Continuing from Monday…

• My neighbor has bed bugs, should I be worried? If you live in a single family home, you should be mindful of visits to a neighbor who has bed bugs.  Check your clothing and belongings for possible hitchhikers before returning to your home after visiting theirs.

If you live in an apartment, condo, or townhouse, YES, you should be concerned about bed bugs!  Bed bugs use electrical wires and plumbing to travel through the walls to get from place to place.  Because of their tiny statue, bed bugs can easily slip in and out of electrical sockets, floorboards, and cracks in the plaster.  It is not uncommon for structures with shared walls to have multiple units suffering with bed bug infestations.

• Do all bed bug bites look alike? NO.  Bed bug bites vary just as much as people do.  Some people suffer horrible reactions to bed bug bites, while others suffer mild reactions.  Some people don’t have any reaction at all.  Check out our collection of bed bug bite photographs for reference.

• What do I do if I have bed bugs?  Don’t panic!  If you think you have bed bugs, call a licensed pest control professional.  Once a thorough inspection is completed, a treatment plan will be designed to kill your bed bugs.

• Why are bed bugs so hard to kill?  Recent studies have shown that today’s bed bugs have become resistant to current pesticides that are available. Additionally, bed bugs have developed a thicker exoskeleton which makes them more difficult to kill.  It typically takes a combination of efforts by a qualified pest control professional to rid a home or business of a bed bug infestation.

• How can I prevent a bed bug infestation?  As the saying goes…”Knowledge is power.”  NYC pest control experts say that it’s best to avoid bed bug infestations by gaining as much knowledge as you can about their habits, life cycle, and the signs of infestation.