Bed Bugs

For bed bug control in Tacoma, Puyallup and the greater Puget Sound region you can count on Independent Pest Solution.

For reasons that still are not entirely understood, beginning around the year 2000 The Common Bedbug began to appear more and more often. There can be vexing problems in college dorms, apartments, private homes, hotels, and in prisons. Today we know that The Common Bed Bug may be found nearly any place that people may transport them, including airplanes, theaters, schools, libraries, hospitals, and retail stores.

What is the Common Bedbug?
The adult bed bug is about one fourth of an inch long and oval shaped. It is reddish brown in color. The species known as The Common Bedbug (also called The Human Bedbug) - Cimex lectularius – is primarily as a human parasite. An animal which derives all of its food from the body of another living animal, which normally will feed more than once on the same individual animal, and which usually does not directly cause the death of the animal upon which it feeds is generally known as a parasite. The animal from which the food is obtained is known as the host of the parasite. The successful parasite recognizes where its food comes from, and if it routinely fed so heavily on that host animal that it caused the death of the animal it also would lose its source of food. The successful parasite has a vested interest in keeping its food supply alive and available, hence the difficulty in locating, eradicating and preventing it presence. Bed bugs are very hardy creatures. The adults can live for a year or longer without feeding and can survive over winter in unheated buildings. These are not parasites that will be starved into extinction.

How can I tell if I have bedbugs?
A person attacked by a bed bug may continue to bleed for a short time after the bed bug leaves. It takes about 10 minutes to feed. This, as well as fecal matter from the departing bed bug, may cause blood spots on the sheets, and this is a very good diagnostic sign of their presence. The inspection often centers around that mattress on the bed, as 70% or more of the bed bugs may be hiding in that area. Blood spots on the mattress or mattress cover are keys to look for, along with an inspection of the mattress seams for blood, bed bugs themselves, or their tiny white eggs. They are not presently proven to be vectors of disease but certainly are not comfortable to have around, and the saliva they inject when they feed contains substances that may cause serious allergic reactions in some sensitive people. We should never try to diagnose the cause of a “bump” on someone’s skin. There are too many other biting insects that might cause it along with dozens of non-insect possibilities, and if the “bites” someone is claiming to have turn out to be a reaction to a medication or a bacterial infection we have created a problem for ourselves with our misdiagnosis.

If you suspect that you have an infestation contact our office for a free professional inspection by a licensed pest control technician to positively identify the issue and take the first steps towards solving it.