Many people mistakenly believe that bed bugs are only a concern during certain times of the year, but bed bugs are actually a problem throughout the year. With Tennessee winters offering mostly mild temperatures, bed bugs are not exposed to extreme cold; and since they only need human blood to survive, you can experience bed bug infestations at any time of the year.

Blood Sucking Bed Bugs

Bed bugs survive on human blood. They don’t need a lot of it to survive, either. Adult bed bugs can live as long as a year without a meal! Even immature bed bugs can go for several months in between feedings. Female bed bugs lay one or two eggs every single day, meaning she keeps the species going at the rate of hundreds of bed bug eggs in her lifetime. If you have bed bugs, you can count on them living for a long time; and to get rid of them, you’ll need to enlist the help of pest control professionals.

How Do Bed Bug Infestations Happen?

Bed bugs are tiny. They’re about the size of an apple seed, which means they can hide in the tiniest of crevices, seams, and lining of your bedding materials. It also makes it easy for these pests to get into your home. They may hitch a ride inside on your clothing, if you’ve been exposed to bed bugs on public transportation, in hotels, or at a friend’s house. Bed bugs may get into your luggage. They can come inside from books you’ve borrowed from the library or on secondhand furniture or clothing. Once inside, bed bugs quickly breed and take over your home if they are not properly eliminated. Do it yourself methods will not work to remove a bed bug infestation.

Bed Bug Myths

If you think bed bugs die off in the colder fall and winter months, think again – especially in Knoxville, Tennessee where the winter weather tends to be very mild. Not to mention, people travel to Knoxville all year round from all over the country and can very easily introduce bed bugs to public areas, where they can then find their way into your home.

Bed bugs do not discriminate and are found in clean homes as well as dirty ones. Many people believe bed bugs will only infest a dirty home or hotel but that’s simply not the case. They do not care about the conditions of their environment. As long as there is human blood there, they are happy.

Also, bed bugs do not necessarily stay in your bedding. You can find them in your couch, chairs, and closets. They wander around like they own the place – which makes it even harder to get rid of them. If you have bed bugs in your Knoxville area home, your best option is to call Russell’s Pest Control for professional bed bug elimination.