Bed bugs are a problem all over the nation, in urban environments, Denver included. A few years back, Denver was listed by a pest-control company in the top 5 of the most bed bug-infested cities in the US (the top was based on the company`s service data), the other four being Las Vegas, Cleveland, Detroit and Cincinnati.
Bed bugs are some of the creepiest and pervasive pests, they reproduce like crazy and are very hard to eradicate.
They prefer dark and quiet areas near the place they feed. You will find bed bugs hidden in different hard to reach and unlikely places. They are attracted to carbon dioxide and the heat people emit. Bed bugs can usually be seen at night, when the light is off. They are often present in hotels and boarding houses, can move quickly from one room to another throughout rooms and apartments and may be transported from one place to another in the luggage. Second hand furniture can be infested, so make sure to check it carefully on all sides, before purchasing it or receiving it as a gift.
Bed bugs are small, nocturnal, wingless insects and belong to the Cimicidae family. They feed on the warm blood of animals and humans. They have an oval shape, and when they reach maturity, they are up to 5 cm long. The nymphs are transparent or have a yellow color and lengths of 1-4 mm. Bedbugs have two antennae and six legs. In order to hide, they can find a place up to 7 m away, but in general they are not more than 1-2 m away from the host.
Where are the bedbugs hiding?
Because they have a flattened body, they can easily hide in very small and narrow places, such as cracks in the parquet, under the carpets, behind wallpapers, in bed frames, sofas, behind paintings and more – places where they are difficult to be found. Generally, they prefer to stay in group; in places where there are large infestations, you may sense an unpleasant sweet smell.
When it comes to its lifecycle, a bedbug metamorphoses in stages; it starts by being an egg, then passes to the nymph stage and then to the adult shape. The nymphs are small and go through several stages until adulthood. The female lays between 200 and 500 eggs during her lifetime and 10-50 eggs at a time. The nymphs hatch after an interval of 6-17 days, and the adults can survive even a year without feeding.
This information is essential to understand why bed bugs are so common in urban environments such as Denver. Bed bug detector and elimination services must be established immediately, otherwise you will have all kind of unpleasant experiences that will ruin your comfort and your peace of mind.
Throwing away infested objects would is the ideal solution, but for obvious reasons, this is not always possible, so the best thing is to turn to a team of professionals who will help you get rid of this problem.