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Florida Bed Bugs   arrow

There are few insects you’ll see me right more about than bed bugs. Bed bugs are some of the worst, most pervasive pests out there. They live in your homes and drink your blood. Today we’re going to talk about identification and control of these insectoid vampires: the Florida Bed Bugs.

Florida Bed Bugs: Overview

The bed bug has been a common pest since as long as we’ve had recorded history. They feed on our blood, causing itchy bites and are very irritating to their human hosts. The Environmental Protection Agency, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and the United States Department of Agriculture all consider the bed bug a public health pest. Thankfully, unlike mosquitoes or ticks, they don’t spread or transmit diseases.

But that doesn’t change the fact that bed bugs can cause other public health issues. It remains important to stay on top of preventing, identifying, and controlling bed bugs. And as the globe gets warmer travel increases, and general bed bug knowledge slips, infestations are on the rise. The overuse of chemical pesticides is also leading to the surviving bed bugs developing immunities to those controls, as well as ineffective methods of pest control.  That’s why the first step in controlling bed bugs is always prevention. Arming yourself with good information is the first step in keeping your home free from tiny bloodsuckers. To start, you have to know what they look like.

Appearance:

Oddly enough, there are many bugs that look similar to bed bugs. That’s why accurate identification is key. Bat bugs, Cockroaches, and Carpet Beetles are similar in appearance at varying stages in their life cycle, which is why it’s so important to be able to tell a bed bug at a glance to know what kind of infestation you have to deal with.

In general, adult bed bugs are about the size of an apple seed, anywhere from 3/16 to a fourth of an inch long. Bed bugs are brown and mostly flat, with a long, oval-shaped body before feeding. But when they feed, bed bugs look more balloon-like and reddish-brown after gorging on blood. They have a beak with three segments, antenna that have four short parts, wings that aren’t used for flying, and short, bristly golden hairs. This makes them “true bugs”. They’re also kind of smelly, with a sweetish musty odor produced on the glands on the lower side of their bodies.

The younger bugs, known as nymphs, are smaller and clear or whitish-yellow in color. They can be very hard to see unless they’ve recently fed because of the color and size. When it comes to their eggs, they’re very tiny; about the size of a pinhead. They’re also pearl white in color, and once again very hard to see.

Spotting Florida Bed Bugs

Like any infestation, it’s best if you find them earlier on. Treating a minor infestation before it spreads is an inconvenience, sure. But it’s far less costly and time-intensive than treating the same infestation a few months down the line when it becomes much more widespread.

The tradeoff here is that low-level infestations are harder to find and correctly identify. Like I said earlier, carpet beetles or young roaches can take the blame in a case of mistaken identity. This lets the bed bugs spread around your home or business. Bites, for example, are a pretty poor single way to identify an infestation, since they look similar to other bites from mosquitoes or chiggers. Some people don’t show any reaction to bed bug bites at all.

Instead, you should spend your time looking for physical signs of the insect’s presence in your home or place of business. For example, rusty or reddish stains can be caused by bed bugs being crushed when you lay down or rise from the bed. Dark spots about the size of a period on your computer screen could be identified as bed bug droppings, and they bleed like a marker on line paper.

Eggs and eggshells, as well as pale yellow skins shed by nymphs,  can be left behind in your bedding.

Biggest Infestation signs

Of course, the biggest sign is live bed bugs. But when they’re not out feeding, bed bugs hide in a variety of places around your home. You can find them in many places around beds, including near the piping, seams, and tags of the mattress. They can also be found in the box spring, and in cracks on the frame and headboard.

If you’re dealing with a heavy infestation, you can find bed bugs in the seams of chairs and couches, between cushions, and in the fold of curtains. But you can also spot them in drawers, electrical sockets, and appliances, under loose wallpaper, at the junction where the wall and ceiling meet, or even in the head of a screw. They’re only about the width of a credit card, so they can squeeze into virtually anyplace.

Bed Bug Behavior

Understanding the behavior of this pest is another good tool in your toolbelt when it comes to keeping infestations from spreading. Bed bugs prefer to feed on humans, but will feed on your pets. This insect will readily travel twenty feet from their hiding places to feed on a sleeping host. If hungry, they will even seek out hosts during the day. And the feeding of a bed bug isn’t a quick affair and can take anywhere from three to ten minutes. These pests are hardy as well and can survive at temperatures as low as forty-six degrees, all the way up to just over a hundred degrees.

What Can You Do?

Well, outside of being on top of identification, there really isn’t much else for you to do. Once you find a bunch of Florida Bed Bugs in your home, it’s time to pass the ball. Contact a professional pest control specialist. And, if you can, go for someone that uses natural, effective methods. Chemical pesticides are not only dangerous to you and your home, but bed bugs are starting to develop resistance to them.