Bed Bug Basics: All About Bed Bugs and How to Get Rid of Them

Bed bugs have been called “the pest of the 21st century.” Though bed bugs were nearly eradicated in the United States in the 1950s through the use of DDT, they are back with a vengeance now and are increasingly resistant to most pesticides. The bed bug, cimex lectularius, is now endemic in most major cities and is rapidly becoming a common problem in New York, Long Island and in the suburbs of Westchester, and Rockland County.

Where to Find Bed Bugs

Bed bugs live where they eat. Nocturnal feeders, bed bugs will hide where they can easily bite you or your pets while you sleep—and that usually means your bed. But that isn’t the only place to find bed bugs. They will hide in furniture, cracks in the wall, electrical sockets and vents in your bed room, living room, even your laundry room. They sense the carbon dioxide humans and pets exhale and will crawl from room to room, seeking a blood meal.

How to Find Out if You Have Bed Bugs

If you wait until you get bitten by a bed bug, you have waited too long. Bed bugs can cause large red welts that often itch, but not everyone reacts to their bites. A bed bug infestation may be well established by the time you notice a bite. It pays to be alert, especially after you or a family member have traveled, or after you have hosted guests.

You can look for adult bed bugs, which are reddish brown, crawling insects about the size of an apple seed. Young bed bugs and eggs are harder to detect. Hatchlings are tiny and nearly transparent. Eggs are nearly microscopic clusters of pearly white oblong pellets. Bed bugs hate the light. Search for them at night with the lights off and use a flashlight to surprise them before they can scurry and hide. Peel back the sheets of your bed. Inspect seams and labels. Look under the mattress. Pull the bed away from the headboard. Check in and around nearby furniture. Don’t forget other rooms of your house. Professional inspectors know to look for more than just the bed bugs, but for the signs of their presence. You can find their tiny black feces that look like sprinklings of poppy seeds and also the “skins” that growing bed bugs have shed.

If you aren’t sure what to look for, a professional inspection can give you real peace of mind. The earlier you detect a bed bug infestation, the less traumatic getting rid of bed bugs will be.

When You Have Bed Bugs You Need the Best

Bed bugs are a serious problem that requires choosing the most qualified help you can find. Knockout Pest Control exceeds the New York licensing requirements with both QualityPro and Quality Pro Green ratings, awarded to fewer than 10% of pest control companies nationwide. You are assured of:

Employee screening, hiring practices, and comprehensive background and reference checksRigorous financial responsibility criteriaService vehicle and employee appearance requirementsJob safety and environmental stewardship obligations regarding pesticide handling and useIntegrity, accuracy and clarity in marketing, advertising and warranty conditionsProvision for comprehensive technician training in integrated pest management including inspection, pest identification, establishment of threshold levels for pest activity, appropriate application of control and management measures, and effectiveness evaluation, with testing and certification to a standard in excess of New York licensing requirements.

Knockout Pest Control Can Knock Out Your Bed Bug Infestation

If you find yourself facing down a bed bug infestation, we can knock them out and keep them down for the count. Our innovative, green treatments, like Cryonite®, and our deep knowledge and bed bug expertise puts them down for the count.