Insect Control
Bed Bugs Treatment & Removal
Bed Bugs Description
Small, oval, flattened body; six legs, two antennae; adept at hiding in narrow spaces.
Bed Bugs Size
Adults measure about 4 to 5 mm, roughly the size of an apple seed.
Bed Bugs Color
Reddish-brown, darkening after feeding; abdomen shows noticeable color change as blood is digested.
Bed Bugs Habitat
Favors dark, secluded spots close to sleeping areas, like mattress seams and furniture joints.
Bed Bugs Diet
Exclusively blood; prefers humans but will feed on other mammals if necessary; nocturnal feeder.
Bed Bugs Lifecyle
Undergoes incomplete metamorphosis: eggs, several nymph stages, and adults; requires blood meals to grow.
Types of Bed Bugs in Canada
In Canada, the Cimex lectularius is the predominant bed bug species found. These pests thrive in environments with consistent human activity, such as homes, hotels, shelters, and apartment buildings. They are highly adaptable and can spread quickly in urban settings with high population densities and frequent turnover, such as hotels and apartment complexes. Understanding the common types of bed bugs is essential for implementing effective control and prevention strategies.
Problems caused by Bed Bugs
Bed bugs cause itchy, red bites that can lead to allergic reactions and secondary skin infections. Their presence often results in significant psychological distress, anxiety, and sleep disturbances. Economically, managing a bed bug infestation can be costly, requiring professional extermination services and sometimes the replacement of infested furniture and bedding. These pests can also cause reputational damage to businesses like hotels and rental properties.
Appearance and identification
Bed bugs are small, wingless insects, measuring about 4 to 5 mm in length, comparable to the size of an apple seed. They are reddish-brown, turning darker after feeding on blood. Their flat, oval-shaped bodies allow them to hide in narrow crevices, such as mattress seams, bed frames, and furniture joints. Identifying features include their segmented antennae, six legs, and a distinctive, sweet but unpleasant odor in larger infestations.
How worried should I be about Bed Bugs?
While bed bugs do not transmit diseases, their presence can cause significant discomfort, anxiety, and stress. They reproduce rapidly, making infestations challenging to control without professional help. Immediate action is crucial to prevent a small infestation from becoming severe. Professional extermination, combined with preventive measures, is necessary to effectively manage and eliminate bed bug populations, ensuring peace of mind and a healthy living environment.
Why do I have Bed Bugs?
Bed bugs are expert hitchhikers, often entering homes via luggage, clothing, or used furniture from infested locations. They are attracted to the warmth and carbon dioxide humans emit. Their flat bodies enable them to hide in small spaces, making detection difficult. High-turnover environments like hotels, hostels, and apartment buildings are particularly vulnerable to infestations due to the frequent movement of people and belongings, allowing bed bugs to spread easily.
How can I prevent Bed Bugs?
To prevent bed bugs, regularly inspect sleeping areas, mattresses, and furniture, especially after traveling or receiving guests. Use protective covers on mattresses and pillows to deter infestations. Keep living spaces decluttered to reduce hiding spots. Be cautious when bringing second-hand furniture into your home. Regularly wash and dry bed linens at high temperatures to kill any potential bed bugs. Promptly seal cracks and crevices in walls and furniture.
How Does Our Bed Bugs Treatment & Removal Work?
Bed Bug Inspection
Pestcheck’s initial service includes a thorough inspection where we diligently search for bed bugs and their eggs in every conceivable space within your home. Our team examines mattresses, furniture, and tiny crevices, meticulously documenting each finding. This comprehensive approach ensures we capture the full scope of any infestation, providing a solid foundation for the precise application of our tailored treatment strategies.
Bed Bug Control
At Pestcheck, we prioritize safe and effective bed bug control using environmentally responsible products. Our treatments penetrate deeply to eliminate bed bugs in all life stages, ensuring thorough eradication. We focus on minimizing pesticide use while maximizing efficacy, providing sustainable solutions that protect your family, pets, and home, and preventing future infestations for lasting peace of mind.
Bed Bug Follow-Up
Our bed bug control strategy is designed to be efficient, often requiring just one visit to effectively handle the problem, saving you both time and money. However, if additional assurance is needed, Pestcheck is prepared to perform subsequent treatments. These follow-up visits are focused on ensuring that your home remains completely free of bed bugs, maintaining the safety and comfort of your living environment long-term.
Other Questions About Bed Bugs
Frequently Asked Questions
We have been helping our Metro Vancouver residents and businesses with their pest control needs for several years. We have gathered the most common questions that we have received, and we answered them for you. The following is a list of questions and answers at your disposal.
Bed bugs are small insects that live off the blood of people and animals. They have flat, oval-shaped bodies that are usually brown, although they take on a reddish colour after they’ve fed.
Bed bugs can enter your home through clothing, luggage, or second hand furniture. They are commonly picked up while travelling, when staying in hotels. They can also spread into nearby rooms or other apartments after they’ve settled into a home.
