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Bed Bug Bites Vs. Flea Bites: How Can I Tell Them Apart?

. Posted by in , , • Corpus Christi
Bed Bug Bites Vs. Flea Bites

You woke up and noticed weird bites on your body. You look pointedly at Fido as he scratches behind his ear with a little more fervor than usual. Does he have fleas? Or maybe you have bed bugs? How would you know if you have bed bug bites versus flea bites, anyway?

If you’ve struggled to determine exactly what type of bug bit you, you are not alone. Most insect bites result in itching, and many leave a little bump or red mark where you were bitten. Why would it even matter which creature is biting you? For starters, bed bugs and fleas can pose different risks for you, your family and your pets. In this blog post, we’ll review the differences between these bugs’ feeding patterns, what their bites look like and how to treat a bite once you have settled on which creature is responsible.

Fleas: The Most Likely Culprit

A … Read Full Post »

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Does Lavender Really Repel Bed Bugs?

. Posted by in , • Austin
Does lavender really repel bed bugs

Waking up in the morning to find yourself covered in itchy, irritated red bumps is a shocking experience. If the bumps are situated in lines along your skin instead of in more random clusters, you might be even more concerned, as that is a common bite pattern associated with bed bugs. Instantly, you may wonder if these unwelcome pests are infesting your mattress or other areas of your home. If you’ve ever heard about natural repellents alleged to be effective in controlling these insects, you might wonder, does lavender really repel bed bugs?

Unfortunately, lavender is not an effective method to keep bed bugs away. Public health officials recognize the significant psychological toll an infestation can have and advise against DIY bed bug control methods and in favor of enlisting an experienced pest professional to deal with the problem. In order to completely eliminate bed bugs from your home, entomologists recommend … Read Full Post »

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Can You See Bed Bugs With The Human Eye?

. Posted by in , • Houston
Can you see bed bugs with the human eye

It’s an all-too-common scenario: You wake up one morning, or perhaps even several mornings in a row, with suspicious, itchy bites on your skin—and you wonder whether you might be dealing with a bed bug infestation. How can you tell if you’ve had a run-in with a bed bug or some other type of biting insect, such as mosquitoes, fleas, chiggers or ticks? Can you see bed bugs with the human eye? What are some telltale signs of a bed bug bite or a full-on infestation? Read on to learn the answers to these common questions and more.

How To Find Bed Bugs During The Day

For anyone wondering whether they can see bed bugs with the human eye, the short answer is yes—adult bed bugs are about the same size, shape and color as an apple seed, so they are certainly visible with the naked human eye. The longer answer, however, … Read Full Post »

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6 Ways to Keep Pests from Traveling with You on Vacation

. Posted by in • Dallas-Fort Worth, Oklahoma City, Tyler
Keep Pests from Traveling with You on Vacation | ABC Blog

Summer vacation and family getaways go hand in hand. Camping by the lake, hiking in the hills and cooking in the grass are all quintessential summer activities. Enjoying the great outdoors is one thing, but no one wants to bring the outdoors home with them.

Typical vacation pests include ants, roaches, flies, mosquitoes and rodents — but perhaps the most feared is the bed bug. And in Texas, the chigger.

Common Vacation Pests

● Ants
● Roaches
● Bed Bugs
● Flies
● Mosquitoes
● Chiggers
● Rodents

Don’t let the fear of a fly keep you from enjoying the great outdoors! But, seriously, there are pests you just want to flat out avoid — bed bugs and chiggers, just to name a couple of the more difficult to get rid of.

Once you know where you are headed, you can look up if any specific pests might be a threat to you. For example, chiggers are normally found in moist, … Read Full Post »

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How to Identify, Prevent and Treat Bed Bugs | Bed Bug Awareness Week

. Posted by in • Dallas-Fort Worth, Oklahoma City, Tyler
how to identify bed bugs

Bed bugs are an increasingly common problem in Texas and Oklahoma. And summer just makes it worse. As we plan our vacations and get ready for adventure, there are some tiny travelers that want to hitch a ride. For Bed Bug Awareness Week (June 3-9, 2018), learn the tips and tricks for identifying, treating and preventing bed bugs.

Luckily, with some knowledge and quick action, you can identify and treat your bed bug problem and prevent an infestation.

Continue reading to learn about:

  1. Bed bugs, what they look like and how they thrive
  2. Bed bug prevention
  3. How to treat bed bugs if they do occur
  4. Working with a pest control professional

What Are Bed Bugs?

While not completely microscopic, bed bugs (cimex lectularius) are still extremely hard to spot. Bed bugs are very small, wingless insects with a flat, reddish body. Like mosquitoes, they feast on human blood. Because of this, one of their absolute favorite places is … Read Full Post »

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Bed Bugs in Your Home, Practical Tips for Uncovering Them

. Posted by in • Dallas-Fort Worth, Oklahoma City, Tyler
Bed Bugs in your home

Here at ABC Home & Commercial, November is our peak time for bed bug treatment. Every summer vacations are taken, leaving travelers like you at risk of bed bugs in your home with them. Bed bugs become very active in the late summer and fall before it cools down for winter. By the time November rolls around, they have been enjoying the hot humid North Texas summer for a few months.

Bed bugs don’t discriminate. They will live just about anywhere and bite anyone. Anyone who has slept where other people have slept before could get bed bugs. Even the nicest 5-star hotels are susceptible to infestations. The best way to prevent bed bugs is to check for them anytime you travel before you come home.

How Do You Get Bed Bugs in Your Home?

Bed bugs usually travel place to place by latching onto clothing or luggage after you have … Read Full Post »

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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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