How Do I Know If I Have Bed Bugs?
Bed bugs are tiny insects that feed on blood. They are about the size of an apple seed, so they can hide in places you wouldn’t expect, such as inside your mattress or baseboards. Bed bugs usually bite at night when people are sleeping, which is why it’s important to look for signs of bed bugs during the day.
Bed bugs are small, flat, and oval-shaped. They are brown in color, but can also be red or black depending on the stage of their life cycle. Bed bugs have six legs and a pair of antennae that they use to sense heat and carbon dioxide. This is how they find food (you).
Bed bugs are very difficult to detect because they hide during the day and come out at night to feed on humans. They can live for several months without feeding, so it’s possible for them to go unnoticed for some time unless you see signs of them. If you think you have bed bugs, it is important to act quickly!
Bed bug bites usually appear in a line or cluster of itchy, red bumps on your skin. If you find any signs of bed bugs in your home, contact a pest control professional immediately.
How Do I Know If I Have Bed Bugs? Look for the signs
Bed bugs are notoriously difficult to detect, but here are a few tips for how to check for signs of a bed bug infestation.
The bed bug’s natural instinct is to hide from potential predators. Bed bugs generally prefer to be within 5 feet of a place where a host (you) sleeps or often sits. In established infestations, there will typically be signs of fecal matter of the bed bug on the mattress, with a heavier concentration of fecal matter typically on the corners of the mattress and in folds of the mattress. Fecal matter looks similar to if someone has taken a black ballpoint pen and made a dot or dots along the affected area.
Another indication to look for is bed bug exoskeletons. Bed bugs shed their exoskeleton 5 times in their life as they mature and grow. These exoskeletons will likely be found in areas near common bed bug living quarters.
Bed bugs are small, reddish-brown insects that feed on the blood of sleeping humans. They can be found in beds, bed frames, and other furniture, but are often not seen because of their size and coloration.
Bed bugs can be difficult to detect because they are nocturnal. If you live in an apartment building or a large home, it is possible that you have bed bugs without knowing it. Bedbugs can be difficult to spot because they are very small (about 1/4 inch long) and have a flat body shape that allows them to hide in cracks and crevices.
How Do I Know If I Have Bed Bugs? Find the eggs
The best way to determine if you have bed bugs is by finding a bedbug or its eggs. To do this:
Check your mattress seams and tufts for tiny black spots which will indicate bed bug feces (bedbug waste). You may also see dark spots on sheets or pillowcases near the seams of your mattress or box spring. Check these spots with a magnifying glass or hand lens if necessary.
Look for shed exoskeletons from molting nymphs and adults underneath furniture legs where they may hide during daylight hours when active movement would attract attention from humans as well as other predators (e.g., ants).
Bed bugs are small and flat, about 1/4 inch long when they first hatch from eggs. As nymphs grow, they shed their skins five times before reaching maturity and becoming adults. These cast skins, or discarded exoskeletons, are often a telltale sign of an infestation. Adult bed bugs have five immature nymph life stages before reaching full adulthood and becoming able to breed; this process takes about 4 months with regular feeding.
While an adult bed bug may be long gone before you start noticing bites on your skin, it’s important to find out if you have a problem as soon as possible so that you can take steps to treat it before it gets worse. Call the experts today for an inspection.