How to Detect Bed Bugs in Your Home

How to Detect Bed Bugs in Your Home
By Ben Anton

A resurgence of Cimex lectularius, better known as the common bed bug , has turned playful bedtime sendoffs into truly fearful warnings.

This resurrection can largely be attributed to the halt in using the pesticide DDT that nearly eradicated bed bugs in the United States in the 1950s, leaving little to no defense against the uprising miniscule offenders today. Adding to this effect is the fact that bed bugs are nocturnal in nature, preying on sleeping people across the world.

They feed on human blood, leaving only a trail of red itchy welts or localized swellings on the skin as calling cards of their appearances.

While red marks may be an indication of an infestation, they are definitely not a confirmation. Finding these critters is no easy task, as they are approximately 4-5 mm in length with a flattened form, allowing them to hide in crevices and creases with ease.

While often found hiding all over the house, their favorite spot to conceal themselves–in the event that a mattress cover or pillow cover are not being used–is in or around the bed, hence their name. Being so close to their primary food source gives them the opportunity to feed every 5-10 days, though they are able to live up to 18 months without eating. .

A bed bug will dine on human blood for approximately 5-15 minutes before it will be fully engorged, more than tripling its size. This change has been known to cause misidentification as it becomes round in shape, different from its naturally flat shape.

Additionally, when it is an adult it becomes brown in color, except after feeding when it takes on a dark red hue due to the intake of human blood.

Because of their miniscule size and innate ability to hide, bed bugs can enter the home in a multitude of ways, including any type of object that can be transferred from one home, apartment, condo, hotels, etc., to another.

This transferability, coupled with their hyperactive reproduction, allows their wrath to be widespread very quickly, especially in homes that are older or have many cracks and crevices, messy cluttered homes, and homes where mattresses or pillows are not covered with some sort of allergen-reducing encasements.

To get a feel of their ability to infest an entire house, here are some reproduction facts:

•Females lay eggs in clusters of 3-5 in just one day
•The eggs are whitish in color, pear shaped and approximately 1 mm in length
•A female will lay up 500 eggs during her lifetime
•Eggs hatch in 1-2 weeks time
•In one year’s time, three generations of can be produced
•Newly hatched nymphs—as they are called–begin to feed on human blood immediately
•Nymphs are colorless and the size of a pinhead
•A nymph will go through five molting stages before becoming a full adult, feeding during each stage

Though these wingless vampires have been known to be brimming with pathogens—hepatitis B and plague included—they have not been shown to be a transmitter of disease. Unlike mosquitoes, they are not thought of as being a medical threat, making them more of an annoyance then anything else.

Some people try to live with bed bugs in their lives, though they often are covered with welts and scars from scratching all over their bodies.

No distance is great enough to be protected once they have entered your home. They have been known to travel over 100 feet on their own to feed, making merely disinfesting your bed and using mattress and pillow covers a futile act.

In order to be fully rid of these pests, a home needs to be thoroughly cleaned, ensuring that every crease, crevice, floorboard, outlet and corner has been cleaned and rid of them and their eggs.

Furthermore, every hole and crack should be filled and caulked, leaving little to no room for already existing eggs to penetrate the home. Once your house is rid of infestation, you should use a complete, zippered mattress encasement, a complete zippered pillow encasement, and a zippered encasement for your box spring.

This traps any existing critters inside, essentially permanently removing them from their food source, and disallowing new bugs from hiding in their beloved hotbeds.

-Ben Anton, 2007

Want to learn more about how to prevent bed bugs in your home? Visit the CleanRest website to view a wide selection of mattress covers and other allergen-reducing encasements.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Ben_Anton

Rodents! How to Keep Them Out Of Your Home

I was cruising around the pest control sites today researching some material for a quotation I am working on and found some excellent information on rodent proofing your structures.

Here is a tiny bit of it and believe me when I say that if you are looking into rodent prevention there is a ton of things you can do to protect yourself against the little critters.

The Importance of Rodent-Proof Construction
Rats and mice cause serious damage to all kinds of structures if they are allowed access to them. Damage by rodents has been documented in homes, apartments, hotels, office complexes, retail businesses, manufacturing facilities, food processing and warehouse facilities, public utility operations (especially power and electronic media operations), farm and feed storage buildings, and other structures.

In urban settings, rodents most often cause damage to older, inner-city buildings and utilities in poor repair. New housing developments may experience commensal rodent problems, but problems are more noticeable in neighborhoods 10 to 12 years of age or older. Ornamental plantings, accumulation of refuse, woodpiles, and other such sources of harborage and food are more quickly invaded and occupied by rodents when adjacent to an established rodent habitat.

Many types of land, air, and water transportation systems and their infrastructure also face serious rodent infestation problems. Infestations are of particular concern in the transportation of foodstuffs, feed, and other agricultural products. Commensal rodents consume and contaminate human and livestock feed. One rat can eat about 1/2 pound (227 g) of feed per week, and will contaminate and waste perhaps 10 times that amount.

