What You Should Know About Bed Bugs In New Braunfels

What is one thing you do to sleep well at night? Some people change the thermostat, so it is cooler at night; others fluff their pillow. One thing we think you should do to help with sleep is to make sure you aren’t being bitten by bed bugs at night. These invasive blood-feeding pests are a big problem here in New Braunfels. To help you better understand how to get rid of bed bugs, here are some things to consider today.

The Lifecycle Of The New Braunfels Bed Bug

A bed bug starts its life as an egg. Female bed bugs typically lay anywhere from 200 to 250 eggs in their lifetime. These eggs are laid inside cracks and crevices throughout homes and take six to ten days to hatch. Once hatched, bed bug nymphs go through five stages of development before reaching adulthood.

In the first stage, nymphs are incredibly small, only about 1.3mm long. In order to develop from one stage to another, a nymph must feed on blood. They do this by crawling into beds or other areas while people are asleep. When fully engorged with a blood meal, both nymphs and adults take on a more bloated and red color as opposed to their normal brownish red, oval-shaped appearance.

As for how to identify bed bugs, we recommend keeping your eyes out for signs like blood stains, fecal droppings, eggs, shed skins, and dead bed bugs.

What's It Like To Live With A Bed Bug Infestation?

Bed bugs are among the more difficult pests to identify here in New Braunfels. This is mostly because of how elusive these pests are, but things do change after bed bugs make their way indoors. The first thing you might notice is bite marks on your skin. One bed bug does not bite just once; they bite, back up, bite, back up, and bite again, usually biting a total of three times. This leaves a zig-zag pattern or straight line of bites on the skin.

One thing to note is that not everyone has the same reaction to bites. Some people experience no symptoms at all. Keeping this in mind, as bed bug infestations become worse, things like anemia and insomnia may become issues. If your infestation has reached this point, seek help immediately.

Five Simple Ways To Keep Bed Bugs Away

1. When traveling, check rooms you are going to be staying in for bed bugs and the signs they leave behind. If you find anything concerning, change rooms or establishments.

2. Before traveling home from time away, store your used clothing and other fabrics inside air-tight bags. When you get home, wash it all on high heat to kill any hiding bed bugs.

3. Before having family or friends over for a short or long-term stay, ask them to check their homes for bed bugs to avoid bringing any over.

4. Check used furniture, clothing, and other items for bed bugs before purchasing them.

5. Do not set any items down in public for more than 20 minutes at a time.

Permanent Bed Bug Removal

If you are having trouble sleeping at night and are waking up with bites on your skin, take action and invest in local pest control for bed bugs. At Gold Start Exterminators, we offer advanced bed bug control options to help members of our community identify and eliminate these sleep-wrecking pests.

Our bed bug control services in New Braunfels are designed to fit each of our client's unique needs and are guaranteed to address your problem. Call Gold Star Exterminators today to learn more about our local pest control for bed bugs and schedule your home for a detailed inspection.