The worry, stress, and anxiety associated with a bed bug infestation are the most significant dangers of a bed bug infestation. Knowing that bed bugs are in your home, feeding on you, and your family’s blood as you sleep is enough to make anyone feel unwelcome in their own home.

While mainly considered nuisance pests, bed bugs do bite us to feed on our blood. While many people experience no reaction to their bites, other people do experience allergic reactions ranging from mild to severe. Those that are allergic to their bites may experience a lot of itching that is not only uncomfortable, but can also lead to secondary infections.

In Florida, there are many places to visit, making it a popular destination for millions of people. Each day people are traveling to and from Florida, not only bringing their luggage with them but often hitchhiking bed bugs as well. Bed bugs live and hide where there are people, meaning that any public place, home, or business is somewhere you may encounter bed bugs. Only a couple of bed bugs finding their way into your home after hitchhiking their way in on you or a visitor’s belongings can lead to a large infestation.

Signs of a bed bug infestation in your home include finding drops of blood or dark streaks of their excrement staining pillows, sheets, walls, and floors. In the case of a large infestation, an unpleasant sweet, musty odor may develop. As young bed bugs grow into adults, they shed their exoskeleton. Finding piles of discarded bed bug skins under mattresses, box springs, or on the floor is another indicator of an infestation.

Bed bugs live successfully in a variety of places, including single-family homes, apartment buildings, office buildings, shopping centers, airports, public transportation, libraries, movie theaters, amusement parks, and cruise ships.

Sleeping areas are the first places bed bugs tend to infest after they get into your house. They like to hide in the seams of mattresses, cracks in walls or wooden furniture, or behind wall hangings like clocks or pictures. They can squeeze their flat bodies out of sight in the tiniest of cracks and crevices. If a bed bug infestation is left unnoticed and therefore untreated, the infestation will spread as the bed bugs move throughout your home, traveling behind walls and under floors.

Signs Of A Bed Bug Infestation Within Your Home

• You'll find drops of blood or dark streaks of bed bug excrement staining pillows, sheets, walls, and floors.

• In the case of a large infestation, an unpleasant sweet, musty odor may develop in your home. As young bed bugs grow into adults, they shed their exoskeleton.

• You may find piles of bed bug skins under mattresses, box springs, or on the floor, which is another reliable indicator of an infestation.

At Green Flag Services, we understand that bed bugs are a nuisance and difficult to control and eliminate. If you are having problems with bed bugs on your property, reach out to us today. We can provide you with the bed bug control services needed to get rid of bed bugs and prevent them from returning.

If you need help removing bed bugs or other pests from your DeLand, Daytona Beach, Port Orange, Baldwin Park, Lake Mary, FL or Lake Nona, residential or commercial property, call Green Flag Services today!

Don’t allow bed bugs to take over your home. Partner with the professionals at Green Flag Services and put into place the following easy to implement prevention tips:

• Regularly vacuum flooring, the seams of upholstered furniture, mattresses, and box springs to pick up any stray bed bugs.
• Wash and dry all bedding in your house on high heat settings, inspecting mattresses and box springs for bed bugs while doing so.
• Place bed bug proof covers on mattresses and box springs to reduce their hiding spots within your home.
• Check any clothing and furniture before bringing them into your house, especially second-hand items.
• Seal cracks around baseboards and gaps in walls to make it more difficult for bed bugs to travel from room to room or apartment to apartment.
• If you do your laundry at a laundry mat, always bring your own baskets. After washing and drying your clothing, immediately take the items home to fold.
• When traveling or spending time in any public place, make sure to keep luggage, purses, bags, and other personal items up off of the ground.
• After returning home from a trip, wash and dry all clothing.
• Before storing luggage away, thoroughly vacuum and wipe it down.