TERMITE & PEST CONTROL SERVICES
Servicing all of Brisbane
Bed Bug Pest Control
Identifying and eradicating bed bugs
Treating commercial and residential homes in Brisbane for bed bug for over 27 years
Bed Bugs In Brisbane
Here in Brisbane, the incidence of bed bug infestation has risen dramatically in the last few years. “Sleep tight and don’t let the bed bugs bite!” was just a cute bedtime expression that our parents or grandparents use to say as we headed off to bed. We had no idea what a bed bug was, as bed bugs were virtually eradicated in the western world by the late 1940s. Why are we still seeing bed bugs around today, and what are the chances of sharing a bed with them? To understand this, we need a quick bed bug history lesson.
A brief history of bed bugs
Bed bugs have been biting us since the beginning of recorded time. Experts believe that the bugs first parasitised bats and then moved to humans who inhabited the same caves in the Mediterranean region. Bed bugs have been unearthed from archaeological sites dating back more than 3,500 years, when they were considered to be both a pest and a potion. In the 1800s, washing bedding, breaking down beds, and dousing the slats, springs, and crevices with boiling water or grease from salt pork or bacon proved helpful. In the 1900s, chemicals such as mercury chloride and hydrogen cyanide were used to eradicate bed bugs. One recommendation was, “Sometimes it is possible to destroy a light infestation of bed bugs by thoroughly soaking the bed and other places with high-test gasoline.” Other extreme recommendations were burning sulphur dioxide or sulphur trioxide.
The Travel bug!
As we moved into the 1960-the 70s, a perfect bed bug storm was brewing. At about the same time, dangerous insectoids that were used for treating bed bugs were banned. The rise in the affordability of air travel and the ability to travel to many exotic countries also meant that the humble bed bug got the “travel bug”. Many countries had bed bugs, and the bed bugs simply hitched a ride with travellers in their luggage and sometimes even in the lining of clothing. Since the mid-1990s, bed bugs have become a significant problem around the world.
How did my home get bed bugs?
Bed bugs can travel in suitcases, bags, backpacks, and they travel well. They can also be transported on clothes, campervans, personal items and even furniture. Bed bugs glue their translucent eggs to surfaces, which enables them to spread quickly. They are nocturnal and hate the light, so they wait until dark to creep out for their meals, which is why it can take so long to discover you have been sharing your home with them. Bed bugs can live up to 12 to 18 months. A female can lie between one to twelve eggs per day but typically lays 5 to 7 per week. Over the course of her lifetime, a female can lay 200 to 500 eggs.
Why do bed bugs like beds?
The fact is that bed bugs like to stay close to their meal (that’s you). Each bed bug in your home will spend around 10 to 15 minutes with you once a week, sucking your blood while you sleep. Bed bugs pierce your skin with their “beak” and inject two hollow tubes into your skin. One tube injects saliva with anaesthetic’s and anticoagulants, and the other tube is used to suck out blood. Bed bugs also like to eat together and will bite in rows, lining up along a fold on a sheet, which is why the bite marks often seem to be in a neat row. At first, you may notice 1 or 2 bed bugs around your bed but given time, as the infestation worsens, you may see them spreading to your bed frames, baseboards, door and window frames, skirting boards, picture frames and other furniture.
How do I know I have bed bugs?
Bed bugs are wingless, oval-shaped insects 4-5mm long in adulthood. They are reddish-brown but become darker in colour after feeding on their preferred food source, which is you. They thrive on human blood and tend to dwell in mattresses and bedding, where there is a constant source of food.
The signs of a bed bug infestation include:
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Translucent eggs and egg shells of about 1mm in length
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Dark spots the size of the tip of a felt marker, which indicate excrement
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Blood spots on your mattress and sheets
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Live bed bugs
Not everyone reacts to being bitten by a bed bug, but those who do will find small red spots on their skin that usually itch. This often is the first sign of a bed bug infestation.
How to control bed bugs
It is best to stop bed bugs before they get out of control. Results Termite and Pest Control Services specialise in treating bed bugs in Brisbane so that they are quickly and effectively eliminated with minimal disruption to your household. We use a comprehensive approach to eliminate bed bug infestations; this includes the safest and smartest chemical treatments available as well as traps and specific physical methods that are proven to be very successful in combating any bed bug problems
Call Results Termite and Pest Control Services
on
ph 07 3823 2500
Our friendly staff will answer all your questions and send a qualified technician to your home right away. After performing a full inspection of all the rooms that you suspect are infested, we will confirm whether or not bed bugs are present. If so, our technician will go right ahead and treat those rooms. After treating, we highly recommend having Bug Lock Mattress encasements installed on all mattresses to prevent any re-infestation.
We recommend you continue sleeping in the same room to encourage the bugs to emerge and walk on the treated areas, killing them in the process. We also suggest putting your bed linens through a hot wash and dry cycle, but not before our inspection, because our technician needs to see your bedding to gauge the severity of the infestation accurately.
The key to solving your bed bug problem is to act quickly
We can have a technician out to your home ASAP! We can also offer packaged pest control services as well. Give us a call today regarding bed bugs or any other problem you may be having with insects or pests of any kind. If untreated, a bed bug infestation will only worsen with time, making it more difficult and more expensive to eradicate. With our proven techniques and using the latest technology, we can solve your bed bug problem. Our treatments are proven pest control solutions designed to eliminate bed bug infestations specifically.
To successfully treat the bed bug problem, we always respond quickly and also provide an ongoing inspection and treatment program to keep your home free of the problem. If you think you have bed bugs, call Results Termite and Pest Control Services now on tel: 07 3823 2500 and speak to one of our friendly staff members to schedule an inspection. We travel and treat bed bug problems throughout the Brisbane, Queensland area, City CBD and surrounding suburbs.
Tips for preventing Bed Bugs while traveling
