Category Archives: Bed Bugs Alabama

So, youve got bed bugs. Its OK. Bed bugs have been part of human society from the beginning.They have been found in Egyptian tombs and were mentioned in texts dating back to the time of Aristotle. However, in the fight against bed bugs, you have something that Aristotle didnt have the internet!Today, you can learn about bed bugs and the most effective treatment methods from experts in the pest management industry.Lets dive right inBed bugs have enjoyed a resurgence in recent years. Bed bugs were nearly eradicated in the United States due to the widespread use of pesticides such as DDT.Besides, general pest management practices have shifted to only using pesticides indoors only when necessary. In the past hotels would routinely treat guest rooms with pesticides, and this would prevent a bed bug infestation.Bed bugs have also become resistant to many of the pesticides they encounter in their travels. However, using scientific advancements and a biological understanding of bed bugs, it is possible to get rid of bed bugs and sleep peacefully again.In this guide, we will explore the best methods for getting rid of bed bugs. We will discuss why they are notoriously hard to get rid of and how long you should expect the extermination process to take.Now:There are many different treatment methods utilized to kill bed bugs and you can weigh the benefits and negatives of each method.We all want a healthy home for our family; with a little boost of knowledge, you can feel confident in the bed bug elimination method that you choose. Whether you are trying to get rid of bed bugs from a single-family residence, an apartment, or even a hotel or nursing home, with the treatment options available today, it is possible to get rid of bed bugs.How to Check for Bed Bugs

Do you wake up to mysterious bites on your shoulder or legs? Do you suddenly see reddish-brown spots on your sheets? If you suspect that bed bugs may be the cause, a thorough inspection and prompt treatment can be the difference between an introduction and a full-blown infestation. Finding and treating a minor bed bug infestation is less costly and simpler than dealing with a bed bug in every nook and cranny of your bedroom. However, a minor bed bug infestation can be hard to find. You need to know how to check for bedbugs.

Bed bugs are small, flat, oval-shaped insects. Adults are about the size and shape of an apple seed. Although they are not known to spread diseases, they crawl from their daytime hiding places to feed on resting humans. Bed bugs are small, but visible with the naked eye; an adult bed bug measures between 6 to 9.5mm. Bed bugs are usually brown in color, but after a fresh feeding, their body becomes swollen and more red. Like other insects, they have 6 legs and 2 antennae.

Bed bugs are excellent hitchhikers. They are often brought into your home in a purse, a bag, a backpack, or a suitcase. Bed bugs are most commonly found on and around the bed, but they can be located anywhere that has human contact for prolonged periods of time. Bed bugs can crawl into your bag on an airplane or train, while at the movie theater, or during a ride with a friend or rideshare service. You then bring your bed bug contaminated bag into your bedroom, and voila, the bed bug nightmare has begun.

Although they cannot fly or jump, bed bugs are capable walkers and climbers. They can easily climb the metal or wooden legs of furniture to access a blood meal if there is even a slight texture to the finish. Bed bugs have been observed to walk 3-4 feet per minute! They hide in tight harborages during the day, and happily travel between 5-20 feet from their hiding place to feed upon their host. They locate a potential host by homing in on the carbon dioxide exhaled when we breath and the heat that emanates from our bodies. Once they locate a potential host, bed bugs pierce the skin and feed for between 3-12 minutes.Most people do not wake up when bed bugs are in the act of feeding, and every person responds differently to a bite.

Bed bugs are so small and flat that they can hide anywhere that a credit card can fit. They are generally found close to the bed, where their food source is located, but as an infestation grows the prime hiding places become overcrowded and they expand their reach. When checking a room for bed bugs, carefully inspect cracks and crevices on or near the bed. Have a strong flashlight, a flat edged object like a paint scraper or credit card and perhaps a magnifying glass as well. To adequately check for bed bugs you may have to take apart the headboard or the bed frame.

When checking for bed bugs, look for every life stage. By locating and acknowledging the presence of eggs, immature bed bugs, and adults, you can gauge the severity of the infestation.

Some common bed bug hiding places include:

While checking your home for bed bugs it is important to determine the breadth of the infestation. Continue to check areas further away from the source of the infestation until you find no evidence of bed bugs. As you check your home for bed bugs, be sure not to cross-contaminate rooms and actually introduce bedbugs where they did not exist before. As you check your home for bed bugs, make notes of where and what you find. Save samples too. Larger specimens can be scooped up and placed in a ziplock bag. For smaller eggs and nymphs a piece of packing tape is great to stick it to the insects. Then place the tape in a ziplock bag to secure.

Now that you know how to check for bed bugs, test your skills the next time you check into a hotel room. Do this before you unpack any clothing and situate into the room. Lift the sheets and perform a cursory check of the mattress and bed frame. If you find any evidence of bed bugs, capture them and report the incident to management immediately.

