Bed Bug Questions and Answers

This page contains some of the more common questions that are asked about bed bugs. Please check back regularly as we will post more questions and answers if they are important.

Where have you been finding the bed bugs?
Bed bugs are not limited to any one particular kind of dwelling. They have been found in houses, multi-family dwellings, apartments, hotels, airplanes and hospitals. Sanitation or cleanliness is not an issue in where you can find bed bugs.

Why are bedbugs so hard to treat?
Bed bugs are small, nocturnal and very difficult to detect. They are also very rugged insects and that can live for up to a year without feeding. They can hide in cracks and crevices and in hard to find spots and can withstand a temperature from almost freezing up to 122 degrees Fahrenheit.  All of these facts make treating bed bugs very difficult and should always be done by a professional pest control technician such as your local highly trained Orkin Canada Technician.

Why are bed bugs back?
Bed bugs never really left. They are common in many nations around the world. We are seeing a resurgence in North America for several reasons including a reduced use of pesticides, the use of second hand furniture and increased international travel as bed bugs are notorious hitch hikers.

How Do You Get Bed Bugs?
Bed bugs do not cling to people but they are notorious hitch hikers and can hide in our belongings (i.e. suitcase, purse, laptop bags). From there they can be introduced into a home, hotel, office, hospital, or any other building as well as modes of transportation. Sanitation is not a factor in whether or not you get bed bugs. 

How Do Bed Bugs Spread?
Once established, bed bugs tend to stay put but can spread due to any of the following; 

• Being disturbed (i.e. disassembling furniture or incorrect pesticide application) 
• A food shortage (i.e. no host) may cause them to migrate to neighbouring rooms 
• A shortage of harbourage spaces may cause them to migrate to neighbouring rooms 
• Infested furniture moved down a hall, or passed on to others 
• Vacuum cleaners used for multiple rooms 
• Commercial laundry machines

How Can I Prevent Bed Bugs?
There is no way to prevent bed bugs entirely; however, experts agree that early detection is the best way to prevent them from establishing themselves.

A bed bug dog is your best tool for early detection.

To prevent bed bug infestations you need to be vigilant in examining your surroundings. When returning from a trip, or a night out check both your clothing and luggage. If you think you may have a bed bug infestation, contact a pest control professional. This is not a pest that can be controlled with do-it-yourself measures.

What are the Signs of Bed Bugs?
You should regularly Inspect all sheets and pillowcases for small brown blood stains (fecal spots) and inspect seams and folds of mattresses for live insects and bloodstains. Bed bugs usually stay close to the feeding areas so look for bed bugs in the areas where they congregate including along mattress seams, in the frames of beds or the headboards, behind baseboards and under carpet edges. Bed bugs can also hide behind pictures, door & window casings, loose wallpaper & any cracks.

Bed bugs typically hide during the daytime, so it can often be very difficult to spot them. If you don't see the actual bed bugs look for tiny, rust-coloured stains that they leave behind on mattress tags and seams, ceilings, under seat cushions and behind headboards. Keep an eye out for blood stains on mattresses, sheets, pillows or bed clothes and keep an eye out for potential hiding places, such as buckling wallpaper or carpet, and conditions that can attract bed bugs like excessive heat or moisture.

What Do Bed Bugs Look Like? 

• Oval shaped and flat 
• Six legs 
• Two antennae 
• Cannot fly 
• Short, golden body hair 

Where Do They Hide?
Bed bugs can hide just about anywhere; this is what makes detecting them so difficult. Typical hiding places are mattress seams , behind pictures, box springs, in curtains, behind headboards, in sofas, behind baseboards, bed frames, along carpet edges and night stands. 

Do They Bite?
Yes, all bed bugs bite. They feed on blood every 3-5 days when a host is present. If a host is absent bed bugs can go “dormant” for many months. Recent studies suggest 3-4 months at most.

What Do Bites Look Like?
Everyone reacts differently to bed bug bites but the typical reaction is small, red, raised, itchy bumps. It is important to note that roughly 70% of people do not react to bed bug bites, when first bitten.

People can also experience a delay from the time they were bitten to the time it takes to react. This means you may not react to bites received the previous week until you have returned home. 

Do They Carry Disease?
No. All studies conducted to date indicate that there is no evidence to suggest that bed bugs are capable of transferring disease from one person to another.  

Why Use A Bed Bug Dog?
Regular inspections for bed bugs greatly decreases the risk of a population explosion. Proactive inspections can exhibit your due diligence in preventing bed bugs within your establishment. Canines have been used successfully for years to detect drugs and bombs; the principle is identical with detecting bed bugs. A dog’s nose can detect scent particles in parts per trillion; that’s a million times more sensitive than a human! 

Bed bug detection dogs generate quicker and more accurate results, which leads to lower remediation costs. Often people needlessly discard furniture and belongings for fear they may harbour bed bugs, or treat an entire home without truly knowing where the bed bugs are hiding. A bed bug dog is the only inspection tool that can pinpoint sources of bed bugs which is critical information for lowering costs.

Research supports that if a dog alerts, there is a high statistical probability that bed bugs are present. If the dog does not alert you can know with greater certainty that you are bed bug free. A canine is the most accurate method of detecting bed bugs available today.

Are bed bugs just in beds?
Bed bugs are not just in beds although they usually hide with in 3 to 6 feet of their feeding area.

How do you control bed bugs?
An effective bed bug control strategy must start with an inspection. A highly trained pest control professional, such as your local Orkin Canada technician, would start with a thorough inspection of all known and suspected spots where bed bugs might be hiding. Bed bugs are not pests that can be effectively controlled by do-it-yourself means. If bed bugs are detected your pest control professional will develop a customized treatment and control strategy with you that depends on the size of the infestation. 

Why are bed bugs an issue for hotels, visitors, and home owners?
Once inside a hotel or home, bed bugs can spread rapidly from room to room, They do so through pipes, in vacuum cleaners, on clothing and luggage. Sanitation and the cleanliness of an establishment is not an issue in where you can find bed bugs, and since bed bugs are such notorious hitch hikers they can be found in almost any establishment no matter how posh or upscale. 

Although bed bugs can thrive in almost any type of building, hotels and motels are particularly vulnerable. That’s because of the transient nature of their clients and the ease with which these pests travel in luggage, clothing and furniture. Short of inspecting guests’ luggage as they check in, there is no known way to completely prevent bed bugs from entering a property. Once they are inside, two bed bugs can lay up to ten eggs in one day. That’s why it is important to have any rooms with a bed bug problem treated immediately to prevent them from becoming a widespread infestation.

Preventing Bed Bugs While Travelling
Can Bed Bugs Jump?
Life Stages of a Bed Bug
Bed Bug Bites
Informative Bed Bug Videos