To many, bed bugs may seem like a problem of the past. However, bed bugs are actually a lot more common in the Philadelphia, PA area than you might think. In reality, these pests are incredibly resilient and can appear anywhere from apartments and single-family homes to hotels, offices, and any other public space that offers a decent enough environment for them to live in seemingly overnight.
The truth of it is that bed bugs aren’t a problem of cleanliness. If they can gain access to a space, they will move in. So, just where do bed bugs in Philadelphia, PA come from, what early warning signs should you look out for, and what should you do if you find bed bugs in your home or business?
Why Are Bed Bugs Common in Philadelphia?
Philadelphia is a busy city with constant movement between homes, apartment buildings, hotels, schools, and public transportation. Unfortunately, this just so happens to create the perfect environment for bed bugs to spread from place to place. But urban life isn’t the only reason that cities like Philadelphia experience bed bug problems.
The rise of travel has also contributed to the increase in the number of bed bugs that Philadelphia, PA residents encounter each year. Hotels, airports, buses, trains, and rideshare vehicles all create opportunities for bed bugs to move between locations unnoticed, and once they enter a new space, they’re most likely there to stay.
How Do Bed Bugs Enter Your Home?
Bed bugs don’t fly or jump. Instead, they rely completely on people and their belongings to get around, with their flat bodies making it incredibly easy for them to slip into tiny spaces where people aren’t likely to notice.
This means that whether you’re coming back from vacation or simply running errands around town, if you come in contact with bed bugs at any point, you could end up leading them straight to your home.
Still, there are other ways that bed bugs can enter an indoor space that don’t necessarily involve you carrying them there. So, if you want to make sure that you cover all your bases, here are a few of the other most common ways that bed bugs may enter your home.
Used Furniture and Secondhand Items
Secondhand furniture is one of the most common sources of bed bug infestations because furniture offers the ideal hiding spots for bed bugs. Mattresses, couches, recliners, and upholstered chairs can all easily carry hidden bed bugs or eggs within seams and cushions, without anyone knowing.
This doesn’t necessarily mean that you need to ban all used furniture from your home forever. However, if you do decide that you want to bring any secondhand furniture into your home, it’s incredibly important to thoroughly inspect the furniture to ensure that you aren’t risking any avoidable infestations.
Guests
Unfortunately, any guests that you invite over are just as likely to bring bed bugs into your home as you are. The chances of this get even higher if you’re hosting out-of-town guests who have stayed in hotels and traveled on planes, buses, or even by riding services.
What Signs Should You Watch For?
Being able to recognize the early warning signs of a bed bug infestation can make a huge difference in preventing the problem from getting out of hand. Here’s what to look out for.
Bite Patterns and Skin Irritation
Bed bug bites usually appear as small, itchy, red marks that tend to form in clusters or straight lines. Reactions to these bites can vary widely from person to person, so it can be hard to determine whether bed bugs are involved based solely on the presence of bites.
That being said, if you do start to notice bite marks, it’s probably time to schedule a professional inspection to confirm whether or not bed bugs are to blame.
Small Stains and Shed Skins
Bed bugs leave behind a wide variety of physical signs during an infestation, one of which is the small blood stains that come from you being bitten. Tiny dark spotting, shed skins, and eggshells are also some of the most common indicators that bed bugs have moved in.
These signs are frequently found near mattress seams, box springs, headboards, and nearby furniture, and in many cases, these clues can appear long before you actually see any live bed bugs yourself.
Musty Odors in Larger Infestations
Eventually, you may start to notice a slightly sweet or musty odor in the areas they’re active in. This smell is essentially the combination of dead bed bugs, shed skins, fecal matter, and their unique alarm pheromone, and only becomes noticeable as the infestation gets larger, meaning that if you smell it, you should act quickly to get rid of the problem before it gets any bigger.
How Does EasyPM Treat Bed Bugs in Philadelphia, PA?
At EasyPM, we use modern treatment solutions designed to eliminate Philadelphia, PA bed bugs safely and effectively. Our eco-friendly heat treatments target every stage of the bed bug life cycle in a single-day treatment process.
Our heat treatments penetrate deep and are completely free of harmful chemicals, allowing us to treat furniture, mattresses, and personal belongings without you needing to worry about throwing anything away afterward. This also means that our solutions are completely family- and pet-safe, giving you added peace of mind throughout the entire treatment process.
As a locally owned and operated company, we understand the challenges that come with treating the bed bugs that Philadelphia, PA residents encounter in homes and businesses across the city. So, whether you already know you have bed bugs in your home or are only noticing a few early warning signs, our team is always here and ready to help.
Contact EasyPM Today
Have you recently found bed bugs in your Philadelphia, PA home or business? Are you looking for someone that you can trust to get rid of the problem for good? Give us a call.
Our team of bed bug removal experts is always here to answer questions and will happily tell you more about how we can help you overcome your bed bug problems quickly and discreetly. We even offer free estimates so that you know what everything will cost before you have to make any final decisions.
Don’t let bed bugs get you down. Contact EasyPM and take the first step toward a bed bug-free property today.
