America has many great cities, offering numerous parks and attractions, and Indianapolis is competitive when it comes to the "best cities for" lists. But one area where Indianapolis does not wish to be high on the list and happens to be, is in the bed bug department. According to a recent poll, Indianapolis ranked 11th on a list of the top bed bug cities, based on records of residential and commercial treatments from Dec. 1, 2016, through Nov. 30th, 2017. This is bad news. But Indianapolis is not the only place in trouble.
Bed bugs are on the rise everywhere, and it's mainly due to the fact that they want to go where people go, and people go to a lot of places these days. Bed bugs are dependent on us for one thing, blood, and for parasitic insects, they are frustratingly able to thrive without our cooperation. Bed bugs can go for months, yes months, without feeding and are able to travel pretty much anywhere, as long as they can find a place to crawl onto. The most common places that bed bugs are found are apartments, single-family homes, and hotels, but you're not much less likely to encounter them at the library, in retail businesses, on public transportation, and really anywhere else that people move through, or congregate in an energetic community like Indianapolis.
So what to do about this menace? It's important to know that DIY pest control is most often ineffective or insufficient, but home prevention can help, and with some diligence, you can decrease the likelihood of bed bugs getting comfortable in your home without your knowledge, if not the likelihood of encountering them while out and about. Helpful tips include:
- Becoming familiar with bed bugs' appearance- Bed bugs are oval shaped with a flat back, reddish-brown in color, and only about the size of an apple seed. Nymphs are similar but even smaller and harder to find, and bed bug eggs are whitish and extremely tiny, making them almost impossible to spot without a very close inspection.
- Knowing the signs- Bed bugs may leave dark stains of feces or dripped blood behind on sheets, mattresses, floors, and elsewhere. You may also find shed skins from growing bed bugs.
- Traveling cautiously- Any place you settle in or item that you set down could become the means by which bed bugs enter your life. Always check seats you are going to use or places you are planning to stay before getting comfortable; even grandma's house could have bed bugs.
- Cleaning diligently- Putting laundry and luggage through a hot wash when returning home is an effective method for minimizing the risk of bed bugs. Keeping your house tidy and regularly vacuumed will not make your home less attractive to bed bugs, but it could help you spot their presence much more quickly.
- Being wary of the unknown- Not that you want to get paranoid, but if you don't know where it came from, it's suspect. This is true for people and items. Friends or family could bring bed bugs with them during a visit, and used furniture should be very closely inspected before bringing it into your home, if you dare to risk it in the first place.
Even with care and attention, bed bugs could find their way into your home. There wouldn't be a list if it wasn't a notable occurrence. If you suspect that you've got a bed bug problem in your Indianapolis home, don't waste time and money on the DIY non-solutions, and don't delay in taking action. Call Action Pest Control, we will come check the situation over. We have effective treatments that can guarantee the complete elimination of bed bugs, and offer a bed warranty that will provide continual assurance that your home is protected should bed bugs try to invade again. It's certainly bad news that Indianapolis is a popular bed bug destination, but you can keep your home or business safe from bed bug infestation by giving the bed bug control professionals at Action Pest Control a call today.