Rodents destroy insulation, electrical wiring, plumbing, and other structural components of buildings (Fig. 1). Insulation damage alone may amount to a loss of several thousand dollars in only a few years. Energy loss from damaged buildings results in added annual costs. Rodent-induced fires from damaged electrical wiring or nest building in electrical panels cause loss of property and threaten human safety.

Rodents also serve as vectors or reservoirs of a variety of diseases, such as salmonellosis, leptospirosis, and murine typhus, that are transmittable to humans. Additionally, they may be sources of swine dysentery, brucellosis, sarcoptic mange, and tuberculosis, all of which affect livestock or pets.

The most effective means of limiting rodent damage is rodent-proof construction. New buildings should be designed and built to prevent rodent entry. Rodent-proofing is a good investment. Designing and constructing a rodent-proof building is less expensive than adding rodent-proofing later. Nevertheless, poor maintenance or management practices, such as leaving entry doors and unscreened windows open, will make the best constructed building susceptible to rodent entry.

Read more here

Pest Prevention And Non Toxic Household Pest Control

Non Toxic Pest Control For Your House And Garden

Pesticides are toxic and, while often effective against pests, can be dangerous for your family and pets. Outdoors, sprayed pesticides might drift on a breeze and dust your vegetable garden or your neighbor's yard. Indoors, pesticides can linger in the air, exposing the family to harmful chemicals. For these reasons, many people are turning to nontoxic pest control methods.

Prevention is the best way to control pests, but there are times when even the most thorough preventative measures will not save you from intruders, so this article discusses both preventative pest control methods and nontoxic pest control products.

Preventative Pest Control Methods

Sanitation:
As they say, cleanliness is next to godliness. And it keeps pests out, too. Keeping your home clean is the most effective pest control method. If you don't leave food or dirty dishes lying around the house, animals and insects won't be attracted to the smell. Sweep and vacuum regularly.

Remember, just because you can't see crumbs doesn't mean they don't exist. Clean inside pantries and cabinets cabinets, under and around the stove and refrigerator at least once a year.

Screens:
This may seem obvious, but screens on doors and windows are a simple and relatively cheap way to keep insects out of the house. Also, screens on crawlspaces keep rodents from obtaining easy access routes into the house.

Caulking:
By caulking cracks in your house, you can minimize places for insects to hide and nest. Target bathrooms and the kitchen, especially doors and windows.

Nontoxic Pest Control Products

Traps:
There are many kinds of traps available that target many kinds of pests. Some examples are sticky traps for cockroaches, glueboards for mice, flypaper, bug zappers, and traps specifically for rats, gophers, or moles. You can usually pick up traps at your local Home and Garden store.

Pheromones:
Pheromones, essentially insect scent hormones, can be used in traps as bait. By emitting the scent of the female insect, pheromones can be used to lure males into a trap, where they are caught in a sticky glue. Insects are only attracted by pheromones emitted by their own kind, so you need to know exactly what kind of insects you're trying to eliminate and plan accordingly.

Biological Control:
Biological control is more often used in agriculture but can sometimes be used in home and garden situations as well. Basically it means using desirable organisms to eliminate undesirable organisms.

For instance, planting certain plants in your garden can deter certain pests. For example, spearmint repels ants. Garlic repels Japanese Beetles. Indoors, spiders eat fruit flies and houseflies, so it may be worth leaving some of those webs around.

Repellents:
There are nontoxic repellents available for pest control. Mosquito repellents are the most popular, but if you look around, you can find repellents that target other pests. Some herbs, like eucalyptus and wormwood, are known for repelling animals and insects.

by TC Thorn

TC Thorn writes for http://www.pestinformation.com/ where you can find more pest control information.

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How To Get Rid Of Spiders (And How To Prevent Them)

Here's a good site on getting rid of spiders, and there are some things you can do to prevent the spiders in the first place, or at least reduce the possibility of them invading your home.

I found another article on spiders I thought had some good information. The whole article can be found on Get Rid of Spiders Frugally. Some of the information is pretty common sense, I only mention it here because if you follow the advice, the spiders will be definitely reduced.

Here is an excerpt to the page for your convenience:

Even the worst cases of spider infestation will respond to the simple and frugal cures listed below:

Find and seal all cracks in basement walls and in window casings and doorways. If there is just a tiny crack in your house, spiders will crawl through.
Make your house unfriendly to other bugs. Spiders eat bugs, plain and simple... and if their dinner isn't handy, there's no reason for them to hang around.
Vacuum up spiders as you find them. It's simple, safe and more effective than poisons. Vacuum the area thoroughly to get the egg sacs, too.
Keep clutter picked up inside the house so spiders won't have a place to hide. They won't stay in an area that is completely smooth and clutter free.
Keep your trash bins away from the house because spiders will stay around them, hoping to catch the bugs that are attracted to them.
Remove old vegetation or wood from against the house foundations. Spiders like to hide in these things and often find entrance from there.
Trim back trees, bushes and other vegetation from touching the house walls.
Keep pet food tightly covered to keep from attracting bugs which attract spiders. (Don't leave pet food in a dish all day.)

