Bed bugs are no match for your Broken Arrow exterminator. These insects plague us night and day. They hide in our beds and bite us in the middle of the night when we can’t do anything to defend ourselves. These bugs are blood feeders, and consume our blood, and hide when we’re not looking. It’s very important that you protect yourself and your loved ones from these insects as you sleep. So in this article, let us take a good hard look at bed bugs, their life cycle and what you and your Broken Arrow exterminator can do to stop them from being a pest in your home.
BED BUG LIFECYCLE IN BROKEN ARROW EXTERMINATOR
Bed bugs develop using an incomplete metamorphosis. This means that they start as an egg. This small whitish yellow egg is shaped much like a small piece of rice. Once that small piece of rice hatches, a nymph will emerge. This nymph is simply a smaller version of the adult bed bug. Initially, the nymph will be a translucent color and about the size of a head of a pin. The first thing that this nymph has got to do is to find a human that they can bite. These insects survive and develop only on human blood so it’s necessary to find a human and feed on them. Once they do, their insides will be stained the orangish brown color that’s so prevalent with bed bugs.
As the nymph grows, it will eventually outgrow it’s exoskeleton. In this case, it will need to molt. This is the process by which it sheds its exoskeleton much like a snake sheds its skin. Before it can do this, it’s going to need a lot of energy to go through the process. So it will feed upon a human just before it goes into the molting process. The nymph will molt five times before it becomes a full grown adult. Each time that it molts it will go through a phase known as an instar. The first instar, second instar, third instar, and so on will denote at what stage of development this insect is. Contact your professional Broken Arrow exterminator for help with bed bugs.
BED BUG REPRODUCTION AND BROKEN ARROW EXTERMINATOR
Once the bed bug reaches full reproductive adulthood, it will seek out to mate in order to reproduce itself. Males and females will pair up, and then mate in a process known as traumatic insemination. The female does not have an opening in her exoskeleton for sexual contact, so the male will make one. He will attempt to break open the exoskeleton in order to insert his reproductive material inside. There’s a black dot on the back of the females that gives them a sort of bull’s-eye to aim for. This is one way you can tell a male from a female.
Once the process of reproduction has occurred, the female will be ready to lay her eggs. Sometimes in extra heavy populations, the females will be overrun by males attempting to break through their exoskeleton. Obviously, this is a dangerous situation for females so they will flee usually up the walls. So if you’re seeing fleeing bed bugs on your walls, it’s usually a sign that you have a very heavy infestation. The female, now pregnant, will seek another blood meal in order to have the energy to lay her eggs. When she does this, she will find a hidden spot often between the mattress seams. Here she will lay her eggs and start the reproductive process all over again. Your Broken Arrow exterminator can help you with bed bugs if you’re having issues.
BED BUG SIGNS AND BROKEN ARROW EXTERMINATOR
If you’re concerned that you may have bed bugs in your home, then it’s important that you know what the signs are for these insects. Again these are blood feeders, so often you will see small, red dots on the mattress or sheets where these insects have drawn blood from a person. In addition to this, you can often see the small black dots where these insects have defecated after they’ve eaten.
Red and black dots all over your mattress seams and sheets is a dead giveaway that you’re having a problem with bed bugs. You can also find these bed bugs, their exoskeletons and their eggs. In most cases, all three of these will be found in the same place. The mattress seams are a great place for these insects. In many cases you’ll see the black and red dots in the same areas. If you pull back that seem and look between often, this is where you’ll find these insects and their eggs congregating.
BED BUG ID
An adult bed bug is about the size and shape of an apple seed and about the color of an orangish brown. These insects are relatively flat, but will be somewhat fat when they’re engorged and full of blood. You also can denote if you are having a bed bug issue if you’re experiencing bites in the middle of the night. Some people will feel this very extensively while others won’t even notice. Looking simply at your skin and trying to identify a bite is unfortunately not very conclusive. Everyone responds a little differently to the bed bug bite. Some people get a small mosquito bite like bump and it’s itchy. Some people will get large rashes. And some people don’t notice at all. Whatever the case may be, these other signs are much more conclusive for a bed bug diagnosis.
If you have an issue with bed bugs, or any other pests, then its time to contact your Broken Arrow exterminator. Here at TermMax pest control, we are the best in the business when it comes to dealing with bed bugs or any other insects. We service a greater Tulsa area, including Turley, Jenks, Bixby, Owasso, Sand Springs, Prattville, Sapulpa, Coweta, Catoosa, Claremore, Broken Arrow, and so much more. Call today for free estimate. We’re here to help!