One of the most common questions that our customers ask is "How Did I Get Bed Bugs?"

Let us be the first ones to say that: "It's not your fault."

It has nothing to do with you, something that you or your family did, or the condition of your home.

The truth is: Bed Bugs are Master Hitchhikers, and it only takes a single Mature Female that has mated recently to cause an infestation in your home.

Bed Bugs are Small Oblong Reddish-Brown Bugs that vary in size, from the size of a Small Pinhead in early Nymph stages, to the size of a Large Apple Seed, as an Adult.

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Very mature Bed Bugs can grow to sizes that are almost as large as a fingernail.

Bed Bug Eggs are white and cylindrical, and roughly two to three grains of sand in length. Newly hatched Bed Bugs are Scarlet Red immediately after their first feeding, and darken to a reddish-brown as they continue to mature.

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Bed Bugs do not jump or fly, which may help distinguish them from other parasites that feed on blood such as fleas, ticks, or mosquitoes; or bite or sting such as flies, bees, wasps, beetles, or gnats.

The various stages of Bed Bugs vary slightly in appearance. Baby or Newly Hatched Bed Bugs tend to be translucent immediately after birth, but are Scarlet Red immediately after their first feeding. As Bed Bugs continue to grow and transition between each life cycle.​

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Bed bug bites affect everyone differently. There have been numerous studies in recent years that seem to indicate that anywhere from 30% to 60% of the population experience no signs whatsoever that they have been bitten. This can allow for an infestation to remain undetected for extended periods of time.

Those that do experience signs, experience raised itchy bumps, ranging from 2mm to 5mm in size. Bed Bug Bites are often in a line of several bites in a row or in a zig-zag pattern.

When we saw first hand just how difficult it was to get rid of Bed Bugs, we decided to open a business that would help people with this challenging problem. In doing so, we chose Heat Treatment as our method of choice for eradicating Bed Bugs and have helped thousands of customers get their sleep back with our proven Heat Treatment Process. If you need help, please don't hesitate to take advantage of our Lowest Price Guarantee. We can help you get rid of Bed Bugs and we can help you do it affordably. Please don't hesitate to reach out to one of our many Nationwide locations today.

The following image contains a handful of stages of Bed Bugs, including some of the very early Nymph Stages that are a Scarlet Red color, along with older and larger Adults that have a much darker Reddish Brown color.

There are several signs that we look for when inspecting for Bed Bugs. Aside from the obvious signs of identifying Live Bugs, One of the next most common signs is Blood Spatter. Blood Spatter is the feces excreted by Bed Bugs after feeding. There is a histamine in Bed Bug excrement that is used to signal other members of the colony to congregate in a room. Blood Spatter is red initially, but will eventually turn black as it ages and often stretches into a star shaped pattern as it wicks into fabric. ​

An additional sign of Bed Bugs is the Exuvia that they shed as they mature and molt between the various stages of their lifecycle. Exuvia is essentially the exoskeleton or skin that the Bed Bug sheds as it continues to grow in size.

The last and perhaps most difficult sign to detect is Bed Bug Eggs. Bed Bug Eggs are small white cylindrical eggs that are roughly the size of three grains of sand, and are typically laid in clusters. Eggs will typically be seen in conjunction with Blood Spatter, Exuvia, and Live Bugs but may also be seen individually.

Newly hatched Bed Bugs are translucent in color, but are Scarlet Red in color immediately after their first feeding.

Contrary to the stigma that is typically associated with Bed Bugs regarding excessive clutter or lack of cleanliness, neither of these actually cause Bed Bugs. While clutter may provide additional areas for Bed Bugs to initially evade detection, the only real "cause" is that one or more Bed Bugs have Hitchhiked on you or your clothes, or have stowed away in your belongings in hopes of finding a viable food source.

Diatomaceous Earth is a naturally occurring sedimentary rock that can be ground into a fine white powdery substance which often has an abrasive type of feel. This abrasive nature coupled with its physico-sorptive properties of the substance can erode the natural lipid protective layer that insects posses and can result in a dehydration effect that can be fatal to those bugs that encounter it. Diatomaceous Earth has proven highly effective against pests such as roaches, but tends to have a limited effect on Bed Bugs.

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Bed Bugs however, tend to avoid the substance where possible, reducing its effectiveness on any bugs or eggs that have eluded contact.

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We encounter Diatomaceous Earth on a daily basis when treating our customer's homes and are sad to say that its effectiveness as an eradication method is limited.