Bed bugs can be eliminated by your local Tulsa pest control company, if you are willing to call them and get help. These bugs are a parasite that feeds off of human blood. While they can survive off the blood of an animal, these insects can’t necessarily go through their life cycle unless they are consuming our blood. Because of this, bed bugs wait in our mattresses and sheets until we fall asleep and then attack us when we’re most vulnerable. So in this article, let us take a good hard look at bed bugs, their life cycle, and what you and your Tulsa pest-control company can do to protect yourself and your loved ones from these insects.
BED BUG BITES AND TULSA PEST CONTROL
Bed bugs have a special set of mouth parts that are unique in that they are for sucking. They have a needle like syringe mouth part that they inject into our skin and draw blood out of. They never stop drawing blood from the moment they inject the mouth parts into our skin all the way to the moment they pull them back out. Because of this, often will see small, red dots on mattresses and sheets. This is where some of the blood has leaked and found its way into our bedding. Also, these insects will often defecate after they have eaten. That means you’ll see small black dots in the same place that we see the small red ones.
DISEASE TRANSMISSION
There are many insects that feed off of the blood of other animals. And many of these insects such as fleas and ticks can spread a cornucopia of terrible diseases. The good news is that bed bugs are not like this. Because they draw blood from the moment they enter your skin until the moment that they release from you, they never get the opportunity to backwash any fluids back into your system. Because of this, the likelihood of transmitting a disease by a bed bug bite is almost zero. Today no doctor or scientist has been able to document one instance in which any diseases have been transmitted to humans by a bed bug.
But even though this is true, it doesn’t alleviate the psychological stress that these insects place upon us as they’re in our beds. It’s not a comforting thought to think that you’re sleeping in a bed while there’s an insect sharing it with you, much less knowing that this insect is going to feed up on your blood. That’s why it’s important for you to contact your Tulsa pest control company for help with bed bugs.
BED BUG LIFECYCLE AND TULSA PEST CONTROL
Bed bugs develop into adults through a process known as incomplete metamorphosis. This means that the female will lay her eggs usually in the seams of the mattress. The small, whitish yellow eggs are about the size and shape of a small grain of rice. When they hatch a nymph will emerge. This is a smaller version of the adult bed bug. The nymph will immediately seek out his first meal. After hatching, the bed bug will be a clear, transparent color until it takes its first meal. Then it will take on the normal look of an orangish brown bed bug.
After a while of feeding and growing, this nymph will eventually get to the point where it needs to molt. In the process of molting, the exoskeleton that the bed bug was born in has been outgrown and needs to shed that exoskeleton for a new one. It will have to feed one more time before it does this to have the energy to go through the molting process. Bed bugs will molt 5 times before they become a full grown adult. This means that each time it molts is known as an instar. Once it gets to its fifth instar, the adult bed bug will be ready to mate. You can also find the exoskeletons found in the mattress seams as a sign that you may have a bed bug problem. Contact your Tulsa pest-control company for help with bed bugs.
BED BUG REPRODUCTION AND TULSA PEST CONTROL
Female bed bugs are somewhat unique, in the fact that they have no opening in their exoskeleton for sexual contact. Because of this, these insects use a process known as traumatic insemination in order to reproduce. There’s a dot on the back of the female that gives the male a general location where he must get to. He will attempt to break her exoskeleton in order to place his reproductive material inside of her. Once this is done, the process of mating is complete. Obviously, this is very dangerous for the female. Often in large populations, females will begin to crawl up the walls in an attempt to escape the males seeking to reproduce.
Once the female has become pregnant, she will take a blood meal before laying her eggs. This process as well costs a lot of energy and so she’ll need the energy to do it. Then she’ll find a secluded place that she feels is safe to lay her eggs. In many cases, this place is the mattress seams that we spoke about earlier. She will lay her eggs and then her job is done. These eggs will hatch again and they will fend for themselves. So if you are having issues with bed bugs then it is time to call your Tulsa pest control company for help with these insects.
If you have an issue with bed bugs or any other insects, then it is time to call your Tulsa pest-control company for help. Here at TermMax pest control, we are the best in the business when it comes to dealing with bed bugs or any other parasites. We service the greater Tulsa area, including Broken Arrow, Sand Springs, Owasso, Claremore, Catoosa, Prattville, Sapulpa, Bixby, Jenks, Turley, and so much more. Call today for a free estimate. We’re here to help!