Bed bugs continue to be a major problem in many residential and commercial buildings. If you’re unfortunate enough to be a victim of their infestation, you may be wondering what you can do to protect yourself from them. After all, bed bugs tend to show up even in the most pristine of environments. Contacting pest control services in Lansing, Michigan is one of the best things you can do in your fight against bed bug infestation.
Bed Bug Infestation: A Growing Problem
Bed bug infestation has been around for as long as human history. However, its prevalence has increased in recent decades, making it a public health issue in many places.
A major reason for this increased infestation is the ease of air travel. Nowadays, flying from one destination to another is much easier than in the past. This has facilitated the spread of bed bugs from endemic areas, with luggage being a convenient means of enabling the spread of these pests.
Hotels and other similar lodging are also a hotbed for bed bugs. Given that a significant number of travelers stay at such places, it means that the instances of bed bug spread are multiplied several times over.
You may unwittingly bring bed bugs into your residence every time you come back from a trip. In addition to your luggage, your clothing or any other fabric can be a suitable medium through which bedbugs can find their way into your home.
Unlike many other types of pests, bedbugs cannot fly. This means that they can only crawl from one place to another. As such, their infestation may be gradual. Many of them can invade a building through floor and ceiling openings, walls, and conduits like pipes.
How Do You Protect Yourself?
While not impossible, getting rid of bugs in bed in Lansing Michigan completely is a difficult task, usually requiring professional help. Given the rate at which they lay their eggs and the numerous potential hiding spots in your home, their total elimination requires a lot of work and vigilance.
Below are some of the ways you can protect yourself from bedbug infestation.
1)Be Mindful of Your Belongings When Traveling
This is especially true when you’re traveling. Public lodging like hotels can have bedbugs, even high-end ones. Before you settle into any hotel room, keep your luggage off the floor. Instead, put it on the dresser or luggage rack. Better yet, you can put it in the bathroom. Bed bugs tend to avoid bathrooms. After that, inspect the room thoroughly for any signs of bed bug infestation. These include stained sheets, a musty odor around the room, oval-shaped eggs resembling apple seeds, etc. Use airtight plastic bags for your luggage when staying at hotels. It’ll prevent bedbugs from getting into your luggage (and your home later on).
2) Reduce Clutter
A cluttered environment is one of the main factors that facilitates bedbug infestation. Reducing clutter means fewer hiding spots for these bedbugs to set up shop. Get rid of excess things you don’t need. Always keep your house clean. If it means hiring professional cleaning services every once in a while then do it. It’ll help you avoid the headache of having to deal with bedbugs later on.
3) Be Vigilant
It always helps to stay vigilant for signs of bedbug infestation. This ensures that you can tackle the problem early on before it gets worse. Always be on the lookout for signs of bedbug infestation. For instance, bedbugs shed their outer shells from time to time. This almost looks like the insect itself. Seeing these around the house should alert you to their presence, meaning you should take prompt action.
Avoid purchasing things like second-hand furniture, a favorite hiding spot for bedbugs. If you have to, ensure to have it thoroughly inspected and chemically treated to kill any bedbugs.
4) Be Mindful When Using Public Facilities
If you live in a building with shared facilities like a laundry area, ensure to keep your clothes in a plastic bag whenever you go to do your laundry. Given that numerous people frequent such places, there is a good chance of someone bringing in bedbugs with their dirty laundry. If you use a laundry basket, inspect it thoroughly after doing your laundry at such places before heading back to your residence.
5) Call Professional Bedbug Inspectors
Even when bedbug infestation isn’t obvious at your home, it doesn’t hurt to call in professionals for a thorough inspection of your house once or twice a year. Identifying bedbug problems early on is usually better than dealing with a full-blown infestation later on. You can give yourself peace of mind every time these professionals give your home a clean bill of health.
Ultimately, vigilance is key to protecting yourself against bedbugs.
