Bed Bug Control Services

What Do Bed Bugs Look Like?

Worried you might have a bed bug problem, but not sure what they look like? Be on the lookout for the following:

• Size: Eggs are approximately 1/32 inch long while adults are approximately 1/4 to ⅜ inch long.
• Color: Their eggs are white, babies (nymphs) are colorless, and adults are a mahogany or rusty brown color.
• Shape: All bed bugs are oval-shaped and have six legs. Their feet have claws, which means they can’t move easily on smooth surfaces, such as plastic or metal.
• Other characteristics: Bed bugs are wingless insects. Their bodies are flattened on the top and bottom with microscopic hairs that give them a wrinkled appearance. After feeding, bed bugs are engorged with blood. This increases their body length and turns them a red or red-brown color.

Signs of a Bed Bug Infestation

Bed bugs leave behind a lot of visual cues to let you know you have an infestation. Look for early detection signs of bed bugs on sheets. Inexplicable small brown or red stains on your sheets are a common sign that you have an infestation. On top of these stains, look for visual cues with clusters of eggs and bugs (little dark spots) in all the seams and crevices on your bed or fabric furniture.

Naturally, their bites are also a sign to look out for. While they can be mistaken for flea bites, bed bug bites appear in clusters on any part of the body that is exposed during sleep.

Bed Bug Reproduction and Life Cycle

Bed bugs don’t become fertile until they reach their final, adult life stage. On average, an adult female bed bug will lay 131 eggs in her lifetime, or approximately one to five eggs each day. Their nests can be found hidden in bed frames, floors, walls and other similar and quiet sites within homes or businesses.

Bed bug eggs can take anywhere from 6 to 28 days to hatch, depending on the environmental settings and temperatures. The warmer it is and the more food available, the more prolific they’ll be. Bed bugs develop very quickly and can reproduce so often that it is possible for bed bugs to produce offspring of 5-7 generations in one year.

Bed Bug Control and Prevention

There’s no substitute for professional bed bug control, but there are a few steps you can take on your own. The best way to control bed bugs is to find where they’re hiding and keep those areas as clean as possible. Consistently vacuum all upholstery, mattresses, and pillows. Launder all clothing and bedding weekly in the warmest setting possible. Get rid of bed skirts or dust ruffles and keep blankets or covers off the floor.

If you have an infestation, treat mattresses, box springs, couches, and other upholstered furniture or cushions with “dry” steam using professional-grade steamers with low vapor flow rates. You can use store-bought chemicals but be sure you address the entire infestation or bed bugs will rebound quickly.

The surest way to eliminate bugs from your home or business is to have a professional pest control team handle the problem. At Assured Environments, we use a variety of methods, including heat treatment, to remove all bed bugs from a site. Our experts will return to your site for a bed bug inspection to reevaluate and treat if needed until all bed bugs are completely gone.

Bed Bug Behavior and Diet

Bed bugs feed on the blood of humans and other mammals. As soon as they hatch, baby bed bugs – or nymphs – look for a host to begin feeding from. Once they locate a food source, they attach to its skin and probe for a good access point using their straw-like mouths. A feasting bed bug takes anywhere from 3-10 minutes to complete a meal, stopping once they are completely engorged.

Bed bugs are shy and nocturnal creatures that mostly feed at night. Once finished, they leave the host and return to their hiding place for several days to completely digest the meal. This cycle repeats each time the bed bug becomes hungry – normally every five to 10 days.

Assured Pest Solution's Conventional Treatment

Our conventional IPM treatment method can eradicate a bed bug infestation by timing our services to coincide with bed bug life cycles. Once bed bugs are eliminated, it’s important to take the necessary steps to avoid re-infestations. Our treatment method utilizes conventional tools that are designed to remediate infestations.

Our conventional four-part protocol treatment consists of:

• HEPA Vacuuming. Assured Environments uses high-powered HEPA filtration vacuum to target bed bug-infested areas and remove the pests quickly and effectively.
• Steam Treatment. We apply a low-humidity steam treatment in areas that are not accessible by our HEPA vacuums.
• Dusting of Voids. Assured Environments eliminates bed bugs that are hiding inside walls by injecting residual dust insecticide between all accessible wall voids.
• Crack and Crevices. Hard-to-reach areas receive an application of a residual pesticide to kill bed bugs hiding in cracks and crevices.

For your convenience and improved results, Assured Environments also offers:

• Pre-Preparation Services. Treatments are successful when proper preparation of the infested area occurs. Our team will do all the prep work required for you with our pre-preparation services.
• Offsite Fumigation. Large quantities of personal possessions can be much more efficiently remediated by using an enclosed offsite fumigation chamber. Items are loaded and delivered to our fumigation facility, where they are treated and returned bed bug-free between 24 and 48 hours later.
• Thermal Treatment. Assured Environments can also provide services for the remediation of bed bugs within the structure utilizing our portable thermal structural heat system. This one-service treatment strategy uses forced hot air technology to obtain quick, reliable results and effectively eliminate bed bugs. Assured Environments’s Thermal Treatment is a “green” option, using a limited or chemical-free process. This option can significantly eliminate all stages of bed bugs, return a property to use within 12 hours and can also eliminate bed bug activity that can significantly damage your reputation.

Why Choose Assured Pest Solutions for Commercial Bed Bug Control?

We have a dedicated and separate division that provides bed bug detection and elimination services. Each service solution is distinct from our Integrated Pest Management (IPM) business. The intensity and thoroughness of the bed bug treatment process, however, requires more complete training. It leverages many technologies and working principles. This approach has strengthened our reputation as one of the world’s leaders in providing high quality results to individual consumers and businesses.

Our K-9 Bed Bug Detection Services

We have two full-time entomologists and multiple bed bug K-9 elimination teams, each closely supervised, incorporating a rigid quality control process. Our different avenues to an ideal bed bug extermination process have proven themselves effective time and again.

Assured Environments is the leader in providing accurate K-9 detection services in the greater tri-state area. Bed bugs are small, wingless insects, and can be found anywhere. They thrive in cracks and crevices. They hide in walls, light fixtures, phone jacks, and other receptacles, and are accidentally transported throughout personal belongings in practically any environment.

K-9 inspections are a unique service that can prove cost-effective by locating bed bugs before they become overwhelming infestations. This process can reduce both the total treatment area and the cost of treatment. Detection in early bed bug life stages is key to eliminating bed bug infestations.

Call Us for Professional Bed Bug Control

Whether you work in hospitality, property management, healthcare, or any other industry, bed bugs are bad news. Protect your business (and your clients’ health) with comprehensive bed bug control services from Assured Environments.

Worried about bed bugs in your commercial property? Give us a call and we’ll get you set up with a free inspection.

Bed Bugs FAQ