Bed Bug Facts & Treatment Options

General Bed Bug Facts

Bed bugs are small, flat, reddish-brown insects roughly the size of an apple seed (about 3/16 to 1/4 inch long). They have oval-shaped bodies that swell and turn darker red after feeding on blood. Bed bugs are nocturnal parasites; they typically come out at night to bite sleeping people and pets, painlessly drawing a blood meal. Their bites often go unnoticed at the moment but oftentimes turn into itchy red welts on the skin. During the day, bed bugs hide in cracks and crevices near where people sleep or relax. You can find them tucked along mattress seams, box spring edges, headboards, or inside furniture joints and baseboard cracks. Because they are about as thin as a credit card, these pests can squeeze into extremely small hiding spots, making them difficult to detect and eliminate without professional help.

Signs of Infestation

Bed bugs can be sneaky, but they do leave behind telltale signs. If you suspect an infestation, check your sleeping areas and furniture for the following indicators:

• Bite Marks – Small, red, itchy bumps on your skin, often appearing in clusters or a straight line after sleeping. (Reactions vary, but many people develop itchy welts that may be grouped together on exposed skin.)
• Blood Stains – Rusty or reddish smears on bed sheets, pillowcases, or mattresses. These stains occur when bed bugs get crushed after feeding, or from small drips of blood they may expel.
• Fecal Spots – Tiny dark brown or black specks on bedding or along mattress seams. Bed bug droppings look like pepper flakes or ink dots and can bleed into fabric like a marker stain.
• Shed Skins – Pale yellow or light brown exoskeletons left behind in areas where bed bugs hide. As they grow, bed bug nymphs molt and leave behind these empty shells, which often accumulate in mattress encasements, crevices, or under furniture.

Discovering any combination of these signs is strong evidence of a bed bug problem. You might even spot live bed bugs themselves if you inspect mattress tufts, behind headboards, or inside furniture cracks. If you notice these signs, it’s important to act quickly before the infestation spreads.

Chemical Treatment Options

Bed bugs are notoriously difficult to eliminate, but Pulaski Pest Control offers professional treatment solutions that are safe, thorough, and effective. We use a combination of proven methods to eradicate bed bugs at all life stages, while keeping your family’s safety in mind. Our bed bug treatment options include:

• Insecticide Applications – Targeted use of EPA-approved professional-grade insecticides to quickly knock down bed bugs. Our licensed technicians carefully treat common hiding spots – such as mattress seams, box springs, baseboards, and furniture crevices – with EPA-approved products designed for bed bug control. These treatments kill bed bugs on contact and penetrate deep into cracks where bugs may be hiding. We ensure precise application in all affected areas to halt the infestation fast.

• Residual Sprays – In addition to immediate treatments, we apply residual insecticide sprays that continue protecting your home in the weeks after the initial service. These specialized formulations leave a microscopic layer behind on surfaces, which remains active to kill any bed bugs that emerge from hiding or hatch later on. The residual treatment creates a long-lasting barrier in cracks and crevices, helping prevent re-infestation. This means that even after we’ve treated your home, any straggler bed bugs contacting treated areas will be eliminated. Residual sprays are an important part of ensuring we don’t just kill existing bugs but also safeguard against those that might have been missed or are introduced afterward.

Our integrated approach may use one or a combination of these methods based on the severity of your infestation. Pulaski Pest Control’s experienced team will inspect your property and recommend the best treatment plan for your situation. We strive to make the process as safe and stress-free as possible – all treatments are carried out by trained professionals who take care to protect your home and belongings. With our comprehensive bed bug program, you can regain peace of mind and a good night’s sleep, knowing these unwelcome pests have been thoroughly eliminated.