Try some or all of these tips so that your need for chemical solutions is reduced.

Rodent Proofing Your Home

Rodent Proofing Your Home

It's that time of year where rats and mice are apt to enter our homes. Lets talk a bit about their abilities and senses first.

Rats and mice cannot see very good beyond 3 or 4 feet but have a very good sense of motion up to 30 to 50 feet away and for the most part they are color blind. Rodents are most active at night.

These rodents have a very good sense of taste so baits may be rejected by them if they are contaminated with insecticides or odors from other chemicals. Even touching baits after smoking a cigarette will make these rodents to shy away from the baits.

Rats and mice also have a good sense of smell. They mark pathways with urine and use their sense of smell to recognize the odors of the pathway to and from food sources.

Their hearing is much better than humans and make noises in various situations such as mating.

Rodents have a highly developed sense of touch due to their sensitive body hairs. They rely heavily on touch and smell to guide them through movements. The territories of most rats are between 50 and 150 feet from the nest. For mice the average territories within buildings are between 10 and 30 feet.

Rodent Proofing Your Home

The best way to control mice and rats is to make it impossible for them to enter your home. That can be difficult with mice because they can pass through an opening only 3/8 inch thick.

In general, all openings greater than 1/4 inch thick should be sealed for mice and all openings greater than 1/2 inch should be sealed for rats.

Check all openings around utility lines that enter your home, around service conduits such as water pipes, electric wires, air-conditioning units, drain pipes and vents should all be sealed.

Also check for broken windows and unscreened vents. Vents should be covered with metal grillwork backed by rust-resistant screening. Roofs should be checked to see that shingles are down tight and sheathing is complete. Check roof ventilators, screen vents and in wall vents.

Make sure you check under sinks where pipes enter the wall. This is a great area for mice and rats to enter your home or business.

Copper mesh stuffing, course steel wool, sheet metal, hardware cloth and mortar can be used to seal the spaces around these areas. Just use your imagination.

These are not all areas that mice and rats can enter your home. Its impossible for me to think of everywhere. Like I said, just use your imagination.

by T. Taylor

About The Author
The author of this article has been in the pest control business for over 10 years and has cleaned out many homes of rodents and insects pests. To find out more about insects and other pests and to receive a free pest identification guide please visit his website. http://www.infobreaks.com

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How To Get Rid Of Spiders

How To Get Rid of Spiders

The best way to get rid of spiders is to prevent them from coming into your home. Trim all shrubs and hedges away from touching your house. If you have a brick home, treat all weep holes. Treat around all doors, windows, eves, cracks and crevices. Caulk all cracks and crevices, doors and windows. Purchase one of those duster type things and sweep away all webs.

One of the reasons you might have spiders is because spiders eat insects. Treat your home for other insects regularly and you should have less spiders. However, ladybug beetles also eat other insects. You could get some ladybugs but they can also become a nuisance.

If you have lots of cardboard boxes around just get rid of them. Spiders love to hang around cardboard boxes. One ofthe reasons you may have spiders in the summertime is that spiders don't like heat. Which is why they come into your home during the summer months for the coolness. They also like to hang around bathrooms and kitchens because there is a water source nearby. I have heard that cats are wonderful for pest control.

Personally, I don't believe in the plug-in ultrasonic devices. Some people say they work, some don't. If the government could prove they didn't work they probably would be pulled off the market. You know the government!

If you are seeing web-spinning spiders don't be alarmed.They are beneficial to help you rid your home of insects and they are basically harmless. Beware of wood piles, boxes and sheds and especially dark areas full of clutter.

They harbor brown recluse and black widow spiders. You don't want these. If cleaning these areas always wear gloves. Insect glue boards work great. Place these glue boards in areas that spiders may be found inside the home. Place them behind toilets, under sinks in bathrooms and kitchens. Behind refrigerators, washer and drier, hot water heaterand also in attics. You may also place them inside your garage on each side of the garage door.

One other thing. Once spiders are in your home, a good vacuum cleaner with a hose attachment will work wonders. This should help you get rid of most of the spiders in and around your home. You will probably never rid you house of all spiders but at least you should be able to keep the population down somewhat.

Some Facts About Spiders

Spiderlings or ( young spiders ) can go long distances floating on a breeze using a strand of silk.

The female black widow seldom devours the male after mating.

Spiders seldom bite people. They only do so by defendingthemselves.

There are about 40,000 species of spiders in the world and only about 4000 in the US.

Some spiders are so small they could balance on the tip of a pencil and some are about fourteen inches in diameter.

Almost all spiders are venomous but only a few are really medically important. The larger the size does not mean the spider has a larger venom capibility.

Spider silk is the strongest natural fiber known.

by Tim Taylor, Copyright 2005

The Author of this article has been in the pest control business for over 12 years and treated many homes for spiders, insects and other pests. To find out more about spiders, cockroaches and other pests and insects and download a free insect identification guide, visit his website and take a free email course at http://www.infobreaks.com