It is a proven fact that every living organism has some sort of defense mechanism that allows it to protect itself from harm and bed bugs are no exception. They cannot pass diseases or illnesses to ward off defenses against them, nor can they attack like some insects. The bed bug defense mechanism is its ability to hide. They do not just hide in a normal pattern; they possess an anatomy that allows them to hide in places that are virtually inconceivable to the human brain. With a width no larger than a credit card, these insects can move into cracks and crevices that are impenetrable. They live and mate in these tiny crevices and only venture out at night when human beings are asleep to extract their blood.
Bed bugs spend most of their natural lives hiding. Once they gain a foothold inside of a person’s home, they will choose to infest a structure that sees the most undisturbed activity from their host. In most cases, this is a bed, hence where they derive their name from. Bed bugs choose to infest the dark crevices of a bed so they can be continuously close to their host. An entire colony will typically take hold of a bed since this will limit any need to travel far throughout a room to reach their host. With this being said, they can also infest a couch, a chair, drapes, and even small crevices inside of walls, preferably underneath baseboards.
Wood is also an attractive harborage area for bed bugs. Dressers, tables, chairs, and certainly bed frames that are made of wood, will typically house large numbers of the insects. Even more bizarre, there are instances where bed bugs will infest electronics within a bedroom, such as alarm clocks, radios, and even televisions. The longer the infestation is left undisturbed, the larger their numbers will become, meaning that overflows of a bed will see bugs venturing out to infest other areas in a bedroom. You typically will not find bed bugs in a bathroom or kitchen since humans spend very little time in these places. Bed bugs need you to be still for long periods of time to feed on you, which means a computer chair is also a commonplace to find them.
Typically speaking, you will discover them hiding in your bed. The box spring is the most preferred harborage area due to this section of a bed having a dark underside that is mostly left undisturbed. The mattress is also a spot for harborage areas, particularly the underside and edges. Pillows, pillowcases, headboards, and even sheets and quilts can see bed bug activity. Trying to find every single hiding spot can be impossible at times, so you will just have to assume that all of their preferred areas are infested. Contact a pest control Guelph professional immediately upon discovering bed bug activity. Scouring every possible hiding place in your home is just too overwhelming to consider.
