When Do Bed Bugs Become A Problem Around Chicago?

Have you spotted bed bugs in your home? If so, there is no time to waste, as these biting insects will dramatically impact your quality of life. If you are dealing with an infestation, read on to find out when bed bugs are most active in the Chicago area, discover how they get into homes in the summer, and learn five effective prevention strategies. Sleep Tight Pest Extermination provides pest control in Chicago that you can rely on year-round when you need safe and proven treatments.

Active Season For Bed Bug Activity

Bed bugs are a threat year-round because our homes provide the right conditions for them to thrive. It might be snowing or balmy out, but we generally keep our houses at a comfortable temperature at all times.

Still, spring and summer usually are peak bed bug seasons for many reasons. For one, they are typical times of the year to travel, and bed bugs often spread from one place to the next through suitcases and infested hotels or motels.

Also, bed bugs favor hot days and high humidity levels, and our Illinois winters tend to be freezing and dry. If you are worried about a bed bug infestation, it is time to learn how these biting insects get into homes in the summer.

How Bed Bugs Get Into Chicago-Area Homes In The Summer

Bed bugs get into Chicago-area homes in the summer in many ways, some easier to control than others, like the following ones:

• Through suitcases: Bed bugs will readily crawl into luggage in infested hotel rooms and hitch a ride into your home. You can avoid this by keeping bags off the floor, inspecting the bed, and washing everything in high temperatures when you get home.
• Through clothes and books: We think of bed bugs as insects that live in mattresses, but you can find them in used clothing and even secondhand books. We recommend inspecting them before bringing them into your home.
• Through visitors: While bed bugs prefer to find a spot where they can get a reliable blood meal at night, they can also live on people and spread from place to place as they move.

If you are worried about a bed bug infestation, the following bed bug control techniques for your home can help avoid having an infestation take over.

Five Tips To Avoid Bed Bugs

Here are five simple but effective tips to avoid a bed bug infestation:

1. Inspect items that might be infected: Used mattresses, books, secondhand clothes, and similar things could be full of bed bugs. Look them over thoroughly to ensure they are pest-free.
2. Wash bedding at high temperatures: Hot water and a hot drying cycle are excellent at getting rid of bed bugs and their eggs.
3. Vacuum your home: Bed bugs will often hide in carpet fibers. Vacuuming can help remove them if you dispose of the bag or empty the canister promptly.
4. Remove clutter: Areas of your home with lots of clutter provide perfect hiding spots for these biting insects and other pests. Regularly cleaning can help make it more challenging for them to invade.
5. Schedule regular inspections: A bed bug control professional can spot entry points and other factors that can lead to an infestation before one takes hold or during the early stages when treatments are more straightforward.

If you have an infestation, it is time to take the appropriate measures to eliminate it with top-rated local pest control for bed bugs.

What To Do If You Have Bed Bugs

The best way to eradicate bed bugs from your home is to combine the prevention strategies listed above with help from the pros. At Sleep Tight Pest Extermination, we focus on a fully functional, three-step approach that includes inspection, treatments, and follow-up visits.

Bed bugs don't stand a chance with heat and liquid applications, vacuuming services, mattress encasements, home monitoring, and more. Let's get started if you are ready to make your home pest-free with top-rated bed bug control in Chicago. Call us today to learn more about our prices and customized plans, and tell us more about your situation.