If you live in the Wichita KS area, fill out our form - or call our office - to schedule a free bed bug inspection & estimate.
If you live in the Wichita KS area, fill out our form - or call our office - to schedule a free bed bug inspection & estimate.
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Some people have an allergic react to a bed bug bite. However, the severity of the reaction to a bedbug bite varies from person to person. Some may experience itching and redness, while others have severe swelling and burning itching around the bug bite area. A portion of the population exhibits no reaction. Click here for more information on bed bugs provided by the Center for Disease Control and Prevention.
Do
Don't
FAQ's
First, bed bugs are not invisible. They do start out very small, but an adult bed bug will usually be about 1/4" long. Bed bugs go through multiple stages of growth, including: (1) egg, (2) five nymph stages, and (3) adult. Part of what makes bed bugs hard to see is the fact that their eggs are about 1mm long, and a light ivory to white color. Bed bug eggs have been described as looking like small grains of rice. Additionally, during the nymph stages of growth, bed bugs will not have the dark reddish brown color of adult bed bugs. The nymphs will appear dark only after a feeding, but will most often be a translucent yellow.
NO. Bed bugs can be found anywhere people are. Bed bugs are most commonly found in resting places, where people are sitting for extended amounts of time. Bedrooms top the list, but we often find bed bugs in: dressers, couches, coffee tables, recliners, dining room chairs, cars, and office work stations. Even worse, bed bugs are not restricted to furniture. You can find bed bugs in curtains and blinds, around window and door trim, behind door hinges, along baseboards, inside electronics, as well as in books and other stored items. Bed bugs like to stay close to their food source - Homo sapiens (Yeah, us). So any part of a structure within 10 feet of a resting person is a great place to look for a bed bug. Here at Arrest A Pest we follow a "room by room" bed bug inspection and treatment protocol.
AAP Tech Tip:
"Curtain inspections are a must. They are easy for bed bugs to climb, are usually close to the beds & couches, and have a lot of seams & folds. Sometimes I will inspect them twice, especially where the rods go through. Bed bugs love that area."
This question has a "yes" and "no" answer. Throwing away furniture is always up to you - after all, it's your property. Most furniture can be effectively treated and cleared of bed bugs for much less than the cost of replacing furniture. Sometimes throwing out a bed makes us feel better, and it does reduce the population inside the home. But throwing out furniture WILL NOT remove all of the bed bugs. Until your home undergoes a thorough bed bug extermination, any new furniture brought into your home will be infested with bed bugs within just a few days. So to answer our question - yes, removing infested furniture can be helpful. But no, it isn't necessary in order to eradicate most bed bug infestations.
AAP Owner's Tip:
"Beware of anyone that "requires" you to discard furniture, or pack up and move your belongings somewhere else. Properly trained bed bug exterminators can get the infestation eliminated, and save your possessions in the process."
Once you see a bed bug you will never forget it. Here are some signs that you might have problems with bed bugs:
You may have one, some or all of these signs of bed bugs. There is no charge for bed bug inspections in Wichita KS when you call Arrest A Pest. Some tips for bed bug inspection:
AAP Owner's Tip:
"Don't shortcut the bed bug inspection. A few extra minutes is always worth the peace of mind of being confident about where the bed bugs are, or are not."
First of all: don't panic. Bed bugs have become a common pest. We receive calls about bed bugs as much as we do about roaches and termites. Second, resist the urge to spray anything, clean excessively, or throw away anything of value. This can make it harder to determine the full extent of your bed bug problem. And finally, call your local professional pest control company. Most should offer you a free bed bug estimate and inspection.
AAP Tech Tip:
"Get a total price from the pest control company, and ask how often they will need to treat. More importantly, get it in writing. Don't let someone keep coming out and charging you more than they promised. I am often treating for bed bugs in homes where customers have been paying someone else for multiple services with no results. This means they've just been wasting a lot of money and time."
