Unseen Hitchhikers: How Bed Bugs Invade Roanoke Homes

Question: What Is The Difference Between Hitchhikers And Bed Bugs?

Answer: Bed Bugs Don’t Ask For A Ride.

Imagine sitting on a friend’s couch or perhaps a couch in the corner of your favorite coffee shop. As you are sitting there minding your own business, bed bugs could be crawling into the hems of your clothing without you even noticing. They might catch a ride on a child's stuffed-animal, on a borrowed blanket, or on your purse or backpack. Bed bugs don’t ask for a ride, and they don’t ask to eat us alive while we sleep. Bed bugs are essentially inconsiderate bloodsucking hitchhikers who silently infiltrate houses leaving homeowners looking for answers. They both figuratively and literally make people’s skin crawl. They are one of the nastiest, gnarliest, and grossest pests that invade Roanoke homes. To make matters worse, bed bugs are extremely hard to get rid of without professional help. 

Bed Bug Hot Spots

Because of the way bed bugs travel, they tend to be more prevalent in places where people congregate. They might catch a ride to the theater on one person and leave with someone else. When more people visit a public area, it is more likely that the place will be visited by bed bugs too. That is why inns, hotels, and motels are well-known bed bug hot spots. Without a professional pest control plan to keep bed bugs away, leisure management and other facilities are susceptible to bed bug infestation. 

Bed Bugs Are Opportunists

Bed bugs don’t only infest hospitality areas, and they don’t only travel on our bodies. Bed bugs are opportunists because they can be found almost anywhere, and they can travel in several ways. They can live on furniture, carpeting, in electrical outlets, and on our clothing. Furthermore, they can travel on any item they can live on. That is why it is important to inspect items you may purchase second hand. With a little observation, you can make sure you don’t get more than you bargained for with your next yard sale or craigslist furniture purchase. Here are the signs of bed bug activity:

• Bed bugs are big enough to see, but you have to look closely for apple seed-sized insects. 
• Bed bugs poop. Their poop is dark brown or black and can be seen clearly on white paper.
• Bed bugs shed their skin. Bed bug dander is light grey and white and can be seen clearly on black paper.
• Bed bugs stink. Not everything that stinks has bed bugs, but everything with bed bugs stinks. They have a distinctive musky smell. Smelling items before you buy them won’t only keep you from buying things you probably don’t want, it might also help you avoid bringing bed bugs into your home. It is always a good idea to smell check second-hand purchases.

Bed Bugs Are Treatable

There are so many ways that bed bugs invade our homes that it doesn’t do any good trying to blame someone or something for causing your current infestation. There is no way to tell how or who brought these little bloodsucking hitchhikers into your home in the first place. Bed bugs don't ask for a ride, so they could have come from anywhere. The good news is, you don’t have to suffer any longer. Our experts are experienced and well versed in bed bug prevention and treatment. We can help. We are friendly, discreet, and fast. If you have any questions, don’t hesitate to ask. Call Star City Pest Control and WildLife now.