If you think you may have bed bugs, call Nextgen Pest Solutions. Our professionals can thoroughly inspect your home for bed bugs and our treatments give you the peace of mind to rest easy again.

Cryonite is the brand name of the newest bed bug treatment. It uses special equipment to turn liquid carbon dioxide (CO2, one of the same elements we breathe in and out) into dry ice particles, similar to snow.

All of these benefits make bed bug freezing treatments better for residential properties, as well as many commercial properties. Only when a bed bug infestation is severe and in a small space that can be heated like a hotel room does a heat treatment make more sense.

Pay special attention to the legs, posts, any casters or wheels, and where these pieces connect. You may have to disassemble some pieces of furniture to thoroughly treat for bed bugs. Apply insecticide dust if you are able and place traps or monitors under the feet of any furniture.

Why is Cryonite is Better Than Heat for Your Bed Bug Treatment?Bed bugs are survivors. Once you have bed bugs, they are not easily removed, and cannot be eliminated with DIY methods alone.Even insecticides from professional pest control companies are not always enough to eliminate them. Bed bugs can build up a chemical resistance, making them immune to some of the common treatments. If bed bugs are well hidden, traditional treatments may not be able to reach them at all.Because bed bugs are do difficult to eliminate, pest control companies like Nextgen may choose to use treatments that involve temperature. Bed bugs cannot develop a resistance to heat or cold, making it an effective solution for both bed bugs and their eggs.At Nextgen Pest Solutions, we offer two types of temperature-based treatments for bed bugs:

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How To Get Rid of Bed Bugs - The Ultimate Guide for 2022

Stopping the spread of bed bugs can be a difficult task, although new studies on bed bug reproduction are exploring how to reduce the frequency of mating. To understand how bed bugs spread, it is helpful to understand their mating habits.HOW DO BED BUGS REPRODUCE?On average, female bed bugs lay about one to seven eggs per day after a blood feeding has taken place. However, the mating process can sometimes be difficult for the female bed bug. Frequent mating can cause injury. As a result, female bed bugs do not necessarily produce more eggs with increased mating sessions. Instead, a female bed bug is more likely to travel away from her original location to an area where she can guarantee a food source and a lack of mates. With lack of disruption and access to food, a female bed bug can lay many eggs.HOW MANY EGGS CAN A FEMALE BED BUG LAY?On average, a female bed bug with access to regular meals will lay anywhere from 200 to 250 eggs during her lifetime. Because mating causes scarring, a female that has mated multiple times during a short period will lay fewer eggs than a female who has had time to recover from the reproduction process. The need for females to protect themselves from future mating sessions has helped to increase the spread of bed bugs.

Pregnant female bed bugs are more likely to travel in an attempt to avoid being mated with again. A single pregnant female can cause an infestation of more than 5,000 bed bugs within a six-month period.THE BED BUG REPRODUCTION CYCLEBed bug eggs take approximately six to 17 days to hatch. Hatched eggs are called nymphs. A nymph is not able to reproduce until it has fully matured. The length of time it takes for a nymph to mature depends on temperature. Eggs can hatch and become mature bed begs in as little as 21 days in warmer temperatures. It can take more than four months for the same process to occur in cooler temperatures. Nymphs can begin blood feeding as soon as they hatch. A single female bed bug can mate with any of her offspring after a nymph has fully matured.REDUCING THE BED BUG REPRODUCTION CYCLEA 2010 study conducted by Vincent Harraca from Lund University in Sweden revealed an alarm pheromone released by nymphs, and male bed bugs when approached, to prevent prowling males from attempting to mate. Mature males will attempt to mate with any bed bug that has recently fed. The fact that male mating is non-productive in propagating the bed bug population has inspired scientific research, which resulted in the discovery that immature nymphs and male bed bugs release a fear pheromone to prevent a mating attack. In the future, scientists hope to use this pheromone to reduce mating overall and lessen infestations.

Research by Warren Booth, a biologist at the University of Tulsa and a co-author of a 2015 study published in Molecular Ecology on bed bugs, has led scientists to suspect that a new species of bed bugs is beginning to emerge. According to the BBC, archaeologists have discovered fossil evidence of what appears to be bed bugs, indicating that they are as old as 3,500 years. Scientists believe bed bugs originated in bat caves and began feeding on humans as humans moved into caves. However, when humans switched to other dwellings, bed bugs followed.

Since that time bed bugs have evolved. In the 1950s, bed bugs all but disappeared. The reason for that, according to one theory, was the heavy use of a common household pesticide, DDT. Due to health and environmental impact, that pesticide was banned in the United States in the 1970s, but by that time bed bugs had built up a resistance to the chemical and it was no longer effective. Bed bugs have since made a massive comeback, causing a growing concern for households and businesses alike.