Bed bugs are mostly active at night and bite people while they are sleeping. They can bite anywhere where there is exposed skin, but recurring bites usually appear in the same general area.
Bed bugs can spread through contaminated clothing, luggage, and furniture. They can also spread from one room or apartment to another. Bed bugs spread by crawling and are known to contaminate many rooms in a home. They can easily hide in books, in the back of pictures hanging on a wall, inside of fabric furniture, bedding and clothing.
If you suspect that you have a bed bug infestation, remove all your bedding and check for signs of the bugs such as shed skins or excrement. Peel back the fabric in your box spring and check the wood frame. You should also check nearby shelves, dressers, and any cracks in the walls. If you aren’t sure what to look for, contact Pestcheck Pest Control.
Signs of bed bugs include bites, small brown spots on bedding and small blood smears on sheets.
The most common place to find bed bug eggs is in the tucks and folds of the mattress and box spring. They also hide behind headboards, along baseboards, sofas and other soft furnishings.
Finally, the most important FAQ: bed bugs. If it turns out that you have a bed bug infestation, you should follow the following steps in order to properly get rid of them:
- Wash all your bedding and affected clothing in hot water. Then dry them on your dryer’s highest setting. Any stuffed animals or other soft furnishings that cannot be washed should be placed in your dryer at the highest setting for 40 minutes.
- Use a stiff brush to brush away any bugs or their eggs from the seams on your mattress. Vacuum your mattress and the surrounding area. Place your vacuum cleaner bag outside in your garbage can away from your house.
- If you have any cracks in your walls where the bugs might be hiding, repair them with plaster to remove these potential hiding places.
- Since bed bugs can live for up to a year without feeding, place an encasement over your mattress to keep the bugs from getting in or out.
- Keep the area around your bed free of clutter.
A question asked by landlords and tenants alike. Who is responsible for the treatment of the unit if a bed bug infestation is discovered? The simple answer is that the landlord or property manager is responsible for the treatment of the unit. However, the tenant is responsible for cooperating with the landlord’s efforts to manage the bed bug infestation – such as prepping the unit for treatment, washing and bagging clothing etc.
Still have a question about bed bugs?
Ask our team. Call us, or request a free quote online.
Keep Up To Date
Latest Articles About Bed Bugs
Check out our blogs and articles to learn more about keeping your home pest-free and your family and pets safe! We’re sharing our expert advice and latest news from behind-the-scenes.
Preparing Your Home or Business for Bed Bug Treatment
Learn how to prepare your home or business for effective bed bug treatment with these essential steps to ensure successful eradication.
Elderly and Pests: Special Considerations for Senior Living Spaces
As our loved ones transition into their golden years, our foremost concern revolves around ensuring their health and comfort. Yet, within the nurturing ambiance of senior living spaces, an often-overlooked
Commercial Bed Bug Control: Protecting Your Business Reputation
Bed bugs are sneaky and elusive creatures, often arriving undetected in luggage, clothing, or other items. Once established, they can spread rapidly throughout your commercial establishment and can be particularly
How Long Does It Take to Get Rid of Bed Bugs Completely?
The presence of bed bugs in your home can have you asking, “How fast can you get rid of bed bugs?” These tiny pests can wreak havoc in your peaceful
The Life Cycle of a Bed Bug: What You Need to Know
Bed bugs are infamous household pests that can infest your living space and disrupt your comfort. They are small, elusive, and reproduce rapidly, making it challenging to eradicate them once
Safeguarding Schools and Playgrounds: Pest Control for Educational Institutions
Did you know that your child’s school or playground could house various types of pests? These unwelcome guests can present a range of health risks to children and may even
Avoiding Bed Bugs While Traveling: A Guide to Identification, Prevention, and Professional Solutions
With a reputation for being one of the most challenging pests to evict, bed bugs are truly the unwelcome hitchhikers of the travel world. Despite the numerous horror stories in
Pests in the Workplace: Best Practices for Businesses and Offices
Pest infestations often bring to mind images of messy households, but the truth is no premises are exempt, including sparkling clean offices. Pest invasion poses not only health risks but
How to Keep Your Pets Safe from Pests: Tips for Pet Owners on Pest Control
Opening your home and your heart to a special pet—be it a dog, cat, or any other furry friend—is truly a joyous experience. However, along with the joy comes a
Pest Control and Sustainability: How to Control Pests While Minimizing Your Environmental Footprint
Pest control is an essential aspect of maintaining a healthy and comfortable home. However, traditional pest control methods often rely on chemical pesticides that can have negative effects on the
How to Prevent Pests from Entering Your Home: 10 Simple Tips
Pests are more than just a nuisance; they can cause serious damage to your home and endanger your health. From rodents to spiders, fleas, and bedbugs, these unwelcome guests can
7 Common Spring Pests And How To Control Them
Spring is upon us and with it, come a variety of pests that can become a nuisance to homeowners. From termites to wasps, fleas, carpenter ants, stink bugs and more,
How Do Professional Pest Control Exterminators Kill Bed Bugs?
