While there are far more dangerous pests in the world, bed bugs pose some of the most severe health concerns of any invasive pest. They are tiny parasites that are uniquely bred to infest human homes and businesses. Learn what dangers they pose, why only professionals can truly get rid of them, and how to avoid bed bugs in your own home.

What To Know About Bed Bugs

Bed bugs are tiny insects that feed on the blood of people and large animals. While they are so small they can be hard to tell apart from ticks or fleas, bed bugs are unique as parasites in that they don’t spread diseases through their bites. While mosquitoes and ticks can infect you with malaria or Lyme Disease, bed bugs only spread their itchy welts as a result of their feedings. Most people already know that they can contaminate mattresses and bedding, so it makes sense that they are nocturnal feeders that wait for their hosts to fall asleep before emerging. That means they are good at hiding during the day, but it’s also worth noting that bed bugs can be found in many other places, too. While they target bedrooms in particular, anywhere with cloth or upholstery for them to latch onto and burrow into can act as a nesting ground for bed bugs. They infest furniture, clothing, and especially used items. They also spread more easily than most people realize. As tiny bugs that cling to their hosts or a contaminated item, bed bugs can easily be transported from place to place. They are, essentially, blood-feeding hitchhikers.

Health Concerns Of Bed Bugs

The common mistake to make is to assume that bed bugs only target dirty homes or properties. Bed bugs quickly prove this assumption false and can easily cause the following issues in any home:

• Bites: Often the first sign of bed bug activity is the bites themselves, which appear as red welts on the skin.
• Infection: As people scratch at the itchy bites that bed bugs leave behind, they increase their risk of infection at the sight of the wound. Even if you manage to hold off during daylight hours, people and pets can inadvertently scratch or pick at the bites in their sleep.
• Growth: Bed bugs reproduce incredibly quickly, and it’s their offspring that feed the most.

An Impossible Problem

Not only can bed bugs lead to some serious health risks, but they are also impossible to completely avoid. While smart purchases and general cleanliness can help, any home can find themselves suddenly and inexplicably overwhelmed by a bed bug infestation. All of the following factors are why bed control is better left to professionals:

• Hotspots: Bed bugs don’t just infest homes, they also target public areas where people travel, like airports, hotels, and hospitals. People can pick up bed bugs in these areas and unknowingly bring them back home.
• Eggs: The hardest part about wiping out bed bugs is rooting out all their small, rice-like eggs, which are often hidden elsewhere in the home.
• Time: Wasting time on faulty products or unproven methods will simply give a bed bug population a chance to grow. Once this happens, control is next to impossible.

Contact Proven Pest Management Today

No matter where you live, bed bug control is a serious concern. The last thing you want is to be caught off guard by these common invaders, suffering the discomfort that they bring and unable to do anything to get the problem under control. Instead, turn to Proven Pest Management for all your pest control needs. We can assist you with ways to prevent future outbreaks, as well as provide you with treatments to ward off a host of other parasites. If bed bugs are already present, act fast by calling us today, so we can eliminate the problem before it grows out of hand.

Let us get started on an inspection of your home today, so parasitic bed bugs are never a concern.