The bed bug reproduction cycle is effective due to the large number of eggs a female can lay. A pest management professional can help to determine the source of bed bugs in your home or business and provide the proper treatment to ensure that bed bugs get out and stay out.

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How Do Bed Bugs Reproduce? | Terminix

Nextgen Pest Solutions is a full-service bed bug exterminator and pest control company serving the greater Atlanta area, throughout South Florida on both coasts, and the Birmingham, Alabama area. We are able to treat, remove, or prevent essentially any type of pest. We also provide wildlife removal in Atlanta, Georgia, and throughout the state of Florida.

Our hometown for our Georgia operations is Cumming, Georgia in Forsyth County. We provide all types of pest control, wildlife removal, termite treatment, and mosquito control services for our neighbors in Forsyth County, Georgia.

Throughout our market, we specialize in bed bug treatments to homes, apartments, and hotels. We even provide free guides on topics like how to get rid of bed bugs, how to get rid of squirrels, how to get rid of mice, how to get rid of ants, how to identify animal poop, and more. We also provide wildlife removal services including raccoon removal, squirrel removal, bat removal, snake removal, possum removal, bee and wasp removal, and other types of wildlife common to Alabama, Florida, and Georgia.

We provided top-quality bed bug services throughout Palm Beach, Pinellas, and Hillsborough Counties.

We offer mosquito control treatments and termite treatment plans during the spring and summer months when infestations are common throughout Florida and Georgia.

Our regular pest control and commercial pest control services can also protect against spiders, fleas and ticks, silverfish, beetles, house centipedes, millipedes, and more. And because we are licensed, insured, and bonded, you can feel confident that were taking care of your pest control needs.

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Pest Control & Exterminator Company Near Me | Nextgen Pest Solutions

KANSAS CITY, Mo. Metro pest control companies say theyve seen a surge in bed bug infestations during the pandemic.

After a 2017 study found bed bugs in the United States developed resistance to neonicotinoids, the most widely used insecticide in the world, discussions on how to fight these blood-sucking pests growing immunity flung open worldwide.

Jay Everitt, technical director at Rottler Pest Solutions in Kansas City, said the company will use any means necessary to battle the bugs, including heaters, silica gel, HEPA vacuums, compressed sprayers, dusters, mattress covers, a product called Climbups, and even dogs.

Climbups are round bowls one can place underneath a bed post to prevent bed bugs from migrating to the mattress. It forces them to crawl into the bowl before they ever reach the leg of the bed, trapping them in the process.

Youre making an island out of your bed, he said. Some people, in multi-housing units, use these for control, too. Theyll just randomly put them out, all around the perimeter of the building, and thats one way to catch bugs and harvest them.

Everitt said these are especially helpful in places, like long term healthcare facilities, because caregivers can check them on a daily basis to monitor where the bed bugs are aggregating.

Mike Rottler, president at the pest control company, said they have also turned to bed bug sniffing dogs that help identify locations in the home where they might be present.

Hes able to find the scent of bed bugs and where bed bugs are far, far quicker and far more often than humans, he said.

Heat is also an effective method of bed bug removal, Everitt said, because exterminators can use fans to direct the bugs from migrating to higher ground, and fleeing from the heat.

The natural habit of a bed bug is, in turbulent air, they just kind of bunker down and hold on, he said.

He said this helps keep the bugs concentrated to one area, making heat treatment even more effective than if the fans were not being used.

Maria Kellogg, Kansas City resident, said she and her friend found bed bugs in their Vrbo during a trip to Marco Island in Florida.

My friend, she went to bed in her room, and I go to my room and I pull down the comforter and I see two bugs on my pillow, she said. Im thinking, You know, its Florida, maybe theres just bugs. Its Florida. Its humid, whatever.

Kellogg said she didnt wake her friend immediately because she was unsure if the bugs she found were actually bed bugs or not.

I mean, I can see them crawling, she said. Im looking around, but still, I dont want to wake up my friend. I dont want to be too dramatic about it, in case it really isnt.

It wasnt until she did some research that her curiosity turned to panic.

I woke her [friend] up and there were some in her bed, not as many as mine, Kellogg said. In the living room, we found just a couple and then, we were sitting in the dining room and I got up and there was one on the chair, where I had just been sitting.

Kellogg said her friend and her left the Vrbo to find a hotel, but quickly realized they couldnt bring their belongings into the building.

I cant go to a hotel and take all my clothes that have been on the bed, she said. I cant go to a hotel unless I wash the clothes.

Ultimately, she said she decided to pitch the entire suitcase with everything in it.

I just couldnt take the chance, she said. I knew if I came home and I had one little itch or one little anything, then Id be worried for six months until I knew for sure.

