With the beginning of fall comes a settling in. Travel decreases as families finish up vacations. School begins. And routines return. As the days shorten and the weather turns cooler, late nights enjoying the outdoors turn to early evenings enjoying the warmth of our homes.
 
With this shift in our routines, comes an increased chance of our homes becoming the scene of a bed bug infestation. While bed bugs are known to be most active in the summer, they are still very active into the fall, and certain things make it even more likely that we might accidentally introduce them into our homes.
 
Bed bugs are well-versed in the art of travel, which is why they are often found in hotel rooms. Vacationers bring them into the hotel room on their clothing or luggage and leave a few behind when they go. These bed bugs can then either start reproducing and growing larger in population in that room or end up on the clothing or luggage of the next person to occupy the room.
 
If you took a late summer vacation and ended up in a room with bed bugs in it, there is a chance you brought some home with you without knowing it.
 
Having the kids go back to school is another way you might potentially end up with bed bugs in your home. If a child has bed bugs in her home, she might bring them to school with her where they have the chance to move from one coat or backpack to another, heading home with a new child at the end of the day.
 
Bed bugs are not limited to locations with beds. They can be found nearly anywhere that humans frequent. However, as autumn turns to winter, they do slow their traveling because they do not like cold weather. That means if you’ve brought some home with you, it’s likely that a very small problem will have a chance to grow into a big infestation.
 
If you find bed bugs in your home, you do not want to try to treat the problem yourself. Bed bugs are not only amazing travelers; they are also amazing hiders. They can go deep into hiding, making it nearly impossible for you to find them all and kill them all when trying to do a DIY treatment.
 
DIY treatments can also be dangerous for you, your family, and your pets because of the chemicals involved. Plus, bed bugs are extremely adaptable, many have become resistant to the pesticides used in DIY treatments.
 
Your best bet, when confronted with a bed bug infestation, is to hire pest control professionals. Schendel Pest Services uses the most effective treatment available to eradicate bed bugs, even the ones that are deeply hidden or resistant to chemicals. Heat treatments are simple, safe, and effective. We also employ a trained K-9 bed bug inspector to ensure that we haven’t missed a bug.
 
As soon as you see a bed bug in your home, get in touch with Schendel to take care of the problem. Contact us to learn more about our bed bug control options.