Bed bugs · North Arkansas
Bed bugs don't leave on their own.
Bed bugs ride in on luggage, used furniture and visitors. They have nothing to do with how clean your house is. They hide in tiny cracks near where people sleep and come out at night to feed, so most people find the bites before they find the bugs.
- Size
- An apple seed
- Active
- At night, all year
- Where
- Mattress seams
- Risk
- Bites, no disease
Signs
How to tell you've got bed bugs
Bites alone don't prove it. Some people don't react at all, and plenty of other things bite. These are the signs that do.
- Small dark spots on the mattress seamsBed bug droppings look like someone dotted the seam with a fine black marker. They smear if you wipe them with a damp cloth.
- Shed skinsLight brown, empty shells, about the size of the bug, in seams, under the box spring and along the headboard.
- Live bugsFlat, oval and reddish brown, about the size of an apple seed. Young ones are almost clear until they feed.
- Bites in a line or clusterItchy welts on the arms, neck and shoulders, often three or four in a row. On their own they're a clue, not proof.
- Rusty spots on sheetsTiny blood smears where a bug got crushed after feeding.
Where they hide
Where they hide
Within about eight feet of where someone sleeps: mattress seams and tags, the box spring, cracks in the bed frame and headboard, the nightstand, and behind outlet covers and baseboards near the bed.
Couches and recliners are the next most common spot, especially in homes where someone falls asleep in front of the TV.
They spread room to room on clothes and bedding, and between apartments through walls. Hotels, rentals, dorms and nursing homes all see them.
Know what you've got
What they get mistaken for
We get calls about all of these. The free inspection settles it.
Bed bug
Flat, oval, no wings, reddish brown. Lives in and around the bed. Doesn't jump.
Bat bug
Looks almost the same and bites people too. Comes from bats roosting in the attic or walls. Treat the bugs and deal with the bats, or they come back.
Carpet beetle larva
Tiny, hairy and striped. Eats wool, lint and pet hair. The hairs can cause an itchy rash that looks like bites.
Flea
Bites around the ankles and lower legs. If you have pets and the bites are low, it's probably fleas.
Our process
How we treat bed bugs
Every job starts with a free inspection. Most homes end up on our quarterly plan, which includes free re-treats between visits. See the plans.
Free inspection
We go through the beds, furniture and linens room by room so we know how far they've spread before we treat.
Prep sheet
We give you a short list of what to do before we come: bag and dry the bedding, clear the floor around the beds. Prep is half the job. Confirm they hand out a prep sheet.
Treatment
We remove the bugs we can see and treat the beds, furniture and cracks where they hide, including their eggs.
Follow-up
Eggs can survive one treatment, so we come back to check and treat again. Confirm how many visits are usual.
guarantee
If bed bugs turn up in the treated areas within 30 days, we come back and treat again at no extra cost.
Before we get there
What you can do today
- Keep sleeping in your bed. If you move to the couch, they follow you and spread.
- Wash bedding and clothes, then dry them on high heat for at least 30 minutes.
- Put the mattress and box spring in zippered bed bug covers.
- Check hotel beds and luggage racks before you unpack.
What not to do
- Don't use bug bombs or foggers. They scatter bed bugs into the walls and the next room.
- Don't throw the mattress out yet. A new one gets infested too if the room isn't treated.
- Don't move things from the infested room into other rooms.
FAQ
Bed bugs questions
Do bed bugs carry disease?
They're not known to spread disease. The bites itch, some people react badly, and losing sleep over them is real, but they aren't a disease risk like ticks or mosquitoes.
Can I get rid of bed bugs myself?
It's rare. They hide in cracks you can't see, they're resistant to most store-bought sprays, and the eggs survive treatments. Most people who try spend more and end up calling anyway.
How did I get bed bugs?
Usually a trip, a visitor, a used couch or mattress, or a neighbor in an apartment building. It's not a cleanliness thing.
Do I have to throw out my furniture?
Usually not. Most furniture can be treated. We'll tell you if something is too far gone.
Keep reading
Other pests we treat
Think you've got bed bugs?
We'll come out, find what you've got, and tell you what it takes. No charge, no pressure.