Bed bugs. The very word incites fear into the hearts of men and women everywhere. Why? Well, there is something especially upsetting when you think about an insect feasting on you as you sleep. Just the literal description sounds other-worldly. Who can get a decent night’s sleep knowing you will be dinner as you slumber? It is impossible. Once you get bed bugs, it’s incredibly difficult to get rid of them. Simply put, it’s impossible to be free of them if you don’t call in professional help from Green Pest Services. Bed bugs are a amazing, little hiders. During the day, they crawl into their secret spots which are under your mattress, under your bed frame, behind the nightstand or even behind the decorative frame on your wall. Once you fall asleep, they are attracted to the CO2 you are emitting and soon you’ll peacefully doze as they painlessly drink your vital fluids through the night. Yummy!

How did Bed Bugs get here?

Waking up itchy and covered in red welts head to toe makes you angry. How did bed bugs get here anyway? First, they somehow hitchhiked onto something to get into your house, usually a suitcase or pillow taken to somewhere else with bed bugs like a hotel infested with them. But where did they come before that?

Bed bugs were mentioned as early as 400 B.C. by Aristotle in Greece. One publication in 77 A.D. in Rome even touted the medicinal use of bed bugs and that belief carried on until the 18th century. One study suggests that bed bugs came to humans from bats. There is evidence that bed bugs are older than 3,500 years old!

Methods of Removal

Traditional methods of removal used to involve black pepper, black cohosh or eucalyptus oil. These were not very effective ways and the infestation would still grow. Other herbs were tried and tested for years until smoking the house as a fumigant with peat moss was the typical method in the 19th century. It wasn’t effective either, so dusts were tried like plant ash or certain soil types were dusted around beds, hoping to clog the bed bugs’ airways.

Now, we have the efficient, guaranteed methods that those earlier centuries lacked. Back then it was nigh to impossible to get rid of an infestation where now it is completely possible with a professional approach. Green Pest Services is your answer for complete bed bug control in Virginia. You shouldn’t have to sleep with one eye open at night. Rest easy after our technicians have given your home the treatments to get rid of them. We will help you catch your Z’s once again, give us a call today!