About a year ago, I wrote my opinion about bed bugs. My opinion was that you could NOT have just 1 bed bug, and that you had to react immediately if someone discovered one. This was the case for me when I discovered a bed bug on two occasions in hotels: once in Barcelona and the other time was when I was in Boston. Since then, I have been asked many times “Can you have just 1 bed bug?” Bed bugs aren’t true bugs, but are are more closely related to different types of insects. Despite their name, bed bugs can infest other locations in addition to beds, such as chairs, couches and dressers. There are no hard set numbers on what constitutes an infestation. Bed bugs tend to like areas that provide an ideal hiding place between the mattress and box spring and a dark place to lay eggs. This can be due to lack of cleaning or another reason. However, if you have more than one bed bug bite in the same location it might be a good idea to check your home for bed bugs. Bed bug infestations can be eradicated rather than managed in the long term. However, reducing the number of bed bugs on a bed bug inspection doesn’t mean that there isn’t still a pest problem growing within the home or building. The cost of doing nothing to properly get rid of a bed bug infestation is that it will grow in such a way that leaves you dealing with far more bed bugs than you’re already dealing with at present. Although bed bugs are not necessarily a sign of poor hygiene, they can be incredibly challenging to control if they’ve found a way into your home. Trying to deal with an infestation on your own may seem like a good idea in the beginning, but it will only make things worse.

Can You Have Just 1 Bed Bug

Introduction

You’ve probably heard of bed bugs, but you might not know much about them. Perhaps you’ve seen a news report or had a friend who encountered a bed bug infestation and it scared you enough to want to learn more.

One bed bug is a problem

Bed bugs are a problem for homes and businesses. They hide in cracks, crevices and behind electrical outlets, where they can go unnoticed for a long time. Once you have one bed bug, you’ll have more in no time. The good news is that you can get rid of them if you catch them early enough. But if you don’t? Well…

Where do bed bugs come from

Bed bugs can be found anywhere, including homes and apartments that are considered “clean”. A dirty or clean home has nothing to do with whether you have bed bugs or not. Bed bugs are not a sign of poverty or wealth either. They can be found in mansions and in mobile homes!

Bedbugs are hitchhikers and love hiding near your clothes, luggage and furniture so they can travel with you wherever you go. There is no way to prevent them from coming into contact with you when traveling on public transportation like buses, trains or airplanes because these modes of transportation often have people sitting next to each other for long periods of time without keeping their belongings separate from those around them (or even all together). This makes it easy for bedbugs to travel unnoticed until someone starts itching after being exposed!

What do they look like?

Bed bugs are flat and oval, about the size of an apple seed. They have brown or reddish-brown bodies with pale-colored legs and antennae. Although bed bug eggs are only visible when they hatch, adults are easy to spot because they’re about the same size as a grain of rice. Bed bugs don’t have wings; if you see something that looks like a winged insect, it’s likely a bat flying overhead looking for dinner!

Bed bug eggs look just like tiny white specks or dots (about 1mm long) on their host’s skin or in cracks or crevices where they hide during daylight hours (the darker colored ones may be difficult to see). Adults can be seen crawling around after dark because they don’t need blood right away; however if you find them feeding during the day there is little doubt that your home is infested with these pests.

How do you know you have them?

• Bed bugs are very small, so you might not notice them right away.
• They’re reddish-brown and flat, with legs that allow them to move quickly—so they can be hard to spot.
• While bed bug bites aren’t dangerous, they do cause itching and skin irritations. You may also find blood on sheets or your pillowcase if you have been bitten by a bed bug.

How do we get rid of them?

The good news is that bed bugs are not impossible to get rid of. The bad news is that it takes a lot of work, and you might need professional help.

A pest control company will be able to use chemicals or heat treatment (or both) to eliminate your infestation. They’ll also need to come in and clean your home thoroughly so the bed bugs don’t come back out of hiding once they’re gone.

Bed bugs are not welcome in your home

The best way to keep bed bugs out of your home is to be vigilant. If you see signs of bed bug infestation, take action immediately by seeking help from a professional exterminator. Bed bugs are not welcome in your home and need to be eliminated as soon as possible.

The sooner you identify the problem, the better equipped you’ll be to deal with it. The longer it takes for them to show up on their own (or at least while they’re still small), the more likely they are to spread throughout your house, making them much harder and more expensive to get rid of later on down the line.

Conclusion

We hope this post has given you a better understanding of what it means to have just one bed bug and how infestations can be treated. While bed bugs aren’t known for spreading disease, they are still very much a nuisance. If you spot just one, don’t delay—give us a call!