signs of bed bugs
Early Signs Of Bed Bugs
Early Signs Of Bed Bugs
Early Signs Of Bed Bugs
Bed bugs are something that you want to detect at the earliest moment possible. There is a growing concern about bed bugs in cities and rural areas, and they can be really difficult to get rid of once they’ve infested an area. This blog post will cover everything you need to know about the early signs of bed bugs, how to know if you have them, and what to do to get rid of them for good.
Early Signs of Bedbug
Below are some early signs you may experience due to bedbug infestation.
Faecal Spots
Faecal spots are one of the most common signs of bed bugs. Faeces look like tiny black dots, about the size of a pinhead. Faecal spot results from excrement from a bed bug being squirted onto a surface. Bed bugs tend to defecate near their hiding places, so faecal spots can often be found around the perimeter of a bed or other furniture.
Faecal spots can also appear in other places where bed bugs hide, such as baseboards, carpet edges, and behind pictures on walls.
The best way to find faecal spots is with a blacklight flashlight. The UV light emitted by these flashlights will cause any visible faecal matter to glow bright yellow-green under its rays.
Bites are the most common sign of bed bugs.
Bites
Bites usually appear in groups of three or more, as the insects feed on you while you sleep. They tend to bite exposed skin like arms, hands, face, and neck.
However, they can also bite through the fabric and bite other people in your home. If you live with someone who a bed bug has bitten, it might be possible that you have been bitten without knowing it.
The bites are often mistaken for mosquito bites or other insect bites such as fleas or ticks. Bed bug bites may be slightly red or swollen, but some people may not have any visible signs, especially if they’ve had repeated exposure to bed bugs over time.
It is common for people to develop an allergic reaction after being bit by bed bugs, which can cause blisters and rashes similar to those caused by mosquito bites.
Eggs
Eggs are laid by adult bed bugs, usually once or twice a week.
Bed bug eggs look similar to other small brownish spots you might find around your home. If you have bed bugs, it’s essential to know how to identify their eggs so that you can take action against them before they become adults.
Bed bugs lay their eggs in clusters of up to 20-30 at a time, so you’ll often see more than one egg per day. The large number of eggs produced by each female is because they don’t need a male partner to reproduce — something common in many insects but rare among mammals like humans and dogs.
The size of bed bug eggs varies depending on how long they take to develop inside the female’s body. The longer they take to mature, the larger they tend to be when they’re ready for release into your home environment.
Moult Skin
Bedbugs moult, shedding their skin as they grow. The cast skins are often found in a bedbug-infested area. They are tight, dry, and brownish, with a wood grain appearance. This moulting can happen five times or more during one month as they grow from nymph to adult.
Moulting is usually triggered by food supply and temperature changes. Bedbugs need to consume blood to survive and grow, so an increase in blood meals often leads to more frequent moults.
Blood Stains
Blood spots on bedding or furniture are among the most common signs of bed bugs. This can be from the blood-feeding or the insects themselves. Blood spots tend to be a dark brown colour, but this can vary depending on the type of blood and insect.
If you are seeing bloodstains that look like rusty watermarks, you may have something else going on with your homes, such as a damp problem or something else causing rust.
Musty Smell
If you have bed bugs, you’ll probably notice a musty smell. The smell is often described as similar to the odour of dirty laundry or wet dog hair, but some people also describe it as sweet and sickening.
Bed bug faeces has a different smell than that of human faeces, so if you see evidence of bed bugs, the smell is one way to tell if it’s actually them and not just poop from another animal.
Behaviour Changes in Your Pet
When your pet has bed bugs, you may notice that they’re no longer acting like themselves. They may not want to play, which is unusual for a young dog or cat. Older pets may have trouble getting around because of joint pain. They may also have problems with their skin and coat, such as rashes, scabs, and hair loss.
You might also see signs of bed bug bites on their skin. These can be small red bumps or welts that appear in clusters. Bites usually appear around the face, ears, and neck area. In some cases, pets will also have sores from scratching at their skin due to itchy bites.
Live or Dead Bugs
The two most common signs of bed bugs are the live or dead bugs.
Live Bed Bugs
Live bed bugs are about the size of an apple seed, rusty red, and can be identified by their flat bodies. Their bodies swell and become a darker mahogany colour when they feed on blood. If you find live bed bugs in your home, contact a pest control professional immediately. They will know how to treat your home with the right chemicals and equipment to eradicate these pests completely.
Dead Bed Bugs
Bed bug carcasses signify that you have or had an infestation in your home. You may find dead bed bugs on sheets or mattresses where they were hiding during daylight hours. However, most of these carcasses will be found in cracks and crevices where they can’t be reached by steam cleaning or vacuuming.
