How to Get Rid of Bed Bugs & Keep Them Out

We just celebrated another great birthday for America. We shared barbecue, fireworks, and apple pie, but one thing we don’t celebrate is the resurgence of bed bugs across the country.

These tiny, persistent pests have troubled people for millennia.

Until recently, though, bed bug infestations were a rare occurrence in the United States. Many people thought they had been all but eradicated. Then about ten years ago, it seemed that you couldn’t turn on the local news in any American city without hearing about a bed bug infestation. Exterminators who had never dealt with bed bugs suddenly got multiple calls per month for professional bed bug treatment to get rid of these tiny insects.

Unlike a lot of the other types of pest infestations, bed bugs have nothing to do with how clean your home is.

Typically, homeowners bring bed bugs into their own homes when staying in hotels, dorms, vacation rentals, or someone else’s house.

Bed bugs are an American problem through and through, showing up in every state in the nation. If you ever stay away from your home or invite guests to stay with you, you could potentially get bed bugs.

As their name suggests, most bed bugs live close to the bed where their host sleeps. These tiny vampires suck blood from their hosts, causing itchy bite marks in about 70% of the population (the other 30% has no reaction to the bites). They are nocturnal and can infest almost any type of building, from apartments and single-family homes to hotels, dormitories, offices, and healthcare facilities.

Avoid Bed Bugs at All Costs

You can dramatically reduce your risk of bringing bed bugs into your home with a few careful tips:

• Check the mattress, box spring, and sheets for any live bugs or speckling from bed bug droppings that can look like mold or black pepper before you unpack or use the bed at a hotel. If you find tiny black dots, ask to be moved to a room on another floor (and inspect there too!), or consider finding another place to stay.
• When you get home, wash everything in your suitcase on high heat. Vacuum the interior of your suitcase, or place the whole thing in a sealed garbage bag until you can inspect it.
• Never buy used bedding or upholstered furniture unless you are absolutely certain it is bed bug-free.
• Resist the urge to sleep in a different room if you think you have bed bugs, as this can actually cause the bugs to spread farther throughout your home while searching for a blood meal.

Spot the Tiny Black Spots

Most of our clients don’t realize they have a bed bug problem until they notice the bites.

They also may notice tiny black specks, which are bed bug droppings and may be mistaken for mildew at first. Female bed bugs reproduce very quickly, so the more time passes without professional bed bug extermination, the larger the infestation can become.

Cleaning or changing your mattress will not solve the problem. Bed bugs can hide in the tiniest cracks around beds, furniture, baseboards, and walls, and they can survive for more than a year without feeding.

Adult bed bugs are about ¼ inch long, oval, and reddish-brown in color. Most homeowners either find adult bed bugs or discover evidence of them through their droppings, which often resemble tiny black spots or mold.

The small bright side is that, contrary to some urban legends, people cannot catch diseases from bed bugs. Their bites are itchy and uncomfortable, but bed bugs are not known to transmit diseases to humans.

If you suspect you have bed bugs, there are a few things to check:

• If you react to the bites, they will often be inflamed, itchy, and appear in a line or cluster. If you notice itchy “mosquito bites” each morning, you may actually be dealing with bed bugs.
• If you see tiny black dots in your mattress seams, don’t try to clean it yourself. Only professional bed bug exterminators have the products, equipment, and experience to eliminate bed bugs for the long term.
• If you’re not sure you have bed bugs and haven’t actually seen them, Brody Brothers can employ dogs specially trained through a third party to detect bed bugs. In our experience, this is one of the fastest ways to confirm an infestation and minimize damage by catching it early.

Put Bed Bugs to Bed

We can’t say it enough: Leave bed bug removal to the professionals. DIY treatments may reduce the population temporarily, but they rarely eliminate the entire infestation.

If it does turn out that bed bugs have invaded your home, Brody Brothers has a tried-and-true professional bed bug treatment plan:

1. First, we wash and dry all washable fabrics on high heat.
2. Second, we vacuum up as many visible bed bugs as possible.
3. Next, we apply professional treatment products anywhere bed bugs may be hiding, including furniture.
4. Then, we encase your mattress and box spring in a bed bug-proof liner.
5. Finally, we repeat treatment and apply long-lasting products deep within wall voids and other hiding places to make sure your bed bug problem is history.

Now that bed bugs are back in a big way in the Baltimore area and across Maryland, the Brody Brothers have time-tested methods for professional bed bug control and long-term prevention.

If you think you have bed bugs and need to get rid of them, contact Brody Brothers for expert bed bug extermination and a permanent solution to these tiny, itchy pests.