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Top 10 Myths About Bed Bugs in Mid-Missouri

Steve Pest Control

10 Myths About Bed Bugs in Missouri

Bugs Are Affecting Missourians at an Alarming Rate. Learn the Truth Behind These Frightening Pests & Find an Exterminator New You

Bed bugs are the creepy, crawly, bitey pests no one wants to bring home as their vacation souvenir. Unfortunately, it can be tough to prevent bed bugs, and if a few make their way into your luggage, you are likely to experience an infestation in your own home.


Bed bugs have been a hot topic for many years, but it can be difficult to tell what is the truth and what is a myth. As Missouri’s leading bed bug exterminators, the team at Steve’s Pest Control has the experience and authority to bust the myths behind bed bugs.

Bed bugs are small but can be seen crawling on bed sheets.

Common Myths & Misconceptions About Bed Bugs & Bed Bug Extermination in Missouri

Bed Bugs Only Live In Your Bed

Bed bugs are equal opportunity feeders and will live anywhere they can have easy access to you or even your pets. Some of the easiest places for them to feed include in your bed, on the sofa, or even on the carpet. They regularly appear in beds because it is easy to bite while you and your family are asleep.

You Should Throw Your Sheets Away After Finding Bed Bugs

During an active infestation and after, regularly washing your sheets will help keep bed bugs at bay. Bed bugs are vulnerable to heat, so to combat an infestation or clean up after one, you should launder your sheets at the highest temperature they can withstand. Use hot water when you wash them and set your dryer to high heat. Unfortunately, you can’t launder your mattress or sofa.

Bed Bugs Are Only Active At Night

Bed bugs will bite when they are hungry. If they are living in your bed, you will most likely only receive bites at night because that is when you are available to be bitten. If bed bugs live in a sofa or chair, they will bite when you sit down to watch a movie or get some work done.

Bed Bugs Have Wings & Fly From Room to Room

Luckily bed bugs can’t fly. They don’t have wings and are not known to jump like fleas. However, they can crawl pretty quickly and can make their way up and down your mattress in about two minutes.

Bed Bugs Are Too Small To See

You don’t need a magnifying glass to find out if you have bed bugs. Adult bed bugs are about the size of a sesame seed and are visible to the naked eye, especially on lighter sheets and blankets. They are reddish-brown and tend to gather at the corners of your bed where the sheets are tucked into the mattress. Eggs and immature bed bugs are harder to detect and may require a professional exterminator to identify.

Bed Bugs Reproduce Quickly & Lay a Lot of Eggs

Bed bugs reproduce slowly but that doesn’t mean they won’t become a problem quickly. You should call an exterminator even if you only see a few bed bugs. A small number of bed bugs can still bite you and your family, and the infestation will grow if left untreated.

Bed Bugs Have To Feed Every Night

FALSE. Bed bugs can live without eating for a year. When living at room temperature, bed bugs can go two to three months without eating. In colder environments, their metabolism will slow down, allowing them to go for a year without eating.

Bed Bugs Are Only Found in Dirty Homes & Hotels

Bed bugs take what they can get. If you have biteable skin and a warm environment for them to thrive in, they aren’t picky. From five-star hotel rooms to hostels, bed bugs can make their impact by biting you and hitching a ride home in your luggage.

Bed Bugs Can Transmit Diseases

The one upside of bed bugs? There are no reported cases of bed bugs transmitting diseases. If you do discover bed bugs in your home, you don’t have to worry about lingering health issues.

Bed Bugs Will Travel On Your Skin & Clothes

Bed bugs aren’t like ticks. They don’t latch on to our bodies when they bite. Instead, they travel in our luggage or personal bags, acting like stowaways until they make their way into our homes, where they move on to bigger and better feeding centers: our beds.

You Can Get Rid of Bed Bugs On Your Own

Bed bugs will not be eradicated with store-bought pesticides. To eliminate bed bugs in your home, you need the help of an experienced bed bug exterminator. At Steve’s Pest Control, our bed bug treatment teams have been trained in the latest bed bug extermination technology: heat treatments. Heat treatments are more effective than chemical treatments and can penetrate a room faster than fumes or bait. Heat treatments kill adults, nymphs, and eggs, ensuring that your bed bug problem is eliminated all at once.

How Can I Prevent Bed Bugs Permanently?

Unfortunately, you can’t permanently get rid of bed bugs. There is a chance you or a guest could bring them into your home again. If you do happen to have bed bugs again, just give Steve’s Pest Control a call and we will eliminate the new infestation.


Are you having other pest control problems or do you want to prevent certain pests from entering your home? As a Five Star member, you can receive general pest services including prevention and elimination of existing pest problems! Our Five Star plans are the best way to ensure that pests don’t creep their way into your home or business.

Steve’s 5 Star Program



  • 5 general pest services (1 Interior, 5 Exterior, Exterior Web and Nest Removal, Exterior Rodent Baiting)
  • Pests are Eliminated outside before they enter the building
  • Safer and more effective than continuous interior treatment
  • Easy and hassle-free scheduling 
  • Unlimited Retreatment Warranty

Steve’s 5 Star Advantage


  • All 5 Star Program Benefits
  • Plus: Pest and rodent protection
  • Plus: Termite protection with Sentricon
  • Plus: $250,000 damage warranty

Steve’s 5 Star Complete


  • All 5 Star Advantage Program Benefits
  • Plus: Mosquito reduction with unlimited re-treatment warranty

Steve’s Pest Control Will Get Rid of Bed Bugs Safely & Quickly in Mid-Missouri

Are you itching to get the bed bugs out of your home once and for all? Give Steve’s Pest Control a call. Our mid-Missouri pest control specialists have been exterminating bed bugs for years. We have the expertise, experience, and attention to detail to get rid of your bed bugs and return your peace of mind.

Learn how to ID ang get rid of bed bugs from Steve's Pest Control.

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