If you have tried to use bed bug treatment products from retail stores, you are no doubt disappointed with the results. The vast majority of chemicals available to the general public are Pyrethroid or Pyrethrin based. That means these bed bug sprays are (1) a repellant chemical (which is bad when trying to control and not spread bed bugs) and (2) mostly ineffective, since a large portion of the bed bugs in existence today have built up a resistance to that class of chemicals. Pyrethroids do not stay on surfaces for very long, nor are manufacturers of these required to change labels and advertising to reflect the decline in effectiveness.
AAP Owner's Tip:
"We have started referring to use of over the counter products for bed bugs as the "pyrethroid cycle". Most often, a "bug bomb" or "bed bug spray" will give 4-5 days of relief from bed bugs. This doesn't mean that the bed bugs have died, but that they have moved away from the area to avoid the repellant pyrethroid. Later when the bed bugs resume feeding (assuming the first application was mostly successful) a second application is made. Again, this may give you 4-5 days of bed-bug-free sleep. However, by the 3rd or 4th attempt most people realize they are in a never ending cycle."
To say with certainty that any mark is a bed bug bite is very difficult. Current research, along with our own experience, has shown that not all people have reactions to bed bug bites. More specifically, not all human bodies have a reaction to the anesthetic bed bugs inject into our skin while they feed. Some people react immediately with varying degrees of severity; some will slowly develop a reaction over time; and some people will never show any sign of bed bug bites. That is why a thorough bed bug inspection should include bed rooms and living / recreation rooms. Here are some clues and indicators that may help in determining if you have a bed bug bite:
AAP Tech Tip:
"At first I thought I wasn't doing a good job treating for bed bugs. We would usually follow the direction of the customer as to where the bed bug infestation was, and treat only those areas. A few days after treatment we would get a call saying the bugs had moved to another room, with tenants that never had bites. After a couple of similar instances, we began to realize that the bed bugs didn't move - they had been in those rooms from the beginning. Bites or not, all rooms where people rest or sleep need to be inspected."
Absolutely!!! We do hundreds of treatments for bed bugs every year. So do many other businesses in the pest control industry. Bed bugs are found in every type of structure - single family homes, hotels & motels, apartment buildings, retail stores, office buildings, restaurants, schools, daycares, churches, etc. Bed bugs can also be found even in cars, trucks, semi trailers, and RV's.
AAP Tech Tip:
"Let's just say... bed bugs are everywhere."
Bed bugs are a "people pest." You get them from being around people who have them, or by being in a space infested with bed bugs. For a bed bug, life is simple. A bed bug has (3) key things to do.
Bed bugs are great hitchhikers. They also will lay eggs as they travel. This means that just a short time spent in areas where bed bugs are present is enough time for them to attach to you or your belongings. Contact with bed bug eggs is another way that people bring bed bugs home. A bed bug egg is very sticky, allowing them to transfer easily if people sit on or brush up against them.
The biggest culprit in spreading bed bugs appears to be people themselves. Embarrassment over having bed bugs keeps some from informing friends and family that they have an infestation. These people may innocently maintain regular social interactions, giving bed bugs ample opportunity to move from residence to residence. Others may falsely believe that they have solved the issue on their own, and that no threat is present. They resume interactions with others and inadvertently end up passing on bed bugs. Perhaps the largest contributor to the spread of bed bugs is the simple fact that many people are unaware that they have bed bugs. Often, bed bugs will be in a structure for many months before the residents are aware of the issue.
AAP Owner's Tip:
"Most of our customers have a good idea of where the bud bug problem came from. Usually they can point to a stay in a hotel, family visiting over a holiday, a co-worker, or someone they interacted with that had a bed bug issue. Unfortunately for some, the question of 'how did i get bed bugs?' will never be answered."
