Daily Archives: May 2, 2016

Parasitic bed bugs bite humans to suck their blood while they sleep, and then burrow back into the mattress until the next feeding. Learn how to get rid of bed bugs and keep your mattress parasite free!

Bed bugs feed at night, causing unsightly and infected wounds to be found in the morning. Using a mattress cover is one method on getting rid of bed bugs. Contact a pest control service professional today to eliminate your homes bed bug infestation.

Terminix

866-379-8519

7415 GADSDEN HWY, AL 35173

A Plus Termite & Pest Control Birmingham

AL 35215

Aardvark Pest Control Birmingham

AL 35243

Action Home Svc

4509 Valleydale Rd # 11 Birmingham, AL 35242

Adams Pest Control Birmingham

AL 35217

Alabama Environmental Turf

3808 43rd Ave N Birmingham, AL 35217

Alabama Environmental Turf Inc

PO Box 170082 Birmingham, AL 35217

Alabama Exterminators Inc

237 Bessemer Super Hwy Birmingham, AL 35228

Alabama Exterminators Inc

237 Bessemer Super Hwy Midfield, AL 35228

Alabama Pest Control Inc

4924 1st Ave N Birmingham, AL 35222

Alabama Professional Svc Inc

3340 Richwood Ave Birmingham, AL 35210

Alapestco Inc

133 W Oxmoor Rd # 217 Birmingham, AL 35209

Alapestco Inc

1333 W Oxmoor Rd # 217 Homewood, AL 35209

All Pitt Termite & Pest Cntrl

917 Hillcrest Ave Birmingham, AL 35235

Anderson Pest Control Co

PO Box 28068 Midfield, AL 35228

Animal Control Experts

1717 4th Pl NW Birmingham, AL 35215

Athena Pest Control

4 Office Park Cir # 315 Birmingham, AL 35223

B & D Pro Exterminators

1024 Piedmont Ave Birmingham, AL 35214

Baileys Termite & Pest Cntrl

1480 Montgomery Hwy Vestavia Hills, AL 35216

Bio-Tech Management Inc

PO Box 381043 Birmingham, AL 35238

Bio-Tech Systems

2090 Columbiana Rd # 2000 Birmingham, AL 35216

Birmingham Exterminators

2125 Old Springville Rd Birmingham, AL 35215

Blanton Exterminating Co Inc

1041 Tower Dr Birmingham, AL 35214

Bobo Pest Control

130 20th Ct NW Birmingham, AL 35215

Bomac Exterminating Co Inc

404 1st St S Birmingham, AL 35205

Bug Blasters Birmingham

AL 35243

Cahaba Pest Control

3426 Far Hill Cir Birmingham, AL 35243

Cooks Pest Control

104 Oxmoor Rd # 144 Homewood, AL 35209

Cooks Pest Control

2000 Wenonah Oxmoor Rd Birmingham, AL 35211

Cooks Pest Control

5224 Caldwell Mill Rd Birmingham, AL 35242

Cooks

PO Box 59214 Birmingham, AL 35259

Cooks Pest Control Inc

PO Box 382285 Birmingham, AL 35238

Dexter Termite & Pest Control

1816 Tin Valley Cir Birmingham, AL 35235

Dolphin Pest Control

1730 Enfield St Birmingham, AL 35217

Dunaway Pest Control Birmingham

AL 35215

Environmental Solutions

705 Comanche Ln Birmingham, AL 35214

General Pest Control

397 W Oxmoor Rd Birmingham, AL 35209

Gray Pest Control

2214 3rd Ave N Birmingham, AL 35203

Guaranty Pest Control Inc Birmingham

AL 35213

Guaranty Pest Control Inc Midfield

AL 35228

Hands Pest Control

2805 Micmac Dr Birmingham, AL 35215

Hayes Pest Svc Inc

4783 Sandpiper Ln Birmingham, AL 35244

Insecta Pest Control

1021 Tuscaloosa Ave SW # F Birmingham, AL 35211

Jay Bradley

3616 Locksley Dr Mountain Brook, AL 35223

Jim Bush Pest Control Birmingham

AL 35213

Kellys Termite & Pest Control Birmingham

AL 35215

Lab Tech Termite & Pest Cntrl Birmingham

AL 35203

Lex Wedgworth Pest Control Inc Birmingham

AL 35242

Mr Technician Trmt & Pest Ctrl

Read this article:
How To Get Rid of Bed Bugs Birmingham, Alabama

Tiny, unwelcome guests could be setting up house and climbing into bed with unsuspecting Alabama residents.

