Even if creepy-crawlies infest your dreams at night, they’re nothing compared to a bed bug infestation. Moreover, for people living or running a business in NYC, bed bug invasions are all too common. In 2018, the Big Apple ranked eighth among U.S. cities with the largest bed bug populations.
Where Do They Come From?
In big and bustling New York, bed bugs aren’t confined to beds. More than 100 million passengers pass through NYC-area airports each year. Any of them could harbor bed bugs in their luggage and clothing or even on their bodies. The parasitic pests infest hotels, retail stores, offices, theaters, and fitness centers. Anywhere New Yorkers and visitors gather, bed bugs pose a threat.
How Do You Know You Have a Bed Bug Problem?
Before spotting the tiny, reddish-brown insects, you’re more likely to see their calling cards:
- Rust-colored stains on mattresses or sheets
- Small, circular brownish-black spots of bed bug excrement
- Light-yellow skins shed by the growing bed bug nymphs.
No thicker than credit cards, bud bugs have no trouble hiding
- in headboard, footboard and bed frame cracks,
- in mattress, chair and sofa seams,
- between cushions and behind light switch or electrical outlet plates, and
- beneath loose wallpaper seams and behind picture frames.
When hiding, they can survive for a year without food. When a female bed bug starts feeding, she can lay from five to eight eggs daily for up to three months. So, if you even suspect your property has bed bugs, it’s time to call in a licensed professional such as a bed bug exterminator NYC.
After verifying an infestation, the professionals hit the pests with a wide range of treatments from vacuuming, heat and chemicals to washing and drying all infested fabrics.
Once the pests are gone, a qualified exterminator also explains how to keep them away. In addition, you can return to enjoying your property in its livable state!