Bed bugs are no myth. They have long been a problem in the United States, and even here in Wichita KS. Here are some of the reasons that bed bugs are so common today:
It can, but rarely produces the desired results. Arrest A Pest Termite & Pest Control does not use - nor do we recommend using - diatomaceous earth (DE) for bed bug control. We do use diatomaceous earth for control of other bugs and pests, such as the brown recluse spider. DE is not a chemical control method, it is a physical control. This means that its presence in an environment does not guarantee it will deliver any pest control effect on bed bugs. If someone wanted to kill a bug, they could do so by a number physical contact methods. A shoe, for example. It may sound silly, but who hasn't stepped on a bug, or used a shoe to kill a spider? A fly swatter is a better example. It's a physical contact control method of pest control. But both the shoe and a fly swatter have to be employed correctly. If you place a shoe & a fly swatter in the middle of a room, how many bugs will you kill? What if you put the fly swatter in the shoe and throw both of them at the flies? Or maybe you put the shoe in front of the door to keep bug from coming in from the outside? The point is, DE has to be used properly. It has to make contract with the target pest, and make contact in the right manner.
As many people know, diatomaceous earth is made from finely ground remains of fossilized aquatic organisms. It feels like baby powder to our touch, but when examined under magnification it is revealed to be jagged and sharp. For pest control, this powder must make contact with the body of the insect; to be most effective, it needs to be rubbed or ground against the insect (insects grind the DE into their skin as they try to squeeze into confined spaces). The physical effect is a drying out of the insect from (1) destruction of the waxy layer protecting the exoskeleton, and (2) cuts & breaks caused by the sharp and jagged particles.
Specifically regarding bed bugs, here is why Diatomaceous Earth is not an effective control method:
Diatomaceous Earth will kill some bed bugs, but not enough. Other methods of bed bug control should be used.
AAP Tech Tip:
"Often we have to clean up piles of dust, vacuum, and wipe down areas we need to treat for bed bugs. Diatomaceous earth gets everywhere, making it hard to inspect for bed bugs and provide an effective treatment."
First, bed bugs are not invisible. They do start out very small, but an adult bed bug will usually be about 1/4" long. The bed bugs goes through multiple stages of growth, including, egg, 5 nymph stages, and finally adult. Part of what makes bed bugs hard to see is that their eggs are about 1mm long, and an light ivory to white color. Sometimes bed bug eggs are described as looking like small grains of rice. Additionally, during the nymph stages of growth, bed bugs will not have the dark reddish brown color of adult bed bugs. The nymphs will appear dark after a feeding, but will most often be a translucent yellow.
View "Mug Shots"
View Life Cycle
NO. Bed bugs can be found anywhere people are. Most commonly in resting places, or where people are sitting for extended amounts of time. Bedrooms top the list, but we often find bed bugs in dresser, couches, coffee tables, recliners, dining room chairs, cars, and office work stations. Bed bugs are not restricted to furniture. You can find bed bugs in curtains and blinds, around window and door trim, behind door hinges, along baseboards, inside electronics, in books and other stored items. Bed bugs like to stay close to their food source - Homo sapiens (Yeah, us). So any part of a structure within 10 feet of a resting person is a great place to look for a bed bug. Here at Arrest A Pest we follow a "room by room" inspection and treatment protocol.
AAP Tech Tip:
"Curtain inspections are a must. They are easy to climb, usually close to the beds and couches, and have a lot of seams and folds. Sometimes I will inspect them twice, especially the area that the rods go through. Bed bugs love that area"
This is a yes and no question. Throwing away furniture is always up to you, it's your property. Most furniture can be effectively treated and cleared of bed bugs for much less than the cost of replacing furniture. Sometimes, throwing out a bed makes us feel better, and it does reduce the population inside the home. But throwing out furniture will no remove all the bed bugs, and bringing different furniture prior to extermination, will only mean the new furniture will be infested in a few months. Yes, removing infested can be helpful. No, it isn't necessary to eradicate most bed bug infestations.
AAP Owner's Tip:
"Beware of anyone that "requires" you to discard furniture, or pack up and move your belongings somewhere else. Properly trained bed bug technicians can get the infestation eliminated, and save your possessions. "
Once you see a bed bug you will never forget it. Here are some signs that you might have a bed bug problem:
You may have some, all, or just one of the signs of bed bugs. There is no charge for bed bug inspections when you call Arrest A Pest. Some tips for bed bug inspection:
AAP Owner's Tip:
"Don't shortcut the inspection. A few extra minutes is always worth the peace of mind of being confident about where the bed bugs are, or are not"
First of all, don't panic. It probably doesn't help much to know, but bed bugs have become a common pest. We receive calls about bed bugs as much as we do about roaches and termites. Second, resist the urge to spray anything, clean excessively, or throw away anything of value. Last, call a professional pest control company. Most should offer you a free estimate and inspection.
