Bed bugs are pesky little pests that are notoriously difficult to get rid of. For thousands of years, they’ve rudely disrupted peaceful sleep and humans have tried everything in the books to get rid of them (yes, this even includes spellcasting). Sadly, even the most effective insecticides haven’t gotten rid of them for good and they still rear their ugly little heads in our lives. But why are they so darn difficult to get rid of? Today you’re about to find out because we’re going over all the reasons bed bugs are capable of surviving the impossible.
Why Bed Bugs Are So Difficult to Eliminate
1. An Impressive Anatomy
Bed bugs are parasitic insects that are usually the size of an apple seed or lentil. In addition to being super small, they are also flat, which makes them capable of doing things that other insects simply can’t. Their unique anatomy allows them to fit into virtually any crack or crevice they please. Don’t be surprised if you find these little buggers behind loose wallpaper, in door hinges, or under your floorboards.
2. Rapid Reproduction
Even though bed bugs may not reproduce as quickly as other insect species, the number of offspring they have still add up quickly. Female bed bugs lay roughly seven eggs in a day and hundreds over the span of their lifetime. Within just a few short months that female’s offspring are capable of reproducing themselves, and they definitely do just that. Bed bugs often produce a whopping three to four generations in a span of one year! Yikes.
3. A Lengthy Life Span
Newly hatched bed bugs are able to survive a few weeks without a meal and the majority of adult bed bugs can survive a full year without eating. Shockingly, scientists have documented some adult bed bugs living a total of 550 days without feeding. Talk about resilience! Bed bugs are able to go such a long time without a meal because they enter a hibernation-like state when there is no food source available. They form a “hunger bubble” that fills their gut and helps them cope with their insanely long fasting periods. In essence, bed bugs are much better at coping with their hunger than humans are.
4. Pesticide Resistance
Bed bugs have developed a resistance to many common pesticides and experts are even warning that many infestations can’t be defeated with just chemicals anymore. Their increased resistance to insecticides that used to be effective is the main reason that bed bugs have made a comeback over the past decade (especially in big cities). Unfortunately, there’s not much we can do about the situation because the more you use a product to control a pest, the more resistance they build. You could say that bed bugs are outsmarting us!
5. They’ve Evolved
Darwin would be thoroughly impressed by evolutionary process bed bugs have gone through. The inner biology of bed bugs has evolved to adapt to human environments and some research even suggests that these pests may soon become a new species entirely. Before bed bugs became a major annoyance to humans, their food source was bats. These species lived together in caves until humans came along, at which point they turned their attention to us and evolved to live in buildings. The bed bugs that feast on bats are still resistant to pesticides and have longer, thinner legs than their human-feeding counterparts. Crazy stuff!
What You Can Do To Get Rid of Bed Bugs
Clearly, bed bugs aren’t going to budge any time soon. In order to combat the problem of bed bugs in your home, you can use barriers to prevent your mattress from becoming infested and you can thoroughly clean your home from top to bottom. If that doesn’t do the trick, it’s time to turn to the exterminators, and there’s no better place to go than Pestend Mississauga! We have successfully helped thousands of Canadians get rid of bed bugs in their home and work environments. Our certified bed bug exterminators and canine counterparts have helped us secure a leading position among bed bug exterminators in Mississauga. Contact us today for a 100% guaranteed bed bug extermination!
