The incidence of bed bug infestations across the country has continued to soar, even in the cooler Northeast climate. A common misconception about bed bugs that contributes to their success is that they either hibernate or die off in the cooler winter months, but bed bugs are active no matter what old man winter is or isn’t doing. They generally live in the temperature controlled environments of homes and businesses where they have access to their favorite meal – human blood. They are only outside for short periods of time as they travel to find new ‘hunting grounds’ to feed on.
Bed bugs are expert travelers and can easily move from place to place undetected by hitching a ride on your pant leg, inside your luggage, or even in those shopping bags you set on the floor in the mall for just a second to redistribute the weight. You may think that you would notice if a bed bug jumped aboard while you were out running your errands, but the truth is that you probably wouldn’t unless you were specifically watching out for them.
Another common misconception about bed bugs is that they are only found in beds. This is, perhaps, one of the most dangerous misunderstandings of all. The truth is that many people often discover bed bugs in and around their beds because this is where they spend about 8 hours a day in an unconscious state allowing these bugs to freely feed with little chance of being noticed, but bed bugs actually infest many other areas of a home or business. Wall voids, electrical sockets, living room furniture, carpets, picture frames, and electronic equipment such as television, game systems, and stereos are common hiding places for bed bugs. When bed bugs infest a property, treating a bed or throwing out the mattress and purchasing a new one will not have any effect on your problem!
So what, exactly, is the best approach to get the real word out about bed bugs? Well, the National Pest Management Alliance has a solution. They have named the week of June 4-10, 2017, as “Bed Bug Awareness Week”! This next week, you are going to hear a lot about bed bugs in the hopes of dispelling the long-standing myths and bringing awareness to the increasing threat that these pests pose here in the Northeast; and Big Blue Bug Solutions wants to do our part!
Not only are we dedicating some of our blog posts to bringing you the facts about bed bugs, but we also offer expert bed bug inspections and eco-friendly elimination services to residential and commercial property owners here in the Northeast. If you live or work in our service areas of Massachusetts, Connecticut, Rhode Island, and Maine, make sure to check out our website for important information about bed bugs in our Pest ID section and our informative blog posts, or submit an online question to our nationally recognized pest expert and technical director, Tony Dejesus!
If you discover that these sneaky little pests have invaded your space, don’t panic. It truly can happen to anyone. Simply give the bed bug experts here at Big Blue Bug Solutions a call and our team will be on their way to perform an accurate pest inspection and to discreetly eliminate your bed bug problem.