Bed Bug Control Baltimore

Red stains on bedding or mattress.
Bed bugs feed off of human blood. After a blood meal the tiny insects are bloated. If a victim accidentally rolls over in his sleep and crushes one, he will create a blood stain on the sheet.

Bed bug feces on bedding or mattress.
If you inspect your bedding carefully, you may see a trail of black specks, telling you that bedbugs have been in the area. The black specks in the lower right hand corner of the photograph on the left are feces left by bed bugs. Bedbug feces consist mostly of blood, so if you accidentally crush them they may leave a reddish stain. (see the diagram).

Bed bug exoskeletons in bedding and mattresses
Bedbugs like many other insects shed their skin as they grow older. Their discarded skin or exoskeleton can be seen in bedding and is one of the signs of infestation.

Bedbug eggs in bedding and mattresses:
Begbug eggs are tiny white to pearl colored oblong excrescences found along seams and creases of matresses and furniture. They are found so commonly in these locations that cleaning the seams with special wire brushes is one step in effective bedbug prevention and removal.

Bite marks on the body :
Bed bug bites look much like mosquito bites, only they don't itch or sting right away because bedbugs inject an anesthesia while taking their blood meal. Some people have an allergic reaction to the bites, which will subsequently begin to itch or become infected, as many as 8 days after the bite.   Read descriptions by people who experienced bedbug bites.

Steps the Homeowner Can Take to Fight Infestation: Before and after spraying, there are a number of steps the homeowner should take to fight the bedbug infestation. Good preparation and follow up will improve the chance of success in eradicating the infestation. Wash and dry bedding at a temperature of at least 113 degrees, for one hour. Scrub infested surfaces, including mattress seams, with a stiff brush, to remove eggs. Dismantle and clean bed frames and furniture. Fill in cracks in floor walls and molding, as directed by the pest technician. Cover the mattress with a special protective plastic encasing.

Insecticide Treatment : Complete bedbug eradication almost always requires the help of a pest specialist. The pest expert has a variety of sprays and insecticides he can use to treat the infestation. After a thorough inspection, he will proceed to spray all areas of the home that are infected, including the mattress, bedding, bed frame and other places in the home where bedbugs are found. This may include furniture, rugs, electric outlets, lighting fixtures and numerous other places bedbugs craw into.

Steps the Homeowner Can Take to Prevent Bedbug Infestation:
Home owners can take the following steps to prevent a bedbug infestation. Check second hand furniture, carefully for signs of a bedbug infestation, before bringing it into the home. Use protective mattress coverings. Reduce clutter in the house. When travelling, check the mattress and headboard of the bed, even in a quality hotel. (Bedbugs have been found in a 4 star hotels.) Be sure to use the luggage racks, and don't sit your suitcase on the floor during packing and unpacking.

You might be wondering how to spell the name of the pest that is plaguing your home, i.e., "bedbug" or "bedbug." The answer, according to entomologist Mike Merchant, PhD, is bed bug. The reason, as he explains it, is that when insect names contain a descriptor that accurately describes the order to which they belong they are spelled as two words; but when insect names contain a descriptor that does not accurately identify their species, then they are spelled as a single word, i.e., whitefly, inchworm, cutworm, billbug--none of which are true flies, worms or bugs. If you are interested in reading the whole article, click here.