A lack of sleep is a huge problem for most Americans. There are many factors that play into this this issue. Stress can cause a problem, our diets can be an issue, and many other reasons play into our insomnia. The one reason that we will get into in this article is pests. Bedbugs are a pest that attack us in the night while we sleep. These insects feed off our blood and will attack us when we are most vulnerable. They will follow our sleep patterns, and find us resting in couches and chairs. They are not prejudice about who they bite. They’ll buy the young and the old, regardless of race, creed or any other factor that we put weight in. It’s important that if you find yourself with a bedbug issue that you get it taken care of quickly. These insects can rob you of precious hours of sleep and therefore your health and well-being.
THE ORIGINS OF BEDBUGS
Bed bugs are a parasitic arthropod derived from another insect known as a bat bug. Bat bugs, as the name implies, feed off the blood of bats. It is suspected that thousands of years ago, when we were still living in caves, the bat bug attacking bats in the cave, crawled down the walls and found a taste for human blood. These were probably the ancestors of the first bedbugs. From then on, we see them all the way throughout history, from the Egyptians and the pyramids, to the Romans and even into the middle ages. Many different solutions were suggested, mostly superstitious in nature. The superstitions had no scientific backing, but today we do have science to help us. Science backs your Tulsa pest control company, TermMax Pest Control.
THEIR BITE
The bedbug feeds off human blood and human blood alone. It can survive off of the blood of other mammals such as dogs, cats, or squirrels, but in order to thrive and move through its lifecycle it must feed off of the blood of humans. That means that most bedbugs are found close to where they can feed. You will find bedbugs mostly in your bed and in other places where you rest, such as your couches or recliners. They are mostly nocturnal because that’s when they can feed. They hide in the seams of mattresses and the insides of couches and wait until we are resting to come out and bite. These bites often happen in threes and are in a straight line. This is because the bedbug will bite, crawl a little further, bite again, and crawl little further and the third time finishing off its feeding cycle. Your Broken Arrow exterminator will have more information.
A bedbug must bite every time it moves to the next place in its life cycle. Bedbugs begin as an egg. They hatch as nymphs, which are smaller versions of the adult bedbug. These nymphs will grow in size until they become full blown adults. As the nymph grows, it will outgrow its exoskeleton from time to time. Each time that it outgrows its exoskeleton, it will molt, or remove that exoskeleton and replace it with a new exoskeleton that fits better. A bedbug nymph will do this five times in its life cycle before it becomes a full grown, reproductive adult. Once it matures into an adult, males and females will mate. This is done in the process known as traumatic insemination. The females do not have a reproductive opening so the males will break through the exoskeleton of the females to complete the process. Once the female has been fertilize shed will lay eggs in the process will begin again.
HOW THEY INFEST
Bedbugs do not have any issues with inbreeding and can reproduce with as few as two bedbugs. It’s because of this the infestations are so widespread. If you’re dealing with a bedbug issue, it’s important that you get rid of every single bedbug in your home. Again one fertilized female can reignite a huge infestation. Bedbugs are difficult to control. There are many over-the-counter so-called bedbug solutions. Most of these over-the-counter solutions are ineffective at best. Bedbugs are very good at building up an immunity to different pesticides. They have build up this immunity against many pesticides that have been used against them over the years. Most over-the-counter pesticides are still using the same chemicals the bedbugs have beaten years ago. Because of this, at home treatments are ineffective. It’s also important to note that you must apply these pesticides to the correct locations in order to beat bedbugs. People who don’t have a full understanding of the lifecycle and habits of the bedbug can’t be successful in this area.
For this reason, it’s most important to contact your Broken Arrow pest control company for more help with bedbug elimination. A good pest control technician will not only know the habits and lifecycle of a bedbug, but they will also vary their pesticide use in order to keep from allowing pests like bedbugs to build up an immunity against these chemicals.
CONTROLING BEDBUGS
There are many things that you can do though as a homeowner. One thing that does kill bedbugs is heat. Bedbugs must be have their temperature raised above 120° in order to kill them. It’s not practical to get your home to this kind of a temperature, but your clothing and other fabric things in your home can be. The washer and dryer are great tools in the fight against bedbugs. The dryer alone will get the your clothing articles much higher than 120°. Clean clothes can be put directly into the dryer. Any dirty clothes can be washed as normal just dried on high heat. Once you’ve put all your clothing through these high temperature drying cycles, they can be put in plastic bags to be protected from further infestation by bedbugs. Also Rubbermaid containers and other such containers can be used to protect clean clothes.
In addition to this, it is very important to get in contact with your Tulsa exterminator in order to protect yourself against these bedbugs. Here at TermMax Pest Control, we’re the best in the business when it comes to dealing with bedbugs and bedbug related issues. We service the greater Tulsa area including Broken Arrow, Bixby, Jenks, Owasso, Sand Springs, Sapulpa, Pratville, Coweta, Claremore, Catoosa, Muskogee, Turley and much more. Contact us today for a free estimate. We’re here to help!
