Why Bed Bugs Keep Coming Back in a Home
WouterThere are several reasons why bed bugs keep coming back in a home. One reason is that a bed bug may have been brought home accidentally by a guest or another infested piece of furniture. Other reasons include that bedbugs may crawl from one room to another. It is important to note that this can happen several times before you find the bug.
Whether the bug has stayed in a room or hitchhiked onto a person’s body or belongings, bed bugs are notoriously hard to eradicate. In fact, some people find that their infestation has gotten worse after several treatments. Regardless of the reason, treatment is key. In the meantime, you can take steps to minimize the chance of a re-infestation.
One of the best ways to kill bed bugs is to use a bedbug pesticide. These chemicals kill the bugs in their larval stages by disrupting their cellular functions. Neonicotinoids, which are similar to synthetic nicotine, affect the nerves of bedbugs until they fail. Another way to kill bedbugs is by applying insect growth regulators, which mimic juvenile growth hormones. These substances alter the exoskeleton, making it harder for the insecticides to penetrate.
While bed bugs do not transmit any disease, they do pose a health risk. They are most active at night and feed on humans or animals that sleep in the bed. The adult bed bug is about the size of an apple seed and swells up after feeding. It’s not uncommon for a single female bed bug to lay hundreds of eggs over her lifetime. The eggs will mature in about a month and the female bugs will lay around three to three generations a year.