Bedbugs are back.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency released a joint statement in August confirming what some travelers and pest control companies already knew -- the blood-sucking ectoparasites are causing problems across the country, with the number of reported cases reaching hundreds of thousands.

"For years and years you didn't hear of anybody with bedbug issues," said Sallie Lee, a Jefferson County urban extension agent for the Alabama Cooperative Extension System. "With an increase in international travel, we are seeing many of the problems center on cities with international airports."

Source: Joint Statement on Bed Bug Control in the United States from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.

Bedbugs can live for months without a meal, Lee said. They can hide in suitcases and make their way across the country, even into Alabama.

"We do not know of any outbreaks here," Lee said. "However, that does not mean they are not here. When you bring your suitcase back from anywhere, you have the opportunity of bringing home uninvited little critters."

Lee gets about 18 calls about possible bedbugs from Jefferson County residents each year, about half of which are legitimate bedbug problems.

Professional pest control companies have noticed a sharp increase in bedbug infestations for the past nine years, with the number of cases increasing each year, said Martha Craft, spokeswoman for Rollins, Inc., the parent company for Orkin and other pest control companies.

She said an increase in travel and a lack of bedbug knowledge play roles.

"People don't know what bedbugs are anymore," Craft said. "Back in the '30s and '40s everybody knew what a bedbug looked like. Everybody knew bedbugs were great hitchhikers. They love seams of mattresses, seams of clothes, anywhere seams occur. They can hitchhike not only on clothes, but suitcases, camera bags, purses ..."

Hotels are an obvious risk, she said.

"When is the last time you checked into a hotel and then pulled back the sheets and checked for bedbugs?" Craft said. "I do it everywhere I go."

Blood meal

Bedbugs are small, flat insects that feed on the blood of sleeping people and animals, according to information from the CDC and EPA. They are reddish-brown, wingless and about the size of an apple seed.

One of the easiest ways to identify a bedbug infestation is by bite marks that appear on the face, neck, arms, hands and any other body part. These marks may take as long as 14 days to develop in some people.

When bedbugs bite down, they inject an anesthetic and an anticoagulant that usually prevents a person from feeling the bite, according to the CDC and EPA.

Bedbugs can cause a variety of health issues, although they are not known to carry disease. The most common reaction to a bedbug bite is a slightly swollen area that itches like a flea or mosquito bite. Some people may develop a mild to severe allergic reaction to the bite, or a secondary infection such as impetigo. Infestations also can cause anxiety and insomnia, according to the CDC.

The Alabama Department of Public Health does not keep track of bedbug infestations in the state. They refer all bedbug cases and calls to the Cooperative Extension System.

Lee said she recommends a combination of professional treatment, house cleaning and a new mattress, in many cases.

Many professional pest control companies advise against people buying and using pesticides on their own, especially since some bedbugs are known to be resistant to almost all pesticides registered to treat them.

Craft said the companies can use heat treatments, raising the temperatures in a room to 120 to 130. "That kills live insects and eggs and larva," she said.

Both Lee and Craft said controlling a bedbug infestation will not be easy, but it is best to catch the problem early.

"We suggest that people get rid of the clutter, vacuum and throw out the bag. It doesn't work to vacuum a room and then leave the vacuum cleaner full of bedbugs in the closet. They will just crawl back out," Craft said.

Join the conversation by clicking to comment or e-mail Osburn at losburn@bhamnews.com.

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Alabama officials warn: Don't let the bedbugs bite | AL.com