Sleep is one of the most important commodities that we have as people. It’s required for a healthy and full lifestyle. It makes us more alert during the day and more productive in our daily lives. But one of the pests that can steal our rest are bed bugs. These insects feed on us when we are most vulnerable. They will crawl in your bed and bite you in the middle the night while you were asleep and can do nothing about it. In this article let’s explore bed bugs, their lifecycle and what we could do to protect ourselves from them.
BED BUGS LIFECYCLE
Bed bugs develop using an incomplete life cycle. They start as an egg. These eggs are small, yellowish white and the size of a small grain of rice. When they hatch a nymph will emerge from the hatched egg. This nymph is essentially an adult but in a much smaller form. Once a nymph emerges from an egg, it will be translucent in color. It will need to feed pretty quickly, and so it will find a host and feed upon its blood immediately. This will stain in the inside of the insect giving at the orangish red color that we are used to. Call your Broken Arrow pest control company for more information.
After eating, it will start to grow. After a period of time, it will outgrow its exoskeleton. In order to grow beyond this point, it will need to shed that exoskeleton to continue growing into a larger size. This process is called molting. Much like a snake sheds its skin, the insect will lose its exoskeleton for a much newer and more supple exoskeleton. It will do this five times in its lifecycle. Each time that it molts, the nymph will need to take a blood meal in order to have the energy to molt. Once it finishes its fifth molt, it will be a full grown reproductive adult. At this point it’s about the size of an appleseed.
BED BUGS MATING
Now the insect will pair up in an attempt to mate. The male will seek out a female and use a process known as traumatic insemination to impregnate the female. The female has no openings in her exoskeleton, so the male must break through the exoskeleton in order to inject his reproductive material into the female. There is a dot on the female that the males use to try to target, but they are not always successful. Once this happens, the female will take a blood meal and then lay her eggs. She will lay them often in the seams of mattresses and other hidden crack and crevice places and leave them to hatch and continue the process. Neither the females nor the males will take care of their young.
SIGNS OF BED BUGS INFESTATION
If you think you may have an infestation of these insects, the first place to look is in the mattress seems. They will often gravitate towards these places and an effort to hide between the seams. Feeling the pressure of the seam above them and the mattress below them gives them a sense of protection. Often, when they are in these places they will defecate. Because of this you can find multiple black spots in these areas. Also if you see black or red spots on the sheets or anywhere else in the mattress, this is the sign that you have bed bugs. When they feed upon the host, they will leave a red spot of blood and defecate as they walk away. Anywhere that they congregate you will see groups of these dots. You will also find the small yellowish white eggs laid in these areas as well.
In heavy infestations, the males will overrun the females. Because the mating process is such a dangerous process for the females, they will often run from the males climbing the walls going as high as they can. Usually they’ll find the corner between the ceiling and the wall and wedge themselves there. Often we find textured ceilings with popcorn can be used by these bed bugs to wedge themselves in. Because of this, you can see them often in the popcorn as well. If you’re seeing these bed bugs or the spots high on the wall like this, you most likely have a very severe infestation on your hands. it’s important to seek professional help from a Tulsa pest control company as soon as you can.
OVER THE COUNTER SOLUTIONS
Many people go straight to the hardware store to find pesticides in order to help them deal with these insects. This is a bad idea. Most over-the-counter pest control products used for bed bugs are pyrethrin pesticides. These pesticides are derived from a natural pesticide found in chrysanthemum plants. While this pesticide was used to be very effectively against bed bugs, unfortunately it has little to no effect today. In the 90s it was used extensively against bed bugs and with much success. But bed bugs are very adept at developing immunity to such pesticides.
Because of this, these over-the-counter solutions are not very effective. The most effective treatments include multiple modes of action. This can be in the form of heat treatments, different chemicals, natural predators and mechanical solutions. If you’re in a situation where you’re dealing with bed bugs or anything else is probably a good idea to contact your Broken Arrow pest control company to help you navigate these difficult waters.
If you’re having trouble with bed bugs or any other pests, its time to call in a reputable Tulsa exterminator. Here at TermMax Pest Control, we’re the best in the business when it comes to dealing with bed bugs or any other pests. We service the greater Tulsa area including Coweta, Claremore, Broken Arrow, Catoosa, Sand Springs, Claremore, Broken Arrow, Prattville, Sapulpa, Jenks, Bixby, Owasso, Turley and much more. Call today for a free estimate! We’re here to help!
