11 common mistakes people make when they find bed bugs.

You feel something biting you in the middle of the night and you quickly turn on the light just to see a little bug scurry off the mattress, you think nothing of it and go back to sleep. In the morning you notice some bumps on your arm an you get on google and type in "bugs that bite." Soon you realize that you have bed bugs but don't know what to do.

This is a list of the 11 common mistakes people make what they realize they have bed bugs.

Mistake No. 1: Only looking in the bed.

Bed bugs can be found in the most inconspicuous hiding places. Bed bug infestations have been found in law offices, churches, movie theaters, coffee shops, boats, hospitals, libraries, military barracks, semi-trailers, RV’s, prosthetics, laptops, ride shares and historical sites, just to name a few. Anywhere people are present could be a target for bed bugs.

Mistake No. 2: Throwing away furniture.

Tossing furniture that is infested with bed bugs will surely eliminate the bed bugs that are living in that specific piece, but throwing furniture away will not eliminate a bed bug colony. Also, the cost of replacing infested furniture can be extremely high. It’s better to have all of your furniture effectively treated and save the cost of replacement, as well as reducing the spread of bugs.

Mistake No. 3: Getting second-hand furniture.

Free and second-hand furniture items are frequently infested with bed bugs. It’s better to know the source of your furniture than to take a chance bringing an infested item into your home. Regardless of how good the price is, nothing is worth bringing furniture into your home that has bed bugs.

Mistake No. 4: Moving to another room to get away from the bugs.

Bed bugs will feed daily. Moving to a different room will simply cause the bugs to go searching for a meal in other rooms of the building. Sleeping in other rooms or at other people’s houses will simply spread the problem.

Mistake No. 5: Keeping the problem a secret.

Bed bugs have an extremely negative stigma. However, having bed bugs does not mean that you are necessarily dirty. Many people who get bed bugs are simply picking them up from traveling, or from people who come to visit. Making others aware that you are dealing with bed bugs could prevent them from spreading.

Mistake No. 6: Thinking mattress covers will solve the problem.

While it is true that a good mattress cover will prevent bed bugs from coming out of the sealed encasement, we seldom find bed bugs confined to mattresses and box springs. Encasements and mattress covers can be a good tool for early detection, but they are not a stand-alone solution to an existing infestation.

Mistake No. 7:Can't See Them

Thinking you don’t have bed bugs simply because you can’t find them. Bed bugs are extremely adept at finding places to hide where people will never find them. To definitively tell whether or not bed bugs are present a quality K9 inspection, with visual confirmation from the trained handler, is the most effective method of detection. If quality K9 teams are not available in your area, downloading our free DIY inspection checklist will help you identify common hiding places and what to look for.

Mistake No. 8: Diagnosing bed bugs based on bites.

Not everyone reacts to bed bug bites. And the way different people react to bites of different insects can vary dramatically. Just because your skin itches, or you have red itchy spots doesn’t necessarily mean you have bed bugs. The most definitive method of bed bug detection is to have things checked out by a qualified K9 team.

Mistake No. 9: Trying to solve the problem on your own.

We service thousands of properties each year that have tried multiple do-it-yourself options from dusts to fogs to essential oils. There is not enough correct information and effective products available to the general population to effectively solve a bed bug infestation with DIY methods. If you do have an infestation it is always best to call the professionals.

Mistake No. 10: Using chemical treatments as the sole solution.

Across the globe bed bugs are becoming very resistant to chemical pesticides. Studies have shown that heat is the most penetrating, most effective, and with the most immediate results of all the different methods of bed bug remediation. Chemical pesticides can be a good tool to fight bed bugs, but they are not a stand-alone.

Mistake No. 11: Going with the cheapest bid.

As with anything, you typically get what you pay for. Custom Bedbug is not the most expensive bed bug remediation company, but we are not the cheapest. Our pricing falls right in the middle of the competition. The big difference is that we are not a general pest provider who treats bed bugs as an auxiliary service. Bed bugs are our only service. Our technicians deal with bed bugs on a daily basis and having been in the business for over 10 years we have seen it all. Whether your job is large or small, come see why people across the west are calling Custom Bedbug.