FOUR COMMON MYTHS ABOUT BED BUGS IN AIKEN

When bed bugs get into your Aiken home, you might have some misconceptions about what you're dealing with. There are many myths regarding these insects, and these myths can lead you to make incorrect decisions when it comes to bed bug control. Let's take a look at four of them and see how these myths can steer you in the wrong direction.

MYTH 1. Bed Bugs Only Live In Beds

Since the word "bed" is in their name, it seems reasonable to conclude that bed bugs only live in beds. If you believe this, you may think that throwing your mattress, box spring, and bed frame out will solve your bed bug problem. You wouldn't be alone in this thinking. Many have tried this. Unfortunately, this does little or nothing to get control of bed bugs because this is a myth. Bed bugs can live in many places. 

Here are just a few of the places they can live:

• Nightstands
• Upholstered furniture
• Cracks and gaps in wooden furniture
• Behind baseboards and crown molding
• Under carpet edges
• Inside wall outlets
• Inside wall voids
• In luggage, bags, boxes, and other containers
• Inside pocketbooks

MYTH 2. Bed Bugs Only Feed On People At Night

This myth isn't entirely incorrect. When bed bugs get into your home, they will feed on you at night. But that isn't the only time they'll feed on you. Bed bugs can feed during the day, and they are able to feed on you while you're fully awake. Therefore, taking measures to get control of bed bugs by installing mattress and box spring encasements, bed bug traps under your bed legs, and other control products to prevent nighttime bites, may not eliminate these insects. Bed bugs can go a long time without eating. As they hunger, they'll begin to look for other ways to feed on you if they can get at you during the night. A likely location will be your couch. If you lounge on your couch to binge some television shows, bed bugs will have ample opportunity to feed on you. They may also feed on your feet and legs while you work at your computer, or while you sit somewhere to eat or read. They don't have to wait for you to go to sleep.

MYTH 3. Bed Bugs Only Infest Dirty Homes

This is probably the oldest myth about bed bugs. It is likely that this myth started because onlookers watched mattresses being carried out of homes with black bed bug feces and dried brown bloodstains on them. Bed bugs make a mess of things when they infest a home. But this mess isn't done in obvious places. Your home can look clean and beautiful and have bed bug filth hiding between your mattress and box spring, underneath the cushions of your couch, or in the cracks, crevices, and seams of your belongings. It is easy to miss this hidden mess. Not only this, but bed bugs don't come into your home because it is messy. While bed bugs are dirty insects, they're not attracted to dirty environments. Even if they were, it wouldn't matter. Bed bugs don't choose where they live. These insects spread from one location to another in a passive way. They hide inside tight spaces and dark voids. When an object they are hiding in is moved to a new place, they're moved with it. Bed bugs don't live outside, and they don't go from home to home on their own.

When you're considering bed bug control, it is important to understand that bed bugs won't get into your home from your yard. Exterior treatments won't do anything to eliminate these insects. You need to consider where you may have picked these bugs up, and take steps to prevent this from happening again.

MYTH 4. You Can Get Rid Of Bed Bugs On Your Own

As you consider how to eliminate the bed bugs in your home, you may go to the internet for answers. If you do, you'll find a lot of misinformation out there. It isn't that you're being lied to. It is just that many people have limited success at killing bed bugs without actually arresting the infestation in their homes. We strongly recommend hiring a licensed pest professional to completely exterminate bed bugs.

How Aiken Pest Control Can Help

If you live in Aiken or the surrounding area, contact Aiken Pest Control for effective control of these bugs. We use field-tested strategies to make sure no bugs remain. We get every adult, nymph, and egg. Reach out to us today and get started on becoming bed bug free once again.