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How You Get Bed Bugs

. Posted by in , • Bryan-College Station
how you get bed bugs

The last line from a children’s rhyme,“Don’t let the bed bugs bite!” can become all too real when bed bugs infest your home. Bed bugs are becoming more common as populations grow, travel increases and the bed bugs spread to new areas. Learn how you get bed bugs and what you can do to prevent them. 

How You Get Bed Bugs

You may have only heard of bed bugs from the children’s rhyme, or from recent new reports about bed bug infestations in cities across the country. It may not seem like a big problem, but several U.S. governmental agencies, including the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) and the Department of Agriculture (USDA), have declared bed bugs as a public health concern, even though bed bugs do not spread disease the way ticks and mosquitoes do.

So, what should you know about these pests? Where do they live? … Read Full Post »

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Where Do Bed Bugs Hide On Your Body?

. Posted by in • Orlando
where do bed bugs hide on your body

Bed bugs. Chances are good that you’ve heard of them, or even had a friend who has had a run-in with these pests that love to bite humans, feeding on their blood and leaving an itchy, painful rash behind. For most of us, the idea of bed bugs sends a shiver of fear up the spine, yet many people don’t actually know much about this insect, its habitat or its habits.

Can you find bed bug eggs in hair, and are these pests able to live on clothing or our body? Do they fly or cause diseases? And how difficult are they to get rid of, once they’ve invaded your living space? The more you know about bed bugs, the better you can protect yourself and your home from a bed bug infestation.

A very common question homeowners ask is “Where do bed bugs hide on your body?”, so let’s address this query … Read Full Post »

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Where Do Bed Bugs Come From?

. Posted by in • Orlando
how do you get bed bugs

Bed bugs are on the rise across the country. Although these small, reddish-brown parasites have always been a common pest, experts believe that the increased ease of air travel and the outlawing of strong insecticides have allowed their numbers to surge once again. Where do bed bugs come from, and what attracts them? Knowing the answers to these questions can help you get these pests out of your home – for good.

Where do bed bugs come from?

Bed bugs were once thought to have medicinal properties and were initially documented in the first century. Once confined to the tropics, these parasites moved with humans, and as a result, they can now be found across the globe. The spread of bed bugs is also linked to the fact that the animals are resilient since they are able to survive for long stretches of time without food. Not only are bed bugs prolific, … Read Full Post »

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What do Bats have to do with Bed Bugs?

. Posted by in , • Austin
Where do bed bugs come from?

 

What would you say if we told you bed bugs come from bats? Seems crazy; shocking even! We know. But as unbelievable as it sounds—it’s true. The bloodsucking bed bug’s origins do in fact, trace back to bats.

Our team at ABC Home & Commercial may know a thing or two about bed bugs, but we realize that many of our neighbors here in Austin aren’t so in tune with this headache-causing pest.

Whether you’ve dealt with a bed bug infestation in the past, or have yet to encounter the creepy crawlers in your home, understanding where the pests come from and why they’re in your home is your best bet for keeping your home safe.

Let’s take a look together at how and why such tiny creatures can create such a big problem.

Historical Figures

According to a study conducted at the University of Tulsa, Oklahoma, scientist found that bats were the first ancestral … Read Full Post »

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Bed Bugs Be Gone! Checklist to Prepare for Treatment Success.

. Posted by in , • San Antonio
how to kill bed bugs

As a new homeowner, the last thing you want to think about is a bed bug infestation. And hopefully, you won’t need to. But in a big city like San Antonio where bed bugs (and pests in general) are prevalent, it’s best to be prepared for any situation.

Bed bugs spread easily and most commonly found in spaces where people sleep or spend the majority of their time, like homes, hospitals, schools, and hotels. Their small size allows them to go unnoticed; it’s the red, itchy bites they leave behind that reveal their camouflage. But despite their tiny size, bed bugs can cause a big headache—and an even bigger problem if left untreated.

Here at ABC San Antonio, we take great strides to ensure your home is bed bug-free after just one of our Heat Remediation treatments. And while our experts can take on any challenge, you’ll have to do your part … Read Full Post »

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Vacation Season is Bed Bug Season

. Posted by in • San Antonio
bed bug season

There is a bed bug “season” after all.

