Bed Bug Control
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Want To Get Rid Of Bed Bugs?
Bed Bugs Control & Exterminator Services in Calgary, Alberta
Bedbugs measure just 5 millimeters across, which is smaller than a pencil eraser. These bugs are smart and tough, and they reproduce quickly. Bedbugs know where to hide to avoid detection and can live for months between meals. A female can lay 500 eggs in her lifetime.
It’s no surprise that these tiny bloodsuckers can cause a lot of trouble in your home. If they get into bed with you, they can leave red, itchy welts all over your body.
They are small, oval-shaped, wingless, six-legged parasitic insects related to aphids. Their body is crinkled and it looks like an accordion.
Sometimes bed bugs can be mistaken to be fleas or tiny cockroaches, but unlike fleas, they do not jump and they are fast walkers.
They are bloodsuckers and = prefer to stay in places where their prey sleeps or rests. Unlike body lice, they do not want to be disturbed and they don’t cling to their host for a long time.
Mature bugs are reddish-brown in colour and they have a distinct unpleasant odour that is caused by the oil they carry in their body. Their body sizes may vary. Some can be as small as a poppy seed, while others may be as big as apple seeds when they mature. Males can be distinguished by a sharp ended abdomen, while the female bug can be identified with a round ended abdomen.
The adult grow up to 5mm long. They start out with a flat oval shape, but after dining on a bloody meal, their bodies become red due to consumption of blood and their shape looks more like small footballs.
There are three stages of development: eggs, nymphs, and adults. The female lays three to five speck-like eggs a day, reaching an astonishing two hundred eggs during its lifetime. Without magnification, these tiny eggs are very difficult to identify.
Eggs are laid in clusters and the females will stop laying the eggs after 11 days, or possibly more if they decide to rest and feed.
It takes six to ten days for the eggs to develop and when they hatch they produce one-millimeter nymphs. These nymphs resemble the adult, but they have lighter colour. Nymphs, upon reaching maturity, molt or shed their skin around five times before becoming an adult. It begins to look for a victim to feed on as soon as it gets out of its egg.
The nymphs can survive up to 3 months without a meal and the adults can live from six to eleven months without feeding on blood. They are most active during the night and they prefer to hide close to their hosts during the day.
Impact of bed bugs
Bed bugs feed on the blood of humans and other mammals. The primary concern is the irritation and distress caused by bed bug bites.
Bed bug bites do not hurt. It is the itchiness that results from the body’s reaction to them that causes discomfort. Treating the bites soothes the irritation, but it can still be very distressing when there are multiple bites as is often the case with bedbugs. Multiple bites and contact with bedbugs can also lead to an itchy rash or eczema. Consult a Pharmacist or a Doctor for advice and treatment if necessary.
Bed bugs usually enter a property by being carried on clothing or inside furniture. The most common places for Bed bug infestations are hotels, cinemas, lodges, auditoriums, and overnight buses.
Bed bugs often get introduced into homes with second-hand furniture. Bed bugs or their eggs get into clothing or suitcases and are then transported home. If there are any signs of Bed bugs when staying at a hotel, particularly being bitten when sleeping or seeing blood spots on sheets, take great care in bringing your personal belongings home.