Bed bugs are one of the most common pests and they can be hard to get rid of. If you have bed bugs, you may feel overwhelmed and uncertain of
How Long Does Pest Control Last?
Pest control is an important aspect of maintaining a healthy and clean living environment. It involves the use of various methods to control or eliminate pests such as insects, rodents,
What Are the 3 Methods of Pest Control?
Pest control is a vital aspect of maintaining a safe and healthy environment for humans, pets, and plants. Pests can cause a variety of problems, including property damage, food contamination,
How Can I Keep My Home Pest Free Naturally?
Pests are an unwelcome presence in any home. They can cause damage to property, carry diseases, and make you uncomfortable. While many people turn to harsh chemicals to keep their
What Are the Signs of an Insect Infestation?
Insects can be a common problem in many households and can cause significant damage to both property and health. They can carry diseases, cause allergic reactions, and damage structures, furniture,
How to Pestcheck Your Home: This Year’s New Years Resolution
Last year was a good year… for pests. With so many people living and working at home, the generous supply of food and waste generated is becoming an attractive offer
Bed Bugs on Planes
Sorry to give you one more thing to worry during the pandemic but bed bugs will be making a big comeback. As everyone is itching to start travelling again, the
Prep Sheet: How to Prepare Your Home
In an effort to better educate our clients about our pest control services here, in the Lower Mainland, we have assembled helpful, informative preparation sheets on a variety of pests.
We Sell Peace of Mind
Over the years, you would have likely had your share of unwanted guests; in-laws staying over for the holidays or old friends from college who outstay their welcome, but none
The Perfect Christmas Recipe with Pest Control
Chestnuts are roasting on an open fire. Jack Frost is nipping at our nose. Pretty soon, you may even hear yuletide carols being sung by choirs in your neighborhood. It
COVID19 Pandemic and Bed Bugs
Nothing in our lifetime has created such a shift in human behavior as the current Covid19 pandemic. From the way children learn to the way adults work, this global pandemic
Don’t Be Spooked by Halloween Pests
When the chill of autumn arrives, so do some of the season’s scariest decorations. Witches, ghosts, vampires and mummies are the season’s headliners, but what about their trusty sidekicks? It’s
Landlord vs Tenant – Who Pays for Pest Control?
Who pays for Pest Control? This is a tough question to answer. According to the BC Residential Tenancy Policy Guidelines: “The Landlord is responsible for ensuring that rental units and
Pest Proofing Your Storage Unit
Self Storage units full of cardboard, upholstery and cracks and crevices scream “home” for mice, rats, cockroaches and bed bugs to name a few. Unlike a house or an office, a storage unit can go
What’s in Your Laundry Basket?
Believe it or not, bed bugs can hitchhike from home to home through a shared laundry room and laundromats. If you wash or dry your clothes at the hottest temperature,
Bed Bugs Vancouver: How to Travel
Bed bugs are here in North America and they are going no where. So if you and your family are going to travel, check out these recommendations for keeping the
The Bed Bug Attraction
Why are bed bugs attracted to humans? As their name suggests, bed bugs are commonly found in and around beds. But, have you ever wondered why these pests are drawn
World Pest Day
A Brief History on World Pest Day Every June 6 is World Pest Day or sometimes called World Pest Awareness Day. The day was created to raise awareness of how
What Bug Bit You? What Bug Bite Do You Have? Let’s Find Out!
Bug bites are never fun. Itchiness and red, swollen spots are the most common symptoms which make these injuries very uncomfortable. However, depending on the offending bug, the symptoms can
Bed Bug Information
Bed bugs are commonly found in beds because they don’t like to travel far for a meal. But they can be found in other places, too. Anywhere humans spend a lot
How to Hire a Pest Control Company
If you encounter a pest control problem; rather than trying to control the infestation yourself, hire a professional pest control company. When you do need to hire a pest control
Unicorns of Pest Control – The Women in Pest Control
April 9th is Unicorn Day and we are celebrating the Unicorns of Pest Control. Who are they? They are the women in pest control. 50 years ago and more, working
Bed Bugs Hitchhiking from University
Is your kid a student visiting home for the weekend or for the holidays? Then you should be proactive in protecting your home from bed bugs. Bed bugs hitchhiking rides
Business Owners: 5 Reasons to Choose Pestcheck
It is a difficult task for business owners to determine which pest control company is the best option. Because of the various types of pests and the potentially dangerous chemicals
Sleep Tight, Don’t Let the Bed Bugs Bite!
Did you know in the 1950’s, bed bugs were eradicated from most developed countries through the use of the chemical DDT? However, the insecticide was banned in 1972 due to
DIY Pest Control vs Professional
With the help of YouTube you can watch a ‘How to’ video on almost any topic you can think of. DIY for many, is the cheaper option to get rid
