Small, wingless insects, bed bugs are making a comeback in the United States. Throughout history bed bugs have plagued humanity. The use of powerful insecticides nearly eradicated the pest in America and other modern industrialized countries after World War II. However, many of those potent poisons were found to create unacceptable risks to humans and the environment, resulting in their removal from the pest control and pest management arsenal. This has re-opened the door to the pesky nuisance critters and bed bugs are returning in record numbers.

Their very nature makes bed bugs difficult to control and eradicate. About the size of a grain of rice, bed bugs measure about 1/4-inch long with oval, flat, reddish-brown bodies. Progressing through five nymphal stages, the voracious insects must feed at least once during each stage to develop to the next stage and to reproduce. Though they have a short life-span of only 6 to 12 months, adults feed every 3 to 5 days for 5 to 10 minutes at a time — that’s at least 35 to 60 mealtimes PER bug. Since bed bugs lay 200 to 500 eggs per cycle, that’s a lot of nibbling going on in your bed each night.

The prolific pests hide in tiny crevices and cracks in floors, furniture, molding and bedding, waiting to crawl out at night and feed while you’re sleeping in your bed. Their size, rampant reproduction, ability to squeeze themselves deep into the tiniest openings, and the ease with which they spread make bed bugs difficult to control and eradicate. A bed bug problem requires professional extermination.

The highly skilled technicians at Stern Environmental Group are experts at bed bug extermination. If you suspect you have a bed bug problem, call us today. To learn more about bed bugs, click the post title. Visit the Stern Environmental Group website for more information on our complete pest control and pest management services. You’ll sleep well tonight when you get “Stern” with your pests!