Summer is here and with it comes a plethora of problems, primary among them being bugs. Bugs, be it ants, cockroaches or other common household pests can be a serious health issue. Bed bugs get especially worse as they can leave you with serious bite marks all over your body. Many people wonder whether bed bugs lie dormant all throughout winter and whether summer is the peak season for bed bug activity. In this guide, we will try to answer these questions and also determine what brings bed bugs out in summers along with some ways to protect your home from them.
What brings bed bugs out?
Bed bugs like to feed on human blood and they usually come out at night to do so. Adult bed bugs need several blood meals to complete various life cycle stages. Bed bugs sniff out the carbon dioxide given out by sleeping hosts and these could be humans, rodents and even your pets. The adult bugs then feed on their victims for up to 15 minutes at a time drinking huge quantities of blood. Once they have had their fill, they return to their hiding places. Female bugs use the meals to reproduce and lay eggs. Likewise, larvae and nymphs use the blood to proceed to the adult stages.
In what season do bed bugs comes out?
Ask any pest control company whether summer season is bed bug season and the answer will likely be that bed bugs do not have any one particular season when they get more active. Bed bugs are active all year round and their activity levels vary from place to place and city to city. So it is not that they get more active or their numbers increase in summers. What happens in most cases is that bed bugs, being good hitch-hikers, take advantage of more people traveling in the warmer months. Also, bed bugs might have laid their eggs in winters but their larvae and nymphs are too small for people to notice. By the time it is summer, the larvae and nymphs have developed into fully grown adults. So this may be one of the reasons why people tend to see a sudden rise in bed bugs. Therefore, it is important to understand that the infestation might have started in winter itself and one must use an integrated pest control approach all through the year to prevent the situation from getting out of hand.
What is the #1 way that bed bugs get into homes?
Bed bugs can enter into your home if your neighbors have them. This is especially seen in apartment style residential complexes where the houses are very close to each other. Picking up infested items like sofas, beds, mattresses etc from the roadside is another surefire way of bringing bugs into your home. Your house guests might unknowingly bring bed bugs into your home through their infested items, clothes and luggage. If you have been away for summer and stayed in infested motels, you might also inadvertently bring bed bugs into your home. In short- there is no 1 way using which bed bugs come into your house. In fact; you can even get bed bugs home from your infested office.
How to protect from bed bugs at work?
It is best to talk to your office management if you have sighted bed bug activity in your office. The easiest way to prevent bed bugs at office is to minimize clutter. This will give them fewer places to hide and reduce your chances of bringing them home. You must also keep your belongings in areas which you know are free of bugs. It is best to identify a bathroom or a storage room for this purpose. Avoid places that are upholstered as well as couches, sofas, curtains, storage rooms and areas where people rest. Office administration must take the steps to control bed bugs through an integrated pest management approach. Also educate the staff members to identify bed bugs and take necessary steps to prevent their numbers from increasing.
How to protect your home from bed bugs in summer?
As stated above, people erroneously believe that summer is peak bed bug season. It is best to use all-year round integrated pest management approach to ensure keeping your home bug free. Take the following steps to do so:
- Vacuum your house thoroughly every few days
- Minimize clutter
- Caulk crevices and cracks.
- Wash and launder the bedding, curtains and linen.
- Take care when traveling. If you are staying overnight at a hotel, check the room for bed bug activity. You can see tell-tale signs like rust colored stains around the mattress edges. If you do see these, speak to management staff to have your room changed. You must also store your luggage in the bathroom area as bed bugs usually do not infest these.
- Once you are back home, unpack your luggage outdoors (in the garage).Wash all clothing before returning them to their designated areas.
- If you have house guests, clean the guest room thoroughly after they have left.
- Even if you notice one bed bug, you must remain diligent. Bed bug populations do not take time increasing.
Speak to a pest management company if you feel you have a serious infestation.
