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That old adage from your grandmother's youth, "Sleep tight; don't let the bed bugs bite," is back in vogue. The size and shape of an apple seed, bed bugs feed on human blood while their victims sleep. Their bites can raise angry, fiercely itching red welts and occasionally cause severe allergic reactions; but it is the psychosomatic trauma these tiny insects incite that makes bed bugs such an unwelcome pest.

Tough exoskeletons and a secretive nature makes it difficult to eradicate these easily spread insect pests. The bed bug experts at Allison Pest Control understand how upsetting a bed bug infestation can be to homeowners and the potential damage these bugs can inflict on business reputations. Bedbugs have now hit hotels and homes in every state. In fact, the bedbug population in the United States has increased by 500% in the past few years with New Jersey and New York being documented "hot spots" of activity.

Oval, flat-bodied and wingless, bed bugs are 1/4 to 3/8 inch long and a translucent brown color. Nocturnal, bed bugs feed on blood, sometimes for up to 10 minutes, while their human victims sleep. As bed bugs infuse with human blood during feeding, they grow larger and turn a dark reddish brown. Like other biting insects, bed bugs develop by metamorphosis and must ingest a blood meal to proceed to each developmental stage or reproduce. During their average 6-month life span, females lay hundreds of pinpoint-sized, yellowish-white colored eggs. Eggs have a tacky surface that allows them to adhere to any surface, aiding the spread of bed bug infestations.

Like lice and fleas, bed bugs have been human bedmates since they crawled out of bat and bird nests and into the beds of our ancient ancestors. After World War II, DDT effectively eliminated bed bugs in the U.S., but these blood-sucking pests continued to be a problem in other countries. When the environmentally hazardous effects of DDT were discovered and the insecticide was banned in the 1970s, bed bugs started creeping back into American beds, returning in the luggage of foreign travelers. Infestations are now common in all 50 states, but the New Jersey and New York City international gateway is the most heavily infested area in the U.S.

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In the last decade, bed bug infestations in the U.S. have increased by more than 500%. Unlike many insects, bed bugs are not attracted by poor sanitation. Bed bugs are opportunistic pests that enter buildings hidden in the clothing, luggage or possessions of people who have been exposed to bed bugs. Bed bugs are as likely to invade upscale condominiums and exclusive hotels as public housing and urban hostels.

Infestations are common in apartments and condominiums, residential homes, hotel and motel rooms, office buildings, college dormitories, laundries, movie theaters, cruise ships, moving vans, even airplanes and taxi cabs. Because of their diminutive size, secretive nature and the fact that only 50% of people react to bed bug bites, many people never realize they've been exposed to bed bugs until after a serious infestation develops. A nuisance pest not known to transmit disease, bed bugs do however harbor dangerous pathogens including HIV and hepatitis B.

Bed bugs hide deep in tiny cracks and crevices in and near their victims' beds. Look for adult bugs, shed exoskeletons and telltale black fecal smears along the welts and tufts of mattresses, under the fabric covering box springs, behind headboards, along baseboards and under nightstand drawers.

Bed bugs may also harbor behind picture frames, under loose wallpaper and inside alarm clocks, iPods, TVs or lamps. When infestations are severe, bed bugs may be seen gathering on walls or ceilings near heating ducts and a ripe raspberry scent may be noticeable. Infestations in apartment buildings, hotels, schools and nursing homes are particularly difficult to control as bed bugs spread readily on clothing and cleaning carts and through ducts, wall voids and utility conduits.

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If bed bugs are suspected, immediately call the bed bug extermination experts at Allison Pest Control. People often confuse bed bugs with other insect pests and panic unnecessarily. Allison Pest Control professionals can correctly identify insect pests and provide proper treatment to eliminate the problem.

When bed bugs are present, many people make bed bug infestations worse by spraying household pesticides or dragging bedding through homes to the trash. These very human responses merely spread infestations, making bed bug elimination more difficult. Bed bugs are impervious to insecticides available at home and garden stores and some even show resistance to common professional pesticides.

The good news is Allison Pest Control can exterminate your bedbug problem in an environmentally friendly manner that won't necessarily require you to dispose of your furniture or bedding. In most cases, Allison extermination methods for treating bedbugs do not involve or at least minimizes the use of any pesticides.

Through extensive research and development, Allison Pest Control's steam heat treatment method to eliminate bedbug infestation has been a highly successful in exterminating this pest. Throughout New Jersey, hundreds of homeowners, as well as hotels, government agencies, and apartment buildings have called upon Allison Pest Control to solve their bedbug problem.

If you suspect your home, apartment complex, hotel, or government operated facility has a bedbug problem, call us for a free pest inspection. Our expert exterminators will be happy to answer all of your questions. Our professional experts can rid your home or business of a bed bug infestation and offer you or your customers a good night's sleep.

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