Pest Identification

Bed Bugs have made a resurgence in the past 10-12 years.  Once you get Bed Bugs, it is difficult to get rid of them.  This bug has only one way to defend itself and that is to hide.  They will not only be on your mattress or box spring, but they will hide in night stands, clothes, bureaus, electrical outlets, behind pictures on the wall and even under baseboards when the population starts to get high.  The bed bug has an incomplete life cycle (egg, nymph, adult).  They will go through a process called molting, which is, after feeding on a human, they shed their exoskeleton to grow.  This is called an instar.  They will go through about 5 instars before becoming an adult.  An infestation can come from anywhere. It can come from people visiting, buying a piece of used furniture, or you visit a friend that has them and does not tell you.  When a bed bug feeds on you, they saw through your skin, inject saliva that has a painkiller with anticoagulants, and feed for about 5 minutes.  They do not feed every day, so if you get bit on consecutive days, that means there is more than one. They feed about every three days.