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Back To School Bed Bug Tips

Bed bugs are a very misunderstood bug. This wouldn’t be so bad if it weren’t for the fact that not understanding them is directly connected to how easily they can get into our homes. You see, bed bugs count on you not knowing what they look like, how they travel, and where you can pick them up. That is why these hitchhiking bugs have made a dramatic resurgence over the last 15 years here in the United States.

What Bed Bugs Look Like

These insects go through 5 instars (stages of development) before they reach the adult stage. In each stage, they get a little bigger and look a little more like the rust-colored, oval bug they will eventually be.

In its first instar, a bed bug will be about the size of the tip on a pen and have a skin that is mostly transparent, but since they are insects, you may be able to differentiate these bugs from other tiny bugs by the fact that they have six legs.

As they grow, one of the most notable visual features of bed bugs is the dark coloring toward the end of their abdomens and an increase in horizontal indents running across their backs.

How Bed Bugs Travel

These bugs live almost exclusively with humans, and their primary means of spreading is through a process of hitchhiking. They are most likely to hitchhike as nymphs, which are much harder to see than adult bed bugs. While an adult bed bug is still quite small–about the size of a sunflower seed–it is hard not to notice them.

Where You Can Pick Bed Bugs Up

As you have probably already guessed, bed bugs can be picked up in public places, like schools. They can be anywhere people come and go. Since colleges and public schools have lots of people coming and going, they are more at risk of these pests infesting; but an infestation doesn’t need to be present in a school for bed bugs to come home with your kids. These bugs can hop a ride from one child to the next. That is why it is so important that you and your kids know what bed bugs and their eggs look like. Recognizing these bugs, their eggs, and the bites they leave is the first line of defense for parents.

If bed bugs slip past your defenses, it is time to call in a professional. These bugs are extremely hard to get rid of. They have been living with humans since the dawn of time, and they’re really good at evading our attempts to stop them from doing that. At Spencer Pest Services, we employ specially trained service professionals who know how to find and eradicate bed bugs fast and safely.

Don’t let the bed bugs bite. Get bed bug services you can trust from Spencer Pest Services.

 
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