Schools out for summer and many families are ready to head out for the busiest travel season of the year. We are all for bringing home vacation souvenirs. But there’s one thing we hope all our customers can avoid this summer: Bed bugs.

Most of us never imagine that we’ll pick up dreaded bedbugs and bring them into our homes after a trip to the beach. Prevalent in the pre-WWII era, bed bugs were nearly wiped off the map in the 1950’s due to increased use of pesticides and better hygiene.

They’ve made a comeback starting in the early 2000’s, with a widely publicized epidemic after the 2000 Sydney Olympics. Authorities claim the reasons for the surge in bed bugs are varied – population increases in cities, the ease of global mobility, and pesticide resistance all bare some responsibility.

How do you get bed bugs after a … Read Full Post »

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Are Bed Bugs Resistant to Pesticide?

. Posted by in • Bryan-College Station
how to kill bed bugs

Bed bugs are a painful nuisance, and can be tough to eradicate in your living space. Below we’ll examine what bed bugs are, what they need to survive, and how you can get rid of them if you’re unlucky enough to have them in your home.

What are bed bugs?

Bed bugs are small bugs about the size of an apple seed, and may either appear flat or rounded depending on when they had their last meal. They can look like ticks, but don’t attach to the skin. They are nocturnal, and can be difficult to find during the day, when they hide in crevices, within floorboards, and under cushions. Their bites commonly cause itchy welts or rashes, and can leave a trail of bites across the skin.

When trying to determine whether or not bed bugs are the cause of your bites (that can also be mosquitoes, fleas, spiders, or other insect … Read Full Post »

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Bed Bugs: They Spread Like Wildfire

. Posted by in • San Antonio
bed bugs can infest any home in Texas

We all know that bed bugs are a nightmare of a hassle. But there are few things the average person doesn’t know about bed bugs.

For example, did you know that you can have bed bugs and not even know it? Sometimes these bugs don’t bite, and even when they do, not all people react to bed bug bites in ways that are visible to the naked eye.

And while bed bugs are found in people’s beds (and other parts of the home), they are not always hiding in or under the mattress.

ABC has been in the integrated pest management business for years. When it comes to truly problematic pests, like bed bugs, we have quite a few stories to tell.

The Case of the Invisible Bed Bug Bites

A couple in a duplex asked for ABC’s help with bed bugs when they realized they had an issue last year. Of course, because the … Read Full Post »

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Top Bed Bug Myths DEBUNKED

. Posted by in • Austin
bed bugs can infest any home in Texas

Pesticide-resistant bed bugs are invading homes across Texas

After being all but eradicated after World War II, the past 20 years has seen a bed bugs comeback in the United States. According to Brooke Borel, who wrote the book Infested: How the Bed Bug Infiltrated Our Bedroom and Took Over the World, the combination of a new species of bed bug and an increase in domestic and international travel has meant that bed bugs now have a ticket for the ride — right into your home!

There are a lot of misconceptions about bed bugs. We are setting the record straight and debunking the biggest bed bug myths out there.

Myth: You can’t see bed bugs.

Bed bugs are very small, with a tendency to hide in crevices, so they can be difficult to detect. But if you look closely, especially with a flashlight, you can often spot them. Another telltale sign of an infestation … Read Full Post »

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No More Bed Bugs for One Houston Grandma

. Posted by in , • Houston

Raleigh Jenkins and Houston grandmother Audrey Coffey on the day of bed bug inspection

The opening of the Astrodome and the lunar landing are just a couple of our city’s defining moments that 90-year-old Audrey Coffey has witnessed in her lifetime as a Houston resident. She has raised three children in our city, and those children now have kids of their own. Like the Jenkins of ABC Home & Commercial Services, there are three generations of Coffey’s, which is something both our families can be thankful for. Mrs. Coffey has lived in the fifth ward house where she raised her children since 1946, but for the last year, her home had a problem that caused her both physical and emotional distress – bed bugs.

Read Full Post »

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