Myth: You can’t see a Bed Bug.
Bed Bugs can be seen with the naked eye. Adult Bed Bugs are about the size of an apple seed. They are reddish brown in color. Nymphs (newly hatched) are typically translucent or faint yellow. There are four more stages in between. The closer they get to adulthood, the larger and darker they get.
Myth: Bed Bugs are more common in dirty homes.
Bed Bugs don’t discriminate. They don’t care if your house hasn’t been cleaned since you moved in, or if you deep clean every day. However, the more clutter you have, the more places there are for them to hide. It also makes a Bed Bug Heat Treatment more difficult.
Myth: Parking my car in the direct sunlight on a hot day will kill all of the Bed Bugs in my vehicle.
I am currently live by Sarasota Florida. It’s 91 degrees out with a humidex that makes it feel 100. I took my temperature gun and took the temps on my dash, top of my seats, under the floor mats and underneath the seats.
Here are my Findings:
Dash: 175 degrees
Top of seats: 127 degrees
Under the floormats: 114 degrees
Under the seats: 98 degrees
The kill temperature to kill Bed Bugs starts at 113 degrees.
Myth: A Bed Bug mattress encasement will protect me from getting bits while I sleep.
Bed Bug mattress encasements have 2 purposes. They keep any Bed Bugs from getting into your mattress and trap any that were already in your mattress. It doesn’t protect you from them crawling up while you are sleeping and feeding upon you. They can also be used as an early warning device for Bed Bugs. The encasements are typically white. Bed Bug fecal matter is black, so it is easy to spot. These encasements are not needed for a Bed Bug Heat Treatment.
Myth: A Bed Bug visual or K-9 inspection can tell me which rooms are free of Bed Bugs.
If you are not sure if you have Bed Bugs, an inspection is almost always the right route to take. Inspections are done to tell a person if they have Bed Bugs. K-9s are better than a visual inspection, but they will also cost more money. Bed Bugs are great at hiding. Most of the time. Evidence of Bed Bugs can be found. But if a room is checked and no evidence or bugs are found, it means just that. No Bed Bugs or evidence was found. There still could be Bed Bugs in those rooms, even if they were cleared by a K-9 inspection. K-9s are a better detector because of their heightened sense of smell. However, bugs can be where there is no air movement for the dog to smell or for an inspector to see.
Myth: Bed Bugs only come out at night or when the room is dark.
Most bites happen at night; this is true. The reason that this is true is because that’s normally the time when we are at rest. Whether sitting in our favorite spot watching TV or reading or in our beds. That’s when we are in one place for a period of time. Leaving a light on when you sleep or watch TV will also not prevent Bed Bugs from coming out and feeding. People who work the 3rd shift still get Bed Bugs and get fed upon when relaxing/sleeping.
Myth: Bed Bugs can transmit diseases
Bed Bugs don’t transmit disease. There are, however, hundreds of thousands of documented cases of a Bed Bug infestation causing mental illness due to the stress and anxiety from having to live with them.
When you are ready, we are here to help. Call today for a free quote on a Bed Bug Heat Treatment.