They were on the covers, themselves, which was why it was so gross, to see it on the pillow, the first thing I saw. Thankfully, I was paying attention, cause if youre not, you know, youre really tired and you jump into bed, a person might not have noticed that.

Everitt said exterminators can use HEPA vacuums to remove bed bugs in large, concentrated groups, because they are strong and can remove the eggs, as well as adults.

If we went into a unit and they were thick on the bed, we would take those [vacuums] and remove 80 to 85% of those bugs with this HEPA vac, he said.

Of all the tips and tricks, Everitt said Rottlers favorite one is to use a silica gel dust product because bed bugs do not have the ability to grow resistant to it.

Its a desiccant, which actually knix the exoskeleton, which helps them dehydrate and dry out, Everitt said.

Bed bugs exoskeletons protect and keep them hydrated. Silica dust destroys the waxy layer of the bed bugs exoskeleton, causing the bugs to dry out and die from dehydration.

Silica dust is especially effective because, unlike some insecticides that must be ingested by the insects for it to work, desiccants are safe, low in toxicity, and penetrate the crevices where bed bugs hide.

Everitt said exterminators can provide mattress encasements to customers who fear getting bit at night.

The insect cannot get through it, he said. You cannot be bit through it, so thats how you preserve your $2,000 mattress, as far as that goes.

From now on, Kellogg said she will be taking more precautions while traveling.

I will put my suitcase at the door, as I come into the place, or whatever, she said. It sounds extreme but do that and do a thorough check before I unpack anything.

Despite bed bugs growing immunities, Everitt said exterminators have a large arsenal to tackle infestations.

Its just a bunch of tools in a toolbox, is what were using to go after these bugs, Everitt said.

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Exterminators turn to new treatments to get rid of bed bugs

Visceral fat, also known as belly fat, is far more deadly than its counterpart - subcutaneous fat. The latter lies just below the surface, whereas visceral fat often surrounds vital organs, such as the liver and intestines. This means storing too much of it can interfere with vital processes; hiking your risk of chronic conditions such as heart disease.

Exercise is an effective weapon against visceral fat build-up.

According to Harvard Health, moderate-intensity physical activity and strength training both take aim at belly fat.

Losing belly fat is only half the battle, however. The more formidable challenge is stopping it from returning.

Research suggests there is an optional amount of exercise you need to do each week to keep belly fat at bay.

READ MORE:How to get rid of visceral fat: Avoiding this type of food will significantly help to lose

A study conducted by exercise physiologists in the University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB) Department of Human Studies found that 80 minutes a week of aerobic or resistance training helps not only to prevent weight gain, but stop harmful visceral fat returning one year after weight loss.

In the study, published in the journal Obesity, University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB exercise physiologist Gary Hunter, Ph.D., and his team randomly assigned 45 European-American and 52 African-American women to three groups: aerobic training, resistance training or no exercise.

All of the participants were placed on an 800 calorie-a-day diet and lost an average 24 pounds.

Researchers then measured total fat, abdominal subcutaneous fat and visceral fat for each participant.

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Afterward, participants in the two exercise groups were asked to continue exercising 40 minutes twice a week for one year.

After a year, the study's participants were divided into five groups: those who maintained aerobic exercise training, those who stopped aerobic training, those who maintained their resistance training, those who stopped resistance training and those who were never placed on an exercise regimen.

"What we found was that those who continued exercising, despite modest weight regains, regained zero percent visceral fat a year after they lost the weight," Hunter said.

He continued: "But those who stopped exercising, and those who weren't put on any exercise regimen at all, averaged about a 33 percent increase in visceral fat."

"Because other studies have reported that much longer training durations of 60 minutes a day are necessary to prevent weight regain, it's not too surprising that weight regain was not totally prevented in this study.

"It's encouraging, however, that this relatively small amount of exercise was sufficient to prevent visceral fat gain."

The other crucial component aspect of keeping visceral fat a bay is to eat a healthy, balanced diet.

"Pay attention to portion size, and emphasise complex carbohydrates (fruits, vegetables, and whole grains) and lean protein over simple carbohydrates such as white bread, refined-grain pasta, and sugary drinks," says the NHS.

In fact, lowering your carb-intake altogether seems to provide the greatest benefit.

Many studies have shown that low-carb diets are more effective at reducing visceral fat than low-fat diets.

In an eight-week study including 69 overweight men and women, scientists found that people who followed a low-carb diet lost 10 percent more visceral fat and 4.4 percent more total fat than those on a low-fat diet.

A low-carb diet is one that reduces carbs, primarily found in sugary foods, pasta, and bread.

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Struggling to shake visceral fat? Research recommends doing this amount of exercise weekly - Express