Five Reasons Why Bed Bugs Are Annoying

Bed bugs are one of the most disliked pests in homes because of the disruption and damages they can cause to a home. Most would complain experiencing recurring bed bug presence after a short while and substantial time, effort and investment is required to get rid of bed bugs effectively. In this article, Rentokil discusses the top five reasons why we all dislike bed bugs, and what are the various bed bugs treatment in Singapore to consider.

Bed bugs are incredibly tiny and flat to spot

Besides ants, bed bugs are also incredibly tiny and flat to detect them easily in homes. It tends to missed from our visual inspection, and especially if we are busy at home and pay less notice to unusual signs such as pest presence. In addition, because of their tiny body size, (some would describe them as an apple seed size), they can hide very well along slits, corners, edges and gaps including bed seams, curtains, carpets and wall skirting. Pest detection is one way to prevent a pest infestation from occurring, because this way, we can take proactive steps in terms of pest eradication and minimise the damages, consequences and investment required to resolve the bed bug problem. Most of the time, early detection requires less intensive or complex treatments when dealing with infestation in its early stages.

Tips: Start to pay more attention to pests that are oval-shape and brownish in colour that might be bed bugs lurking around.

They spread easily and quickly in the home

Have you heard of encounters where bed bugs are seen in a corner of a room initially? And within days and weeks, they are found in other parts of the home and infest on multiple items and furnishing?

Yes, bed bug infestation spreads easily and quickly. They travel from location to location in search of hosts, and particularly if the home is infested heavily, food competition arises. When such a problem occurs, even at the slightest sight of a bed bug, it is best not to delay and procrastinate in taking proactive actions on pest control for bed bugs because the escalation of the infestation can result in detrimental outcomes. In fact, bed bugs lay as many as seven eggs in a day. They only take three weeks to develop as an adult. As little as ten reproducing bed bugs in a home initially, would mean growing an infestation size of seventy eggs a day!

Read further to understand how bed bugs reproduce and how to prevent the population from multiplying further.

Home furnishing and aesthetics are ruined

Bed bugs can damage home furnishing and design because of the following factors, and require time and money to replace them. In severe cases, replacements can be massive, particularly in big-ticket items including curtain, mattresses, and sofa and in multiple volumes.

• Bed bugs leave unsightly blood stains on your furnishing including bedsheet, mattress, curtains, sofa upholstery, rugs and carpets
• Rusty and dark spots are seen on the surfaces which are actually the bugs’ droppings
• Traces of shed skin or shells are scattered on the furniture that appears to be dirty with poor housekeeping standards
• Blood stains may also be seen on the wall as they travel along and got squeezed by us accidently, or their body are gorged after feeding
• Physical bed bugs crawling around the home, that creates a poorly sanitised and pest-infested home image

Read also: Where are the places to check for bed bugs in a home

Bed bugs are likely to come back after treatment

It is possible that pest control for bed bugs are ineffective and re-infest again for months and even years. Firstly, bed bugs are cross-infestation nature, and hence they can relocate easily by latching onto individuals and their items. Secondly, they are exceptionally challenging to spot because of their miniscule body nature and good hiding capabilities. This allows treatments to be inadequate by not reaching the affected and infested corner. Thirdly, consistency of the treatment is crucial in order to eliminate bed bugs in their life cycle covering from eggs to adult development. As such, a one-off treatment is not sufficient to cover the three-week span of the reproduction process. Fourthly, how effective is bed bug treatment depends on the type of active ingredient that affects the efficacy of the treatment. Considerations include the right dilution rate, residual effect and responsiveness to eliminate bed bugs effectively.

Finally, effective pest management also includes treating both eggs and adults to prevent possible breeding and growing of population size. Treatments usually include both steaming and residual spray to allow a comprehensive and complete bed bug treatment.

Suffering from itchy and ugly bed bug bites

Bed bugs do bite and suck for blood as they rely on protein for their food source and growth. This is similar to the female mosquitoes where they require blood meals from their hosts. We are unable to stop the biting and sucking process. This is because bed bugs only attack us at night when we are sleeping and thus, lose vigilance in guarding against them. In addition, they release an analgesic element as they go through the biting process. Thus it does not allow us to feel anything until the next day. Bed bug bites can be unsightly where they are clustered with red and swelling bumps on our hands, legs and neck. They may uncomfortable to deal with the itch and possible skin infection.

While we are unable to prevent bed bugs biting us totally, there are some ways to protect yourself when asleep. This includes covering your exposed skins with long wear or a blanket, and keeping your body temperature and room cool as bed bugs are attracted to warmth. In addition, constantly check for signs of bed bugs to take proactive and early action against bed bug escalation.

What do we do if homes are infested with bed bugs?

Bed bugs in Singapore are common and substantial homes are victims of bed bug invasion.

