Don't Let the Bed Bugs Bite

3/27/2018 (Permalink)

Photo of a bed bug from the CDC

Over the last week we handled cleanup at an apartment in the Green Bay area with a bed bug infestation.

We figured this would be a good time to tell you a little bit about the blood sucking critters and what you need to watch out for.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, bed bugs, or Cimex lectularius, as they’re formally known, are small, wingless, reddish-brown insects. They feed on human and animal blood while the victims are sleeping.

The bite marks will often appear as slightly raised, reddish spots. They can sometimes appear in straight lines.

The CDC says the teeny-tiny vampires are mostly harmless to humans. If you have an allergic reaction it COULD call for medical care. The bites can certainly itch and may cause lack of sleep.

We’re hearing more and more about outbreaks of the bugs across the country and locally. Because they’re so small they’re able to hide and stow away in items like clothing, sheets and mattresses.

Some signs you’re facing an infestation are as follow:

• Bugs or their exoskeletons appearing in your sheets or mattresses
• Rusty brown stains on your sheets or mattresses
• A sweet, musty odor

A professional exterminator can treat a bed bug infestation.

SERVPRO teams don’t treat the bed bugs themselves, but we do help clean up during an outbreak. That means removing the infested mattresses, carpets, etc.

The recent incident we helped at was made worse by the fact that it was also somewhat of a hoarding scene. Stacks of furniture and other belongings provide good places for the bugs to hide.

Our teams need to take serious precautions in these cases like wearing full Tyvek suits and wrapping the items we remove to ensure no bugs get out during the moving process. We then drive the items straight to the dump and bug bomb our truck at the end of the day.

If the bed bugs bite, SERVPRO of West Brown County’s team can help with any cleanup efforts you might have. Just give us a call at 920-434-8224.

So you can sleep tight and…well, you know the rest!