AAP Tech Tip:
"Get a total price and how often they will need to treat. And get it in writing. Don't let someone keep coming out and charging you more than they promised. I am often treating for bed bugs in homes where people have been paying someone else for multiple services with no results. Wasting a lot of money and time."
If you have tried to use bed bug treatment products from retail stores, you will no doubt have been disappointed with the results. The vast majority of chemicals available to the general public are Pyrethroid or Pyrethrin based. Meaning that they are (1) a repellant chemical (which is bad when trying to control and not spread bed bugs) and (2) mostly ineffective since a large portion of the bed bugs in existence today have built up a resistance to that class of chemicals. Pyrethroids do not have a long residual, nor are manufacturers of these required to change labels and advertising to reflect the decline in effectiveness.
AAP Owner's Tip:
"We have started referring to use of over the counter products for bed bugs as the "pyrethroid cycle". Simply because, most often, a "bug bomb" or "bed bug spray" will give 4-5 days of relief from bed bugs. Not that the bugs have died, but that they have moved away from the area to avoid the repellant pyrethroid. Then when the bed bugs resume feeding, assuming the first application was mostly successful, a second application is made. Again, giving 4-5 days bed bug free sleep. By the 3rd or 4th attempt, most people realize they are in a never ending cycle."
To definitely say a mark is a bed bug bite is very difficult. Current research, along with our own experience, has shown that not all people react to a bed bug bite. Or more specifically, to the anesthetic bed bugs inject into our skin while they feed. Some people react immediately with varying degrees of severity, some will develop a reaction over time, and some people will never show any sign of bed bug bites. That is why thorough inspection is critical. Inspection bed rooms and living/recreation rooms. Here are some clues and indicators for determining if you have a bed bug bite.
AAP Tech Tip:
"At first I thought I wasn't doing a good job treating for bed bugs. We would usually follow the direction of the customer as to where the bed bug infestation was, and treat those areas. A few days post treatment we would get a call saying the bugs had moved to another room, with tenants that never had bites. After a couple of those, we began to realize the bed bugs didn't move, they had been in those rooms from the beginning. Bites or not, all rooms where people sleep have to be inspected."
Absolutely!! We do hundreds of treatments for bed bugs every year. And so do many other businesses in the pest control industry. Bed bugs are found in every type of structure. From single family homes, hotels and motels, apartment buildings, retail stores, office buildings, restaurants, schools, daycares, churches, etc. bed bugs can be and have been found. Even in cars, trucks, semi trailers, and RV's.
AAP Tech Tip:
"Let's just say they are everywhere"
Bed bugs are a people pest. You get them from being around people who have them, by being in a space infested with bed bugs. For a bed bug, life is simple. The tasks are few. A bed bug has (3) key things to do.
Getting an infestation of bed bugs is part bed bugs and part people. The bugs are great hitchhikers. They also will lay eggs as they travel. Meaning that just a few hours in an areas where bed bugs are present is enough time for them to attach to you or your belongings. Contact with bed bug eggs is another way that people bring bed bugs home. A bed bug egg is very sticky, allowing them to transfer easily if people sit on or brush up against them.
The biggest culprit appears to be people themselves. Embarrassment over having bed bugs keeps some from informing friends and family that they have an infestation. And they maintain regular social interactions, giving bed bugs ample opportunity to move from residence to residence. Others may falsely believe that they have solved the issue, and that no threat is present. Then resuming interactions with others and passing on bed bugs. Lastly, and perhaps the largest contributor to the spread of bed bugs, are many that are unaware that they have bed bugs. Commonly, bed bugs will be in a structure for many months before the residents are aware of the issue.
AAP Owner's Tip:
"Most of our customers have a good idea of where the bud bug problem came from. Often they can point to a stay in a hotel, family visiting over a holiday, a co-worker, or someone they interacted with that had a bed bug issue. Unfortunately, for some the question of "How did i get bed bugs?" will never be answered."