Firstly, do not attempt to remove the pests by yourself using DIY pest remedies means. This is because; we may risk our safety dealing with insecticides and sprays, and may worsen the condition with wrong and inadequate application. Secondly, do not squash them (like how we might deal with ants). This is because bed bugs can leave blood stains on your furnishing and wall as we burst their body. Thirdly, do take a photo of the physical pests and their infestation signs. This allows you to share with a pest control specialist for proper pest identification. Fourthly, be very careful when you are replacing or disposing the bed sheets or any items with bed bugs. These bugs may slip over and cause a nesting. When vacuuming, be very careful with the waste disposal. Make sure to carefully seal off the waste bags before throwing them off.

Finally, do call a pest control company where they trained professionally on how to remove bed bugs in an effective manner.

There are many natural pest remedies on getting rid of bed bugs, such as using baking soda, cinnamon, peppermint or lavender essential oil and even vinegar, however bed bugs dislike these scents and will deter them away instead of eliminating their population. For the more adventurous, individuals will use borax, bleach, diatomaceous earth to eliminate bed bugs. However they are more harmful and unsafe for self-application, especially with young kids, elderly or pets in the home. In addition, we can miss potential hot spots with their hiding skills. Thus, not reaching out to the infestation effectively and adequately.

What do we need to know about bed bug treatment?

It is not sufficient to perform a one-time treatment

There are basic packages with quick fix solutions where a one-off treatment is available at a low cost. However, because the life cycle of bed bugs is close to a month, a regular treatment scheduled covering their life stages is necessary. This aids to rule out any possible reproduction and multiplication of bugs. While you may notice some visible reduction in bugs’ presence, most of the time, you will see scattered bugs around the corners. The sighting of one of two bugs could mean another bout of infestation. Typically, the treatment aims to flush out the bugs. Hence, three treatments are recommended instead.

Read also: Find out where are the spots that bed bugs lay their eggs

Consistent treatments are necessary to avoid lapses

There should be consistency and continuity in carrying out bed bug treatments. This helps to avoid any lapses and opportunities for bed bugs to return. It is important to follow through the scheduled frequency where it is typically carried out during a three to four weeks interval. In fact, it is not just treating bed bugs, but across all pest management. Ongoing treatments are necessary to ensure a long-term and sustainable protection. This is because pests can return due to pest entries, cross infestation, poor lifestyle and home maintenance habits. In the case of bed bugs, possible infestation causes include lodging, traveling, in contact with traffic and body warmth, and poor luggage management. Start to equip yourself, family and colleagues with the essential Do’s and Don’ts checklist in dealing with bed bugs in a home today.

Necessary to eliminate both eggs and adult bugs

We usually fix the adults and physical crawling pests and neglect the eggs or larvae stage. For instance, we lure and trap flies and neglect the larvae breeding in the grease trap. Similarly, we fog regularly to eliminate adult mosquitos while missing the mosquito breeding. For bed bugs, it is necessary to remove both eggs and adults. This is because they can reproduce easily and quickly and manifest a home in no time. Bed bug treatments are catered differently, at the different stages. For example, steaming or heat treatment are used to eliminate the eggs. On the other hand, residual spray targets at adult live bugs as they respond to the active ingredients.

Constant monitoring and inspection are critical

Pests enjoy lurking in our home all times. Hence, a pest-free home now does not guarantee the same status permanently. Regardless if we are dealing with ants, cockroaches, mosquitoes and in the case of bed bugs, constant monitoring and inspection of the premise is critical. This way, we can identify any unusual spikes or surge in pest population, or spread of infestation in areas that were not treated previously. You can learn how to check for bed bugs. In the event of lack of knowledge, professional experts such as Rentokil Initial can advise and educate customers on essential tips and tricks in dealing with bed bugs. For instance, what are some signs to look out for, where are the areas to inspect, how to do housekeeping properly and when to flag up an infestation alert.

You may also like: Is it possible to have bed bug infestation even in a clean home?

Useful information and articles on bed bug control

Bed bugs are often a home complaint because of its bloodstains and challenge in containing its infestation. Most would share encounters where they experience recurring problems despite trying various remedies, spending time and effort and keeping the home clean. Rentokil Singapore has shared a series of contents and blog articles on essential facts of managing bed bugs. We have compiled some useful links you may retrieve for your knowledge:

• Is it possible to get rid of bed bugs completely and successfully?
• Where are you likely to get bed bug bites on your body?
• What are some essential facts to know about bed bug control?
• Learn the key reasons why we need to engage bed bug treatment
• What you need to know about bed bug bites?
• Essential facts of bed bugs you need to know
• The complete guide to bed bug control for your home
• What are bed bugs attracted to?
• How long do bed bugs actually live?

Call Rentokil Singapore at (65) 6347 8138 for pest control services today.H