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Bedbug Extermination and Control

Bed bugs are making a comeback in the Greater St. Louis area

For about half a century, bed bugs (or "bedbugs;" either term is correct) were so rarely encountered in the United States that they were thought to have been eliminated. But they've been making a stunning comeback in recent years.

The dramatic rise in bed bug infestations in the United States in recent is believed by entomologists to be the result of two factors: The first is the increase in international air travel, which allows bed bugs to "hitch-hike" in travelers' clothing or luggage.

The second reason is that older methods of interior pest control used broad-spectrum insecticides that were effective against a wide variety of insects, not just the ones that an exterminator may have been treating for. So even though the exterminator may not have been specifically treating for bed bugs, the bed bugs died, anyway.

Newer pest control methods, on the other hand, are more targeted toward individual pests, and are less-effective or completely ineffective against others; so we no longer get "incidental" control of bed bugs during a cockroach or ant treatment.

Bed Bug Biology

Bed bugs are small, flattened insects who feed on blood. They are wingless, and are about 1/8 to 1/4 of an inch in length when full-grown. They also give off a foul odor that can really become sickening when the bed bugs are present in large numbers.

Bed bugs tend to live in cracks, crevices, and upholstery close to where their hosts (that means you) sleep. Just when you're getting comfy in your bed, the bed bugs make their move. They crawl out from mattresses, from behind baseboards, and from inside structural crevices in furniture. They may even drop onto you from the ceilings if they're living behind the crown moldings.

Once they're done feeding, most of the bed bugs return to their hiding places. Some, however, may hitch hike on their hosts, this spreading the infestation to other places and people.

Bed Bugs and Human Health

Bed bug bites are able to transmit at least one serious disease: MRSA (Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus). Sometimes called "flesh-eating bacteria," MRSA is a form of Staph that is resistant to most drugs usually used to treat Staph infections. Its effect can range from minor skin irritation, to systemic infection, and sometimes death.

Bed bugs also are theoretically capable of vectoring several other serious diseases including relapsing fever, Chagas disease, and maybe hepatitis. In any event, bed bug bites can cause severe rashes and welts, allergic reactions, intense itching, and pain, even absent the transmission of more serious diseases.

Bed Bug Control

Bedbugs are extremely difficult to control. Even professional exterminators look at bed bug control as a challenge, and it's not uncommon for a bed bug job to require the better part of a full day of very detailed, meticulous work. But at Buckingham Pest Control, we don't shy away from the tough jobs. We provide effective bed bug control in private homes, apartment buildings, condos, hotels, motels, and anywhere else bed bugs can be found.

If you're experiencing a problem with bed bugs or any other pest, please contact us for a prompt, individual consultation. Buckingham Pest Control serves the Greater St. Louis, Missouri area.