You’ve been waking up itchier than usual with welts located all over your body. Every morning you ask yourself, “Do I have bed bugs?” The only way to know for sure is to hire a pest professional like Kanga Pest Control. We provide safe, reliable pest control in Salem, and we know how to get rid of bed bugs.

So before you pick up that phone to dial, let’s investigate your itchy problem further. How do you get bed bugs in the first place? What do bed bugs eat, anyway? We have your answers to these and many more questions about bed bugs.

What Are Bed Bugs?

Bed bugs are small, oval insects that are brown in color. What do bed bugs eat, you ask? Well, they suck the blood of warm-blooded animals, and human blood is their favorite! Can you see bed bugs? The short answer is yes. An adult bed bug has a flat body that’s about the size of an apple seed, but after they feed, they swell and are a reddish-brown color. Newborn bed bugs are tiny but visible and about the size of a poppy seed. Adults grow to about 1/4 inch long, and they’re called bed bugs because they love to live in sofas, mattresses, clothing, and other soft spots. Bed bugs can’t fly, but that doesn’t mean they can’t move. Instead, they scurry quickly across floors, walls, and even ceilings.

Are Bed Bugs Dangerous?

Bed bugs are pests that are a public health risk. While they don’t transmit disease, they do cause many physical and mental health effects.

The clearest indication of a bed bug infestation is waking up with red bites in a line or pattern on your body in the morning. Bed bug bites can trigger severe allergic reactions, but aside from that, bed bug bites rarely lead to severe symptoms or serious health conditions. Symptoms are usually very mild, and if anything, the emotional distress of the infestation has more dire effects than physical ones. The impact of living in a bed bug-infested home can be extremely stressful, and being unable to sleep for fear of being some pest’s midnight snack affects your sleep, causing detrimental effects on your mental health.

How Can I Prevent From Bringing Bed Bugs Into My Home?

Bed bugs are tricky little pests, and there’s more than one way for a bed bug infestation to occur. Don’t feel like you’re living in filth because you have a bed bug problem, as an infestation can happen in even the cleanest of homes. So, how do you get bed bugs, and what can you do to prevent something like this from happening in the future? Here are some tips to keep bed bugs out of your Salem home:

• Bed bugs can get into a home as stowaways on luggage, furniture, and bedding.
• Be careful when buying second-hand furniture, as this is a common way for bed bugs to gain access to your home.
• Never buy a used mattress.
• Encase your mattress and box spring in a protective covering.
• When you travel, avoid putting luggage on your bed and vacuum your luggage when you get home.
• Separate your travel clothes from your regular laundry and wash your travel clothes in hot water immediately.

What’s The Best Way To Get Rid of Bed Bugs?

Once you’ve established that you’ve got a bed bug infestation, it’s time to call Kanga Pest Control for effective bed bug control in Salem. We can identify your bed bug infestation, and we know how to get rid of bed bugs. We know how to eliminate bed bugs and keep them out of your Salem home for good, giving you that restful night’s sleep you’ve been waiting for. Don’t just trust any pest control to rid your home of bed bugs; give us a call today.