Growing up, did you have pets? If you did, do you remember a time when one of them had a problem with fleas, ticks, or mites? Maybe it wasn’t until you reached adulthood that you adopted a furry friend and learned the hard way about how problematic blood-feeding pests can be. One question we are regularly asked at A Step Above Pest Control & Termite is: Can bed bugs be dangerous for pets in Los Angeles? We are going to answer this question for you today and provide you with some helpful tips and tricks to identify and control these annoying pests.
The Blood Bed Bugs Prefer
You may not know this but different blood-feeding pests have different preferences for blood. Ticks prefer human blood over that of wild animals. Fleas are the opposite, they prefer animals because of their fur which allows them to hide. Bed bugs, on the other hand, do not like fur. It makes getting to the skin of animals difficult and getting a full, blood meal challenging. Humans on the other hand have more accessible skin that bed bugs can take multiple draws of blood from while feeding. Keeping this in mind, bed bugs will resort to consuming animal blood if it is all that is available to them.
Are Bed Bugs Dangerous?
Most blood-feeding pests are dangerous because of the way they pick up and spread blood-borne diseases. Bed bugs are a bit different. Studies show that these pests are capable of spreading Chagas disease, a disease common south of our border. Inside the United States, however, there are no recordings of these pests spreading any harmful bacteria, pathogens, or parasitic worms to people or animals. This does not mean, however, that bed bugs are completely harmless. As infestations of these pests grow, affected individuals may experience insomnia and/or anemia. Although not life-threatening, these conditions will affect an individual’s life.
How Bed Bugs Get Into Homes
If there was a bug Olympics, bed bugs would not win any medals. These pests are about as immobile as insects come. Despite this, bed bugs travel farther than most other insects do in their lifetimes. They do this by hitching rides on items people carry. If a hotel room you are staying in has bed bugs hiding, they might come out of hiding, sneak into your luggage, and find their way home with you. This is just one way that an infestation might start inside your home.
Some Strategies To Prevent Bed Bugs
The best way to prevent bed bugs is to keep your eye out for them when you are out and about. Here is how to find bed bugs during the day and stop them from invading your home.
- Check items like clothing and used furniture for hiding bed bugs before purchasing the items.
- Thoroughly inspect hotel rooms for bloodstains, bed bug fecal droppings, eggs, shed skins, and a musty odor before settling in.
- Have your children inspect their backpacks each day before coming home from school.
- Do not place an item down for more than 20 minutes when in a public space.
- Teach your family and friends about bed bugs.
Bed Bug Control And Why It Works
If you suspect your home has an active infestation and are looking for local pest control for bed bugs, you are in the right place. At A Step Above Pest Control & Termite, we offer competitive services to handle these invasive pests. Our advanced bed bug control methods are tested and proven to be effective in removing these blood-feeding insects from local homes.
Call today to find out more about our services and to get a quote for your Los Angeles home.