There are many myths about how you get bed bugs in the home: that an unclean, filthy house attracts them, or that well-off people don’t get them, but the reality is that they do not discriminate between rich or poor, clean or dirty. They feed off blood – human or animal – and will simply go wherever they can find a source. RIP is Melbourne’s premier bed bug control specialist, helping you to eradicate the problem thoroughly and quickly.
Understanding bed bugs
Bed bugs do not fly, nor do they jump. Instead they crawl, typically hiding in your luggage after you’ve stayed in an infested hotel room, or can be transferred from child to child at school before moving into your clothing and then your bed. They grow to about half a centimetre in diameter, their reddish brown colour making them easily visible to the naked eye.
These creatures feed every 2 to 3 days, usually for 3 to 5 minutes at night in the early morning hours, before returning to their hiding areas (normally within a few metres from the bed). They are typically dormant during the day and most active at night, and can survive for long periods between meals.
You’ve probably heard the childhood bed time rhyme ‘Good night, sleep tight, don’t let the bed bugs bite!’ and thought little of it. However, humans can experience adverse skin reactions from their bites so it’s good advice to follow. The pest injects an anti-coagulant chemical into your bloodstream to prevent your blood from clotting (so the bed bug can suck out your blood at will). The anti-coagulant makes the bite area highly irritable, and scratching the affected area can cause infection.
The life cycle
A bed bug goes through five stages as an immature nymph before becoming a mature, fertile adult. During each stage it sheds its skin during a process called ecdysis. The pest must shed its skin six times before becoming a mature adult and needs to feed on blood in order to be able to moult. Each stage will typically last about a week; however this is dependent on the climate and the availability of food (i.e. blood) sources.
The life cycle of these bugs generally takes up to two months before reaching full adult status, and their life span can be as long as nine months (under warm conditions). During this time and right up until their deaths, fertile adult females that have enough food can lay three or four eggs per day. Eggs typically hatch after about 6-10 days. This means they could produce up to 500 offspring in their lifetime.
Getting rid of bed bugs is easy with RIP
For over 30 years,RIP Termite & Pest Control has been the go-to business for bed bugs removal in Melbourne and throughout Victoria, treating thousands of backpacker hostels, lodges and hotels with prompt attention, safety, discretion and effectiveness. Contact us today for a free quote and expert advice.
The bed bug eradication process
This is how your RIP bed bug control specialist will address your infestation problem:
- Gather information, identify the location of beds with a problem, determine the intensity and the spread of bed bug infestation.
- Insecticidal treatment, using professional strength products (AVPMA registered for bed bug control). With specialised application equipment (aerosol direct applicator and fogging machine).
- Safety first – we use professional strength bed bug insecticidal dust and aerosol applications to the bugs’ daytime hiding areas.
- Fumigation fogging if required (for severe bed bug infestations), using specialised fogging equipment. The entire room is fogged with a Pyrethrum insecticide (very low hazard to humans – safer than common salt).
Prior to your bed bug treatment, we recommend following these helpful tips.
- All clothing, bed linen, curtains should be laundered prior to insecticidal treatment.
- We recommend sealing gaps in furniture, floor boards, cracks in wallpaper.
- Close co-operation between property owner and the pest controller is essential.
- Cleanliness counts – high standards of hygiene and sanitation will certainly help as an on-going preventive measure.
- Schedule a regular professional inspection for signs of bed bug infestation. This is especially important for commercial lodgings where bed bug infestations are likely to remain a problem – it will save you time and money.
- DO NOT attempt DIY bed bug eradication, and do NOT use an insecticide spray can on bed-linen or mattress (you can get sick or be prosecuted if a tenant gets sick, with no guarantee that the bed bugs removal will even be successful).
If you do suffer bed bugs, it’s recommended that you do not change your sleeping location so as not to continue spreading the pests. This may seem incredibly unappealing, but it will be better for you, your home and your wallet in the long run.
The cost for professional bed bug treatment
There are numerous factors that will determine just how much it will cost to completely Remove bed bugs in your home. The cost to have a professional bed bug control specialist solve your problem largely depends on the size of the property as well as the intensity of infestation; the number of bedrooms affected and the ease of access for inspection and insecticidal treatment. Service warranties may vary depending on environmental circumstances, housekeeping procedures in place and assessed risk of re-infestation.
Consumer protection advice – pesticide safety issues
When it comes to pesticide safety, it’s important to be wary of very cheap prices being offered for bed bugs removal and to check which chemicals the pest controller will be using. The far cheaper, less effective, solvent-based pesticides can potentially be harmful in premises where occupants might suffer from asthmatic or other bronchial ailments.
Be careful when selecting a pest controller; ensure they have the experience and the knowledge of bed bug control pesticides and procedures to carry out a comprehensive and successful eradication. For more information or to book our services, please call RIP Termite & Pest Control on 1300 371 708 for a FREE quotation for getting rid of bed bugs in Melbourne.