Bud Bug Information and Tips - Blue Sky Pest Control

Bedbugs AZ Most Wanted Pest #6 – What Bed Bugs Look Like

June 12, 2018 - By: Nathan Woolf

The bedbug strikes fear in even the calmest of people and is known to be one of the most troublesome of home invaders. It’s no wonder this least favorite of visitors has crawled its way onto our list of 10 most wanted Arizona pests and is considered by many to be one of the worst. Our video on the bed bug shows firsthand what a bed bug and its infestation looks like and gives you tips to prevent bringing them home.

“Our video on the bed bug shows firsthand what a bed bug and its infestation looks like and gives you tips to prevent bringing them home.”

If you find yourself in need of assistance fighting off bed bugs from your home or business, rest assured the Blue Sky Pest Control team of professionals are ready with the most effective treatments to handle the problem. Take advantage of our special offer for $50 off your initial service.

Bedbugs Video: Arizona’s most wanted pests #6

Transcription
“Do you want to see a live bed bug? And their eggs? Hunter here at Blue Sky Pest Control. We get a lot of questions on what bed bugs look like and how big they are… so we’ll show you.

Mature adult bed bugs are about the size of an apple seed. We find them in small cracks and crevices, in box springs and furniture close to the bed. Their eggs are translucent and really small, so they’re hard to see if you don’t know what you’re looking for!

Travelling soon? When staying in hotels, inspect the area around your bed and behind your headboard. (Visually show this) Remember to keep your luggage away from the bed.

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Call (480) 635-8492 today!)

Stay tuned for our next video on Blue Sky Pest Control’s Top 10 most wanted Arizona pests and for a limited time, take $50 off your initial pest control service. See you soon!”

Report: Bed Bugs Prefer Dark Colors

May 19, 2016 - By: Nathan Woolf

Few pests are as persistent and annoying as bed bugs. These infectious little bugs bite, live where we sleep, and, in recent decades, may have become more resistant to insecticides. This combination makes them especially irksome.

With the recent boom in the bed bug population – including in Phoenix, Arizona – studies are focusing on how to prevent, control, and eradicate these pests. One recent study even looked at whether bed bugs have preferred colors in an attempt to design more effective treatments.

What’s a Bed Bug’s Favorite Color?

The study, published in the Journal of Medical Entomology, found that when bed bugs are exposed to light and looking for a hiding place, they tend to favor darker colors – particularly red and black.

Scientists suspect bed bugs opt to take refuge under darker colors because they’ll be better camouflaged or mistakenly think the colors are actually a collection of fellow bed bugs. This is further supported by the bed bugs’ distinct dislike of lighter colors, particularly white, yellow and green. This may be because these colors seem light-bright to the bugs or possible that the lighter color offers less concealment, according to a Washington Post article covering the study.

While the preference for red and black and the dislike of white, yellow and green are fairly universal, hungry bed bugs aren’t picky and will seek shelter without paying attention to color.

Should You Get New Bedding?

Don’t throw away your red and black bedding just yet.

While bed bugs have been found to generally have color preferences in the light, they don’t see color very well in the dark – when they’re most active. By the time you suspect you have a bed bug infestation, bed bugs have already taken up residence in their harborage spots – dark cracks and crevices most often in mattress, but also sometimes in the seams of luggage and bags (that’s how bed bugs travel and spread). For this reason, changing the color of your sheets and blankets will likely do very little to deter or prevent an infestation.

Even the scientists behind the study caution that changing your sheets because of these findings “would be stretching the results a little too much.”

Then Why Do Colors Matter?

While this new information won’t help people protect their homes, it could be useful when creating bed bug traps and extermination treatments. By understanding what attracts and deters bed bugs, pest control experts can optimize traps to catch even more of these pesky critters.

For instance, there are currently two popular monitor traps (that can help determine if your home has bed bugs) on the market the feature the same design – one is white and the other’s black. With this new information, we may see the white version phased out in favor of the darker color that could be more attractive to their target.

For a free bed bug assessment and treatment, contact Blue Sky Pest Control. We serve Phoenix and all of the surrounding cities including Chandler, Surprise, Mesa, and Scottsdale.