They are no myth. Bed bugs have long been a problem in the United States. More accurately they have always been a global problem. Here are some of the reasons that bed bugs are so prevalent today:
It can. But rarely produces the results imagined. Arrest A Pest does not use, nor do we recommend using diatomaceous earth (DE) for bed bug control. We do use diatomaceous earth for control of the brown recluse spider. DE is not a chemical control method, it is a physical control. Which means that its presence in an environment does not mean it will deliver any pest control effect. If one wanted to kill bug one could do so by a number physical contact methods. A shoe, for example. It may sound silly, but who hasn't stepped on a bug, used a shoe to kill a spider. Maybe a fly swatter is a better example. It's a physical contact control method of pest control. But both the shoe and a fly swatter have to be employed correctly. If you set a shoe and a fly swatter in the middle of a room, how many bugs will you kill? What if you put the swatter in the shoe and throw them at the flies? Or maybe you put the shoe in front of the door to keep bug from coming in from the outside. The point is, DE has to use used properly. It has to make contract with the target pest, and make contact in the right manner.
As many people know diatomaceous earth is finely ground remains of fossilized aquatic organisms. It feels like baby powder to our touch, but when examined under magnification, it is revealed to be jagged and sharp. For pest control, this powder must make contact with the body of the insect, and to be most effective, rubbed or ground against the insect (insects grind the DE into their skin as they try to squeeze into confined spaces). They physical effect is a drying out of the insect from (1) destruction of the waxy layer protecting the exoskeleton, and (2) cuts & breaks caused by the sharp and jagged particles.
Specifically regarding bed bugs, here is why Diatomaceous Earth is not an effective control method:
Diatomaceous Earth will kill some bed bugs, but not enough. Other methods of bed bug control should be used.
AAP Tech Tip:
"Often we have to clean up piles of dust, vacuum, and wipe down areas we need to treat for bed bugs. Diatomaceous earth gets everywhere, plus makes it hard to inspect and do an effective treatment."
You can find a never ending list of treatment methods for bed bugs. Home remedies, cheap sprays, natural plant based products, environmental modifications, and chemical applications are all available. Here at Arrest A Pest Termite and Pest Control in Wichita KS, we have tried many methods, products, and chemicals to find the best ways to detect and eliminate bed bugs. With our experience, along with training from industry partners, we now have a treatment protocol that is highly effective here in Wichita KS. The following are some of the most commonly promoted tools and methods for bed bug control. We have ranked them in different categories to help you understand the benefits and challenges of each. Keep in mind that any of these services done improperly will not be effective. Choose a pest control company with experience and training in bed bug extermination.
Over The Counter Bed Bug Products
Brand Names: R*id, H*t Shot, H@rris Bed Bug
Cost: $ Affordable Effectiveness: Low
Control Method: Chemical
Summary: Most OTC products do not effectively kill bed bugs. Often they spread the bed bugs because of the repellant active ingredients. Causes a lengthy cycle of treatment, false success, and retreatments.
AAP GRADE: F
AAP COMMENTS: Waste of money, makes infestation worse
Diatomaceous Earth
Brand Names: Numerous Sources
Cost: $ Affordable Effectiveness: Moderate
Control Method: Physical
Pyrethrins/Pyrethroids - Professional Grade
Cost: $$-$$$$ Moderate to High Effectiveness: Low
Control Method: Chemical
Non Repellant Chemical - Professional Grade
Cost: $$-$$$$ Moderate to High Effectiveness: Moderate to Very
Control Method: Chemical
Heat Treatments - Whole House
Cost: $$$$ Expensive Effectiveness: Moderate to Very
Control Method: Physical
Heat Treatments - Target Steam
Cost: $$ Moderate Effectiveness: Very
Control Method: Physical
Fumigation (CAUTION: Most Dangerous)
Cost: $$$$ High Effectiveness: Moderate to Very to 100%
Control Method: Chemical Gas
The following steps are essential to effective professional level bed bug removal:
Click on the links below to visit some of our industry partners
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