, glued to objects and hatch in about 10 days.

There are five progressively larger nymph stages, each requiring a single blood meal before molting to the next stage. The entire bed bug life cycle from egg to adult takes from 5 weeks to 4 months. Adults bed bugs live up to 10 months.

Here are the facts about Bed Bugs:

Bed Bugs are flat, brown, wingless and about 1/4 inch long. They have 6 legs, shiny reddish-brown but after a good serving of your blood, they appear dark brown and swollen as in the picture below.
They can be seen with the human eye, but do a great job at hiding. Bed bugs are not known to spread diseases as of yet. They feed on human blood, preferring to do so in the dark when you're sleeping
These bugs love to hide in the seams, crevices, and holes in:

• Mattress and Box Spring

• Sofa seams

• Cracks in the bed frame and/or head board

• Under chairs, couches, beds and dust covers

• Under rugs, edges of carpets, drawers, baseboards and window casings

• Behind light switches, electrical outlet plates, cracks in plaster

• Televisions, radio clocks, phones, computers

• Backpacks, Sleeping bags, Clothes

• Behind wallpaper, picture frames, and other dark areas

Before treatment:

Before the bed bug treatment all clutter should be removed. Beds should be stripped of all bedding- placed in sealed plastic bags. You will want to remove clothes from dressers, closets etc. and place in sealed plastic bags. Empty all washable items directly into the washer. Wash in hot water and dry on high heat. Place pillows in dryer on high heat for a minimum of 20 minutes. Nightstands, dressers and nearby furniture must be empty so the inside and the undersides can be inspected and treated. Place all items not being treated in tightly sealed bags.

Vacuum the room thoroughly. Dispose of vacuum bag in tightly sealed bag. This does a great job of dislodging any bed bugs from that area.

Bed Bugs behave much like a German cockroach, hiding in cracks & crevices of all forms, although the process is a bit different from cockroach control. They are described as nocturnal feeders, but in fact will feed during the day in a darkened room. If their numbers are so high they are competing for food, they will feed anytime.

They are somewhat lazy and the bug feeds where the body meets the bed, often leaving red bite marks in a line on the person. Blood spots will also be left on the sheets as the bugs excrete excess fluids, forcefully ejecting the blood with pressure.

You may experience a distinctive musky smell associated with large populations of Bed Bugs. Be bugs are considered opportunistic travelers and have appeared to have developed the recognition of luggage, climbing into open suitcases placed on the bed or floor.

It can be difficult to control them as they are very tenacious pest. Using the proper techniques and pest control products will help you become more successful. You need to identify the pest, then locate their harborage areas, treat with appropriate products and protect your mattress and box springs from re-infestation.

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DIY Pest Control is becoming more and more accessible due to internet web sites with professional strength products at low price points. This article helps you to use this mouse fact for effective mouse control, using rat traps and snap trap along these paths.

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