There is nothing more unsettling than the thought of bugs in your bed feasting on you while you sleep. If you suspect you have bed bugs, you need to partner with professional pest control in Raleigh. Our team of experts at Pest & Termite Consultants can help you identify bed bugs and provide answers to common questions about these parasitic pests.
How Do Bed Bugs Spread?
Although commonly associated with hotels, bed bugs spread wherever people congregate. If you think you have bed bugs, they likely arrived at your home by getting a ride on suitcases, clothing, or bed sheets brought into your home from an infested location.
Eradicated in Western countries by insecticides such as DDT in the 1940s, bed bugs have experienced a resurgence since the 1990s. Their revival is due to increases in international travel and resistance to some insecticides.
Does Vacuuming Help Keep Bed Bugs Away?
Vacuuming is a suggested remedy for getting rid of bed bugs fast. Before you attempt to vacuum away bed bugs, it is best to discover how to identify them. Bed bugs have the following characteristics:
- Oval in shape
- 3/16 inches in size
- Six-legged
- Brown and flat before eating
- Red, swollen, and elongated when fed
Although the thought of having a bed bug infestation is unsettling, you may be encouraged to know that bed bugs cannot fly because they do not have wings.
Is vacuuming a way to get rid of bed bugs fast? Vacuuming may help reduce the number of bed bugs, but it is not 100% effective at eliminating them. You cannot stop a bed bug infestation by vacuuming alone for the following reasons:
- Suction may not be strong enough
- Attachments may not be able to access all crevices
- Eggs of bed bugs may be flicked off of the upholstery while vacuuming
- Vacuuming does not kill bed bugs—they can survive a trip through the vacuum hose
While vacuuming may help reduce the bed bug population in your home, it is not a way to completely eliminate bed bugs.
Will High Heat Kill Bed Bugs In Raleigh?
Because of our hot and sometimes very humid summers, some ask: Will high heat kill the bed bugs? Yes and no. The heat we experience in Raleigh as we enjoy outdoor dining and traveling the various trails, paths, and boardwalks, will not kill the bed bugs in our homes.
How does heat kill bed bugs? Heat may kill beg bugs in the following ways:
- Steam heat can kill bed bugs in carpet, upholstery, and behind baseboards
- Clothes dryers can destroy bed bugs in infested clothing
- Heat chambers can eliminate beg bugs in large furniture items
Although you may be able to kill bed bugs in your clothing using the high heat setting on your clothes drying, you will not be able to eliminate the bed bug problem in your home.
Total Bed Bug Control For Raleigh Residents
If you are a Raleigh resident, the best way to obtain total bed bug control is by securing the expert services of Pest & Termite Consultants of Raleigh. We possess the tools, training, and experience needed to provide you with total bed bug control. Because we get rid of bed bugs fast, you don’t have to live with itchy bed bug bites or the embarrassment of reddish-brown fecal stains on your mattresses, walls, and upholstery. Be sure to call your local Pest & Termite Consultants and let us get rid of your bed bugs fast.