Most of us find solace in our sleep patterns. Our beds are almost sacred. For many people, sleep is the best part of the day. But there are insects that will prey upon this fact. Bedbugs are the main parasite of humans when they sleep. They hide in the folds of our bed mattress, and wait for nightfall. After we are sound asleep, they will come out and bite consuming our blood. But one giveaway is their smell. Why do bedbugs smell so bad? Like most insects, bedbugs communicate to one another using pheromones. Pheromones are hormones that transmit by smell.
Pheromones are used by bedbugs for a number of different things. There are pheromones that are used to sound an alarm to other nearby insects. This is usually done when a predator is found to be nearby. There are other pheromones that attract other bedbugs to the area. Some of these pheromones are sex pheromones used to attract the opposite sex for mating. Some of these pheromones are used to identify a food source. These pheromones are what we smell when we walk into a room infested with bedbugs.
WHAT DO BEDBUGS LOOK LIKE?
If you find yourself in a situation where you think you may have bedbugs, it’s important that you can properly identify the bugs that you are experiencing. Bedbugs are small, about the size and shape of an apple seed. They are usually a dark yellow to red color, with flat bodies. The young look much like their adult counterpart only smaller. These insects will hide often in the seams of your mattress. If you suspect a bed bug infestation, get help. Call a Tulsa exterminator today.
Besides the smell that they give off, there are other signs that you may have a bedbug infestation. Bedbug survive by hiding, so if you do have an infestation it may be hard to find the actual insect, especially in the beginning stages. If populations are low, you’ll need to find other ways of identifying. These insects are blood feeders, so you can often find red spots where they had fed on your mattress or sheets. They also will defecate and leave black or brown spots on the mattress. Often the spots are close to the seams or wherever they are hiding.
LIFECYCLE
Bedbugs start their life as an egg. They will hatch from this egg as a nymph. A nymph is a smaller version of the adult insect. This nymph will molt once it gets to a certain size. The exoskeleton of the bedbug can only grow to a certain point. It’s at this point that, to continue to grow, the bedbug must shed its exoskeleton and replace it with a new one. Bedbugs were mold five times before becoming a sexually mature adult.
Once it reached adulthood, the bedbug will mate and females will lay eggs. Bedbugs are blood feeders. That means that in order to move to each new life cycle stage, they must feed first. This is because they need the energy to move through their cycles. So bedbugs will feed each time that they molt, and the female will also feed before it lays eggs. If you are experiencing bites or have seen bed bugs in your home, call your Oklahoma Exterminator right away. They can identify your issue and take care of it quickly.
HISTORY
These insects are closely related to the bat bug. Bat bugs are parasitic insects that lives on bats, feeding and their blood. It is believed that originally when we lived in caves, the bats nesting above had these bat bugs. Some of those bat bugs came down and fed on humans, and became bedbugs. This is one theory of how they came into being. It would also explain why they seem to like dwelling in our bedding.
Bed bugs are a lasting part of our history. We have records of the Romans discussing them, books about them in the dark ages, and ships logs that mention them in it. Bedbugs were lasting problems until the 40s. It was then that DDT came on the market. This pesticide almost wiped out the entire population of bed bug. When it was discovered that DDT caused cancer it was discontinued. Since then the population of bedbugs has been increasing.
HEALTH EFFECTS OF BEDBUGS
Many people are concerned about the health effects of bedbugs. After all, these insects do inject their mouth parts into our bloodstream. There is a transfer of saliva when they bite us. But what scientists have found is that there is no connection between disease transmissions and bedbugs. Most diseases cannot germinate inside a bedbug. We have found no disease that has ever been transmitted by bedbugs.
But this does not mean that there are not negative side effects to having bedbugs in your home. The psychological weight this insect is quite heavy. After all, these insects attack us in our sleep. Sleep is one of the few times that we are completely vulnerable. It’s unnerving to think that when we are safe in our beds, these parasites can bite. Because of this, it is important to rid your home of these pests quickly. If you are having issues with bed bugs, contact your Oklahoma pest control company for help.
ELIMINATING BEDBUGS
Identifying a bed bug infestation can be a daunting task. These insects are very good hiders, and often go undetected until there are a large number of them. If you believe that you have a bed bug infestation, or the beginning of one, it’s important to get help. Contact an experienced Tulsa pest control company for help. Here at TermMax Pest Control, we can help you get a good nights rest again. We service the greater Tulsa area, including Broken Arrow, Bixby, Sand Springs, Coweta, Owasso, Jenks, Claremore, Catoosa, Sapulpa, Pratville, Turley and more. Call us today for a free estimate. We are here to help!
