Bed Bugs in Dayton: Understanding the Lifecycle and Treatment Options

Bed Bugs are probably every person’s worst fear when it comes to pest-related problems.  The thought of having them invade your personal space will literally keep you up at night!  Bed Bugs have been and continue to be a huge problem here in the Dayton area, but Pro Zone Pest Control has the solution to solve your problem.

At one time, bed bugs were thought to be nearly eradicated in the United States.  We now see them in every part of the country, from 5-star hotels to cruise ships, movie theaters, and your very own bed.  Bed bugs are excellent hitchhikers, and that is how they are moved from one location to the next.  They will catch a ride on one person’s belongings and move from place to place.  

Bed bugs are blood-feeding parasites that are primarily oval in appearance with flat bodies.  Contrary to some beliefs, they do not spread any disease after they bite.  Most people also believe that you can only get bed bugs if you have a dirty home (not true!), although a tidy house certainly does help when it comes to treatment.  Here at Pro Zone Pest Control, we have treated everything from trailer homes to million-dollar properties.  Bed bugs do not discriminate!

The Bed Bug Lifecycle: The Fascinating (and Gross) World of Bed Bug Reproduction

Understanding a bit about bed bugs will help catch the problem early and help keep a small problem from becoming a large one.  

In addition to being flat and oval, bed bugs are generally reddish-brown.  Adult bed bugs are approximately 1/8 to 3/16 of an inch long and are clearly visible.  Juvenile bed bugs are called nymphs and have the same shape as adults but are more yellow-white.  

Bed bugs will feed on various hosts, including poultry, rodents, cats & dogs, but their favorite is the human.  Bed bugs go through three life stages: eggs, nymphs, and adults.  Eggs are approximately 1 mm long (about 2 grains of salt) and are very difficult to see.  They have a sticky coat and are laid in the cracks and crevices around bedding, sofas, etc.  After hatching, they become a nymph and begin feeding immediately.  A nymph will go through 5 molting stages (each requiring a blood meal) before reaching adulthood.  

Adult bed bugs will live approximately one year in optimal conditions.  Reproduction in a home or business with a constant temperature between 70 & 85 degrees is rapid, and they breed year-round.  One fertilized adult female bed bug can lay about 1-5 eggs PER DAY!  That is approximately 500 eggs in her lifetime.  Eggs will hatch after 7-10 days, and the total time from egg to adult bed bug is about 1 ½ to 2 months.  As you can see, it does not take long for a home to become overrun with bed bugs!

Bed bugs are incredibly resilient and can live for multiple months without feeding.  Some studies have shown them to survive for up to 18 months without a blood meal.  The point is you cannot wait them out!  They will hunker down and wait for you to appear and for the dinner bell rings! 

The bigger question is, how do we get rid of them?

Bed Bug Heat Treatment: Why it is the Best Solution for Bed Bug Eradication

Pro Zone Pest Control has been treating bed bugs for many years now, and our preferred method to eradicate them from a property is heat treatment.  This is a method of safely raising the temperature in your home to the point that bed bugs cannot sustain life.  Heat is lethal to all insects and arachnids (at the proper temperature), and using this principle. We have found the proper temps, methods, and equipment to remove bed bugs from your home without using a chemical application.  

Generally speaking, the target temperature desired to effectively kill all stages of life (adult, nymph, and eggs) is approximately 140 degrees. Pro Zone Pest Control will guide you through the process of preparing your home for treatment and what to expect along the way.  This is a one-day process and only requires you to be out of the home for the better part of a day.  

When heat treatment is not an option, we do have alternative treatment options that are highly effective and may work better depending upon circumstances.  Our goal is to make your home bed bug free so that you can rest easily!  

Contact Pro Zone Pest Control today if you suspect a bed bug problem in your home.