We’ve all heard of bed bugs—those creepy, crawly creatures that feed on your blood at night. They’re definitely scary, and an infestation at your home can be a serious problem affecting your overall quality of life.
In this article, we’ll go over some specific concerns when it comes to dealing with this household pest. First, let’s find out where they’re usually seen.
Can bed bugs be found in a kitchen?
The good news is that a bed bug problem is usually confined to certain rooms in your house. More specifically, these insects tend to stay around beds where they have easy access to their food of choice—you!
In extreme cases, however, bed bugs can find their way into other parts of your home. It might not be a common occurrence, but they can be found in kitchens, living rooms, and other parts of the house—basically anywhere, if the right conditions are present. This leads us to our next question.
What are the conditions needed for bed bugs to thrive?
Bed bugs require few things to survive. The first one is the food. Bed bugs need to be in close proximity to their hosts in order to prey on their blood. The second thing they need is a dark environment to call home. Bed bugs are photophobic, which basically means that they’re afraid of the light.
Because most kitchens are brightly illuminated, and there are usually no food sources that stay in it during the night, it’s not likely that bed bugs will want to set up a colony there. However, it’s still possible, especially since any piece of furniture or a crack in the wall can serve as their shelter.
How to spot a bed bug infestation in your kitchen
The most practical way of finding out if you have bed bugs in other parts of your home is to do a careful inspection of each room. For the kitchen, this means inspecting inside cabinets and underneath counters to try and spot the creatures.
Bed bugs are easily identifiable due to their small size and colour. Adults grow to sizes no larger than a single grain of rice. Most are reddish-brown and have antennae. You can also try to find signs of them by checking for eggs or their excrement. Eggs are extremely tiny—about one millimetre in length—and are usually seen together with the discarded husks of larvae. Their excrement is black and about the same size as that of the tip of a pen.
What to do if you find bed bugs in your kitchen
Bed bugs are notoriously difficult to kill, and many common solutions are ineffective. If you find bed bugs in your kitchen, it could mean that the infestation is too severe to remove on your own anyway. Besides, you shouldn’t spray any chemicals in the area as you may unwittingly contaminate your food.
The best solution is for you to call a professional pest controller. They’ll have all the right training and equipment to eliminate the problem.
If you’re looking for a bed bug control service in Melbourne, get in touch with us to see how we can help.