Bed bug problems are a serious issue across the United States, but especially so for people in the Pacific Northwest. The moist environment in Puget Sound makes it easy for bed bugs to survive and thrive, according to Bug Busters owner Steve Rogers.
Roger explains that bed bugs are a scary insect because their population can quickly explode and infest everything that a person owns, along with everyone that a person knows. Bed bugs are the only insect that require humans for a food and transportation source, which is why they are so at home in our most comfortable spots.
When a bed bug infestation begins, the first signs that a person will usually notice are unexplained bites on the body. How these bites look can vary depending on the person, with some people reacting more strongly and some people not reacting whatsoever. Nonetheless, these bites are still the first and most noticeable sign that a bed bug infestation is beginning. Unlike fleabites, which can occur in a circle or a group, bed bug bites will always be in a line. According to Rogers, the line of bites is similar to cattle coming to a troth to feed, with the human body being the troth - ouch!
To treat a bed bug problem, a homeowner in Puget Sound should call a pest control expert who has experience with bed bugs. Roger says that the current infestation issues are the most serious he has seen in his 24 years in the business. When he enters a home for a bed bug extermination, Rogers will treat more than just the bed. He will treat the dressers, the nightstands, the wall boards, and every other crack and crevice where the bed bugs could be hiding.
Additionally, a pest control technician treating a bed bug problem will work throughout the entire home, rather than just the infested room. If one bed bug is able to escape the infested room, then the entire extermination process will likely have to be repeated in a few short weeks.
Not only will bed bugs continue to infest a home if left untreated, but they could latch onto visiting guests as well. Rogers tells the story of a client he worked with in Seattle who went to visit a friend in San Francisco last summer. At the end of the week, the friend mentioned casually that he might have a bed bug problem but said nothing more about the situation.
Three weeks later, the Seattle resident was back at home when he began noticing telltale bite marks around his body. He called Rogers’ company, which treats bed bugs in Puget Sound, and had it search his bedroom for signs of an infestation. Nothing immediately popped up for awhile, until Rogers flipped up the brim of the client’s baseball cap and found the source of the infestation. All of his bedbugs had been transported to Seattle from San Francisco via the bill of a baseball cap.
Unlike roaches or bees, bed bugs do not keep going back to the same spot to hide. According to Rogers, they will find new spots to live depending on their population level and other factors. So when someone brings a purse or luggage into a home or hotel room, there is a good chance that any bed bugs currently infesting the residence will latch onto that new material. Rogers has worked with many clients who picked up bed bugs while away on trips.
To emphasize just how much of a problem bed bugs are for residents in Puget Sound, Rogers gives us the statistics. Three years ago, his company did 78 bed bug applications in a year. Last year, they did 541. He says that the problem is still blowing up in the Pacific Northwest, and that it does not look like the number of bed bugs is decreasing anytime soon.
In the end, Rogers says that the ability to get rid of bed bugs in a residence comes down to the technician hired for the job and his skill. Because there is no simple spray that can be used to abolish all bed bugs, pest control technicians need to have experience handling these annoying insects if they are going to have any chance of abolishing them entirely.