Each year, the gorgeous spring and summer weather remind you why you live in Niagara Falls. As the snow and ice melt, the white and gray hues of the landscape give way to the greens and pinks of flowering trees and shrubs. The air is full of singing birds fresh from their winter stay in the south, and the breeze from Lake Ontario beckons you outdoors. Have you ever wondered whether the living things inside your house also experience seasons as dramatic as those in nature? Is there a time of year when you don’t need bed bug control in Niagara?

Summer and Fall Are the Best Times for Bed Bugs

While there is no official bed bug season, there are definitely times of the year when these pests are most active. Bed bugs are small insects that, true to their names, bite people at night while they are sleeping in their beds. Here are a few reasons that these pests are most active during summer and fall:

• Bed bugs are cold-blooded insects, so they are more active when the weather is warm.
• If you travel during the summer, you are more likely to bring a bed bug home in your luggage.
• With 8 million people vacationing at Niagara Falls each summer, chances are good that some have brought bed bugs with them.

Bed Bugs Are Active All Year

Many animals hibernate during the long northern winters. Mother bears enter their dens and rest peacefully with their cubs, chipmunks go to cozy underground burrows and frogs settle down in the squishy mud at the bottom of ponds. It would be wonderful if bed bugs went to sleep all winter and humans could turn the tables on them by becoming the predator and preying on the bugs in their insect beds.

This scenario, unfortunately, is only wishful thinking. Bed bugs do not hibernate and instead can be active year-round. Thanks to your home heating system that maintains a constant temperature, they probably do not sense the change in season. Even if your house is vacant during part of the winter, the temperature inside is probably not cold enough to kill insects. Consider these facts:

• Bed bugs are still active at temperatures as low as 7 degrees Celsius.
• Only prolonged temperatures below freezing (0 degrees Celsius) can kill bed bugs.
• Eggs can survive at -16 degrees Celsius.

Spring Cleaning

If you have seen a bed bug in your home, you may think the solution is a thorough cleaning. Spring is a nice time to clean out closets and wash windows, but bed bugs can’t be swept out with winter dust and grime. They are not like other types of insect pests because they are not attracted to dirt or even scraps of food. The cleanest house in Canada can still have bed bugs as long as it contains their favorite meal: humans. Although cleaning up clutter will eliminate places bed bugs can hide, scheduling a professional home inspection is the most important thing you can do. Any crack in your house as wide as a credit card can potentially contain a bed bug, so it is important to search everywhere and to eliminate individual insects before they have a chance to lay eggs and infest your house.

Protect Your Home All Year Long

Truly Nolen’s services are based on an insect prevention program that caters to the changes in habits of bed bugs throughout the year. Their professionals understand that although May through November is the time when bed bugs are most active, there is no real season for these pests and they can be present all year long. Contact Truly Nolen any time of year to see how they can provide the bed bug control Niagara residents need.