There are a few characteristics that define the common bed bug. We’re all well aware of the first, and probably foremost, characteristic – they feed on human blood. But bed bugs are also notorious for being champion hitchhikers. Using their hosts to transport them to new and more rewarding environments. Finally, bed bugs are masters at the art of hiding. Barring a thorough and professional inspection people often don’t realize they have a bed bug infestation brewing until it’s too late.
Hiding in Plain Sight
Bed bugs love to settle in out of the way spaces, avoiding the attention of their hosts until it’s time to come out and feed. They hide in cracks and crevices; bed frames and wardrobes; furniture and carpeting. These blood-sucking insects are clever and resilient, and deep-cleaning every nook and cranny of your home is not enough to beat the oncoming hordes. Members of the colony will hide, biding their time until it’s safe to venture out once more.
Out of Sight – Out of Mind?
There are a number of reasons one might want to lure bed bugs out into the open. The first is to confirm the presence of bed bugs in your household. When you suspect you may be dealing with the beginnings of an infestation your exterminator will need to identify the nature of the pest and verify the scale of the invasion force. To do that they will need to examine a few samples of the bed bug invaders.
Second, and perhaps most importantly, your bed bug removal expert will need to identify the bed bug hot spots in your home. In order to successfully eliminate the problem they will need to know where to concentrate their efforts, targeting the nests to fully eradicate the infestation. Remember, if you and your exterminator miss even a few eggs or nymphs the bed bugs will eventually replenish their numbers, spreading throughout your home and harassing your family once again.
Coaxing Bed Bugs Out into the Open
If you suspect that you may be harboring bed bugs in your home, but are struggling to find concrete evidence of an invasion, there are a few things you can do to draw these pests out of hiding. Once you know where they’re hiding, you and your bed bug removal expert can take steps to treat the areas and eliminate the infestation.
- Since bed bugs typically hunt by night that’s a good time to search for their hiding places. Once you’ve targeted a hot spot you’ll nowhere to turn your exterminator’s attention.
- Co2 traps can be used to attract and trap bed bugs in enclosed areas. For example, in a bedroom you would move the furnishing away from the walls and lay the active Co2 traps around the circumference of the room.
Bed bugs are attracted to the heat and carbon dioxide emitted by the traps. They will leave their hiding spaces to investigate the source and will (hopefully) get trapped in the trap’s glue strip. Once you’ve trapped a bug or two you can consult with your exterminator to plan your full-scale attack. - Bed bugs are also attracted to the body heat of their hosts. Pest control experts have learned to use low-level heat to draw bed bugs from their hiding places so they can be exposed and tracked. Active heat traps are used to coax the bed bugs into the open. Bed bug removal experts can than determine the extent of the infestation and take appropriate steps to treat the problem.
- Plastic bed bug traps can be used to contain examples of the pests that have infested your home. These traps fit around the feet of a bed. The bed bugs crawl in and become trapped, typically in a water reservoir. Once again, collecting samples of the pests that are infesting your home helps your removal experts devise an effective plan of action in eliminating the infestation.
Multiple Tools Bring the Best Results
Luring bed bugs out of their hiding places often requires a variety of tools, used in tandem to produce the best results. The goal is to not only discover if you are dealing with a bed bug infestation, but to pinpoint the highest areas of concentration. This information will be invaluable to your bed bug removal service when they begin the treatment of your home.
Work Closely with Your Bed Bug Removal Expert
With the right tools you and your pest control experts will be able to devise a multilayered plan to eliminate bed bugs from your home. The process begins by identifying the problem and isolating the areas of greatest impact. To do that you and your exterminator will need to lure the bed bugs from out of their hiding places, tempting them out into the open, and laying the groundwork for their ultimate demise.
Published by Scott Palatnik
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