The History of Bedbug Infestation in America

August 20, 2013 - By: Nathan Woolf

Did you know that according to a survey by the National Pest Management Association and the University of Kentucky calls to pest control companies regarding bed bugs have tripled in the past decade? There are many reasons for this resurgence, but we thought it would be interesting to figure out how these pint-sized pests got here in the first place.

Come along with Blue Sky Pest Control on a wild ride into beg bug history – and stay tuned for tips on how to avoid them!

Pest populations will be reduced after each treatment, and typically after 3 treatments pests will be under control.

An Ancient Pest

The scientific name for the common bed bug is Cimex lecturlarius. In ancient Rome, they were called Cimex, meaning bug, with the designation lecturlarius meaning bed or couch. It’s thought that bed bugs originally fed on bats in caves where early humans resided, and eventually moved on to juicier human prey. Bed bugs have made appearances in ancient Greek plays, Roman philosophic writings, and even the Jewish Talmud. Archaeologists even found fossilized bed bugs in the excavation of a 3,550-year-old Egyptian site!

Early American Infesters

Ships in the 17th century were riddled with bed bugs, and colonists probably brought them along to America in their belongings. There is no Native American word for bed bug, which indicates that they were brought to the New World by colonists.

Traveling by Train

Train travel was the most popular means of transportation for salesmen and other travelers before the advent of cars and airplanes – and bed bugs were happy to come along for the ride. Adding to the problem was the fact that many salesmen and business travelers would stay at run-down properties or boarding houses where bed bugs were present, and they would come back home with them in their luggage.

20th Century Bugs

Surveys in the early 20th century showed that nearly 1/3rd of all residences in major American cities were infested. In low-income areas, nearly all residences had been infested at one time or another. If you were living in the early 20th century, the odds were good that you had seen or been bitten by a bed bug. Many factors impacted the rise of the bed bug in the early 20th century, including overcrowding and poor cleanliness standards.

Fighting the Biting

Early treatments for bed bug infestations included smoking them out with peat fires, sterilizing furniture with boiling water, sulfur or arsenic, or scattering plant ash around the home. Cyanide fumigation was also a popular treatment in the 1920s, but was linked to many human deaths, as well. In the 1940s, DDT was found to be so effective against the pest that bed bug infestations all but disappeared for nearly 30 years.

It was a short-lived reprieve, however, after the Environmental Protection Agency outlawed DDT and other effective chemical treatments like chlordane and diazinon for health and environmental reasons. Bed bugs were once again on the rise in the 1980s.

Modern Resurgence

The popularity and widespread availability of domestic and international travel is one reason why bed bugs have been increasing in recent years. Bed bugs often proliferate in hotels and motels, and travel back with us in our clothes and luggage just as they did in the days of train travel. The resurgence of bed bug infestations was first seen in cities like Miami, New York, San Francisco, and Los Angeles. The current increase in bed bug populations has been noted in Canada, the United States, Australia, and parts of Europe and Africa.

What can you do to avoid bed bugs, and how can you tell if you have them?

Avoid buying used furniture or mattresses – or at the very least, check them thoroughly for bed bug carcasses and eggs.
Inspect hotel furniture, mattresses and bedding for bed bugs and eggs while traveling.
Check the Bed Bug Registry when deciding on a hotel or new apartment.
Look for bites on your skin – they sometimes occur in groups, though they can be solitary. The bites are painless and usually occur when you are sleeping.
Inspect your mattresses, furniture, and bedding for bed bugs and their eggs. Bed bugs are flat, oblong, and about ¼-inch long. Look for dark brown or reddish spots on mattresses, sofa cushions and other furniture and corners if you suspect a bed bug infestation in your home.

If you suspect a bed bug infestation, call us – we can help! Bed bugs can be difficult to control without the help of a professional. They require treatment from a pest control professional, as well as the help and cooperation of the homeowner, to be treated most effectively. Be vigilant and don’t let bed bugs create their own history in your home or business! If you live in the Phoenix area and need bed bug treatment, click here to get your free quote. We serve the entire area including Gilbert and Mesa!