Bed bugs are a pest that you and your Broken Arrow pest control company can handle. These insects are blood feeders that lie and wait in our beds and mattresses. They seek to feed on our blood when we are most vulnerable. At night when we sleep, we have no defense against these terrible parasites. Keeping them away from your self and your love ones is imperative in protecting yourself against these insects. So in this article, let us take a good hard look at bed bugs, their life cycle and what are you and your Broken Arrow pest control company can do to protect yourself from these bloodsucking insects.
BED BUG HISTORY AND BROKEN ARROW PEST CONTROL
Bed bugs have been around us for the entirety of human history. We have writings by the Romans that mentioned bed bugs. We have potions they contain bed bugs in their recipes coming from the middle ages. Scientists have found Egyptian hieroglyphics that speak of bed bugs, that have plagued the Egyptian‘s. There are even cave paintings that describe these insects in detail.
Many entomologists, believe that the beginnings of these bugs started when we were caveman. Bat bugs are an insect that look almost exactly like the bed bug. In fact, it takes an etymologist to tell the difference between the two insects. These bat bugs are blood feeders that feed upon the blood of bats. It was believed that as we slept in caves, these insects were feasting on the bats that were roosting above us. A batch of them began to crawl down the side of the walls and started feeding on humans. These insects became the next bed bugs.
As time went on, we sought to protect ourselves from these insects. In the 1940s a new miracle pesticide came on the scene. DDT could stop just about anything. And the bed bug was no exception. People would dowse their mattresses, sheets and pillows with this wonderful chemical. And it worked effectively. It killed off so many bed bugs that those insects almost went completely instinct. The problem was that scientist figured out that DDT actually caused cancer. This carcinogen was immediately taken off the shelves and no longer use for pest control. Ever since then, bed bugs have been making their come back year after year. Contact your Broken Arrow pest control company for help with bed bugs.
BED BUG LIFE CYCLE AND BROKEN ARROW PEST CONTROL
These insects use an incomplete metamorphosis to develop from the egg to a full grown adult. This means that once this egg hatches, a nymph will emerge. A nymph is a smaller version of the adult bed bug. In the case of the bed bug, The nymph will be about the size of a head of a pin and translucent in color. It will remain this translucent color until it gets its first blood meal. Once it completes this, it will stain its insides, giving it the typical orangish brown look. From here on, it will continue to feed until it gets to the point where it needs to molt.
Molting is the process by which it will remove its exoskeleton in leu of a new fresh exoskeleton that can grow further with it. The bed bug will need to take a blood meal before it molts, because the process requires a lot of energy to be able to go through this molt. It will molt five times in its life before the bed bug becomes a full grown reproductive adult. The adult is about the size and shape of an apple seed. The adult bed bug will continue to feed and grow until it gets to this stage. Contact your Broken Arrow pest control company for help with bed bugs.
BED BUG REPRODUCTION AND BROKEN ARROW PEST CONTROL
Bed bugs reproduce using a process known as traumatic insemination. The female has no opening in her exoskeleton for sexual contact. This means that the male must break a hole in the exoskeleton in order to apply his reproductive material. There’s a dot on the back of the female bed bug that gives him a spot to aim for. This is one way that you can tell the difference between a male and female bed bug. Once he’s done this, the female will be ready to lay her eggs. She’ll go get a blood meal in order to build the energy to do this. Then she will find a suitable crack or crevice where she can lay these small eggs. In many cases each you will find these eggs in the seams of your mattress or couches.
Often you can see not only the small, whitish yellow eggs that are about the size and shape of a small piece of rice in these cracks and crevices, but you can also find old exoskeletons and live insects there. This is where they hide out because they feel safest when they’re covered both underneath and above by a mattress seam.
HIDING PLACES
They can find other places to stay such as inside the holes in a bed frame, or a crack in a wall, but they prefer to be as close to their food as they possibly can. If you see these bed bugs here then you know that you have an issue with bed bugs. Also, you can see the red and black dots that are left behind when they feed and defecate. These dots will be on the mattress or the sheets and can be identified by your local Broken Arrow pest control company.
If you’re having an issue with bed bugs, or any other pests, then it’s time to call your Broken Arrow pest control company. 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 the greater Tulsa area, including Broken Arrow, Sand Springs, Sapulpa, Prattville, Claremore, Coweta, Catoosa, Owasso, Turley, Jenks, Bixby, and so much more. Call today for a free estimate. We’re here to help!