Bed Bug Awareness 2018

Bed Bug Awareness 2018

In the battle against bed bugs, public awareness is the greatest weapon we have to keep these tormenting pests out. Unlike many other bugs that infest our homes and businesses, bed bugs don’t crawl across our lawns, scale our outside walls, and come in through tiny gaps. They’re carried in by people. So, regular pest treatments aren’t going to keep these bugs out. We need to work together to stop the spread. As a part of bed bug awareness week, 2018, which is from June 3rd to the 9th, we’ve put together these helpful tips to stop bed bugs in their tracks.

Bed Bug Tips To Share

  • When you travel, always do a search for bed bug signs: black streaks or black patches, tiny white eggs in a batch or as singles, shed insect skins that are tan or rusty brown, dried blood stains, and the presence of bed bugs.
  • When traveling, be aware that bed bugs are attracted to clothing that has been worn. Be sure to put laundry in a plastic bag and seal the top.
  • When you return home from a trip, it is always a good idea to wash and dry your clothes on the hottest settings. This will kill bed bugs in all stages of development. Also, make sure to check your suitcases and other bags for signs of bed bugs, preferably “before” you enter the house.
  • Bed bugs don’t just feed on people, they’ll also bite dogs and cats. Be sure to look around your pet’s bedding for the above bed bug signs.
  • While a bed is certainly a good place to look for bed bugs, they can be in other places as well, such as behind baseboards or crown molding, inside outlets, wall voids, and furniture, underneath carpet edges, inside suitcases, and more. If you’re doing a bed bug search in your home, be thorough.
  • Since bed bugs can get into furniture, it is a good rule of thumb to do a detailed inspection of any used furniture you purchase, especially a mattress or box spring.

Bed bugs are a serious and growing issue in the United States. How bad are they? According to a 2015 study conducted by the National Pest Management Association (NPMA) and the University of Kentucky, it was determined that 99.6 percent of pest control companies had treated for bed bugs in that year, compared to just 25 percent in 2000. Please help spread the word and put these tips into the hands of friends and family. Together, we can make a difference.

For professional bed bug remediation in Knoxville and Eastern Tennessee, start here.

Bed Bug Awareness Week Starts June 3rd

Bed Bug Awareness Week Starts June 3rd

Are you scratching your head, wondering what Bed Bug Awareness Week is? If so, you’re not alone. There are lots of people who have never heard of it. Hopefully, you’re not scratching your head because you have bed bugs. Because, if you are, we’re too late. The whole purpose of Bed Bug Awareness Week is to empower home and business owners to prevent bed bug infestations from taking root. Bed Bug Awareness Week is coming soon and here’s what you need to know.

Bed bugs are hitchhiking bugs. The more we understand this, the better off we’ll all be. Bed bugs depend on us missing the signs. Sometimes, we even miss identifying these bugs when we see them. When we don’t recognize the threat, we become a carrier for these bugs. Sometimes, the place we carry them is into our own homes.

During Bed Bug Awareness Week, consider sharing the following bed bug facts with your friends and family on social media:

  • Bed bugs aren’t just found in hotels and motels. They have been found in libraries, movie theaters, taxi cabs, police call centers, senior living centers, daycares, college dormitories, and more. While you can definitely pick up a bed bug infestation while on vacation, be aware that bed bugs can get on you anytime you leave your home.

  • You may have heard that bed bugs are too tiny to see, but they aren’t. When they first hatch, they’re pretty small at only 1 mm in length, but they’re also semi-transparent. If a baby bed bug has your blood in its abdomen, you’re going to see it. And you’re going to want to see them. Recognizing a bed bug could alert you to an infestation or help to prevent an infestation from coming home with you. If you see a pale bug with a bright red abdomen, six legs, and two antennae on your skin, it is probably a bed bug. Use a piece of clear tape to trap it for closer inspection.

  • Bed bugs lay their tiny white eggs in cracks, crevices, creases, and other hidden places. These eggs are 1 mm in length and may be in a small batch. A quick inspection of sleeping bags, backpacks, book bindings, and other objects your kids bring back from a sleepover could prevent an infestation from taking root.

  • Always call a professional when bed bugs appear. These insects are extremely difficult to get rid of and DIY bed bug treatments have led to property damage and a loss of human life.

So, there you go. Now you have some sweet bed bug facts to share during Bed Bug Awareness Week which starts June 3rd. If you live in Tennessee, you can trust Russell’s Pest Control to help you get complete control of those tormenting pests.

A Whole Week In Honor Of Bed Bugs

A Whole Week In Honor Of Bed Bugs

The pest management industry is “celebrating” Bed Bug Awareness week from June 4th through June 10th. The Professional Pest Management Alliance (PPMA) designates this event every year to help spread awareness about bed bug infestations and how to protect yourself from this bug – particularly this time of year, as the peak travel season is coming up.

Why Bed Bugs Are a Bigger Concern When You Travel

When you think of bed bugs, you think of tiny, man-eating bugs that attack you when you’re asleep in your bed, right? That’s the perception most people have about bed bugs and the reason why many people unknowingly bring bed bugs into their home after traveling. You have to look at more than just the hotel bed when you’re checking for bed bugs!

Bed bugs can be found in the chair or sofa in your hotel room. They could be on the rug, in the closet, in the extra blanket or pillows stored on the top shelf of the hotel room closet, inside the dresser or end table drawers, and they can even travel from one room to another through the outlets.

So, as you put your suitcase down on the floor and move your clothes into the hotel dresser – you could be inviting bed bugs to travel home with you from the inside of your suitcase or on your clothing.

If you take public transportation to and from your destination, such as the train or a bus, you could unknowingly allow a bed bug or two to hitch a ride into your home. They’ve even been found in retail stores and pretty much any public place – making it necessary to devote a week to spreading bed bug awareness to the general public.

Bed Bug Infestation Troubles

You may think having just one or two bed bugs travel home with you isn’t a problem. They can’t possibly survive and reproduce enough to cause a full infestation right? Wrong! A single, fertile female bed bug can produce as many as five eggs per day… up to 500 eggs during her lifetime. Before you know it, that single bed bug that found its way into your suitcase and then into your bed can result in thousands.

If you notice a bed bug, bed bug skins (they molt and shed their skins), or tiny bed bug excrement on your sheets – you need to call the professional bed bug experts at Russell’s Pest Control. The sooner you treat the infestation, the easier it is to eliminate them completely.