Places where Bedbugs Hide
Bed bugs can be found anywhere that people sleep. They prefer to hide in warm, dark places, but they can also live in your furniture and other belongings.
Here are some common places where bed bugs might be hiding:
- The seams of mattresses and box springs. Bed bugs may be found in the seam along the edge of the bed frame or headboard.
- Bed frames and headboards. Bed bugs can also hide inside these items while they’re still in storage.
- Inside of drawers and cabinets. Bed bugs may hide inside the joints between the wood panels that make up the sides of drawers and cabinets.
- Under carpets or rugs near beds or furniture.
- There are behind wall hangings and pictures in electrical outlets or inside picture frames or shelves on walls.
Steps to Follow after Finding Bedbugs
If you’ve found bedbugs, you’ll need to take the following steps:
Immediately wash all your clothes, towels, sheets, and other linens in hot water to kill any bedbugs. If possible, do this in a laundromat or other public place; this will help prevent infestation of other people’s homes.
Clean all surfaces with hot water and soap or detergent. Use a disinfectant spray on hard surfaces such as floors, furniture, and walls.
Throw away all mattresses, box springs, blankets, and pillows used in infested areas. Vacuum all cracks and crevices in your home’s walls, floorboards, and baseboards. Dispose of vacuum bags in sealed plastic trash bags immediately after vacuuming; seal garbage bins tightly so pests can’t get inside them.
Call an exterminator if you’re unable to find any bedbugs yourself — don’t try to handle the problem yourself.
Can you Carry Bedbugs Home?
The answer is yes, you can. But only if you’re sleeping in a bed that has bedbugs in it. Bedbugs are not known to spread through human contact. They don’t fly, and they don’t jump, so they can’t go anywhere without a ride.
Bedbug colonies are limited to one room or area of the house (except when traveling). They tend to be found in beds and other furniture near where people sleep. Most often, they live within 100 feet of their food source (you). So if you travel with your luggage and clothing, there’s a chance that bedbugs might come home with you from an infested hotel room or apartment building — especially if the place was full of them when you left.
It’s unlikely that any would survive for long outside of their home territory, though, so if your hotel room was clean when you checked out, there’s no reason to think that many will have survived on your clothes or belongings long enough to make it back home with you.
Can Animals Carry Bedbugs to Your Home?
The answer is yes.
Pets can carry bedbugs, but the chances are pretty low. Bedbugs are most commonly found in places where people sleep. Because of this, it’s not common for animals to carry bedbugs from one place to another.
However, there are some exceptions. Animals that spend time in bedrooms or other rooms with beds may bring bedbugs into your home if they have been exposed to them before. This includes dogs and cats that sleep on beds, as well as birds, which sometimes nest in cushions placed on couches and beds.
Bedbugs can also be passed from person to person through direct contact with someone who has been bitten by an infected insect. For example, if you’re bitten by a bug in a hotel room or another location where bedbugs have been reported, you could pass the parasite along to someone else when you return home.
Bedbug Treatment
Bedbugs are one of the most common household pests in the US. They are small, parasitic insects that feed on human blood. They can be found in many places, including hotels, apartments, dorms, and homes.
Bedbugs have been around for centuries but have recently become more common due to the increase in international travel. While bedbugs do not transmit disease to humans and their bites are not known to cause any physical harm, they can cause significant mental distress. Bedbug infestations are difficult and costly to treat, which is why it is important to take preventative measures before you have a problem with them.
Here are some tips on how to prevent bedbugs in your home:
- Vacuum your floors regularly.
- Wash linens weekly in hot water
- Live clutter-free, so there are fewer hiding spots for bedbugs.
- Seal cracks or crevices around baseboards and window frames with silicone caulk
Why Bedbug Infestation is On the Rise
The reported cases of bed bugs in the United States have been on the rise since 2004. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has reported over 6 million cases of bed bugs nationwide.
Bed bug infestations are not new. They have been around since the days of the Roman Empire and have been reported in every decade since then. The increase in reported cases is due to several factors, including:
The increase in international travel has made it easier for bed bugs to make their way into hotels, apartments, and homes.
The increased use of electronics such as laptops and smartphones allows people to work from anywhere they go.
Exposure to bedbugs at school or work can cause a person to become infected with bedbugs when they return home.
Get Rid of Bedbugs Today!
To make sure that you don’t get bedbugs, always do a thorough check of your room before going to bed. Scrutinize the headboards and the floors, as well as any other area where the bugs might be hiding. Don’t forget to sleep in fresh, clean sheets, and if you can, stuff your mattress with a new set of foam liners every few months. Always keep a flashlight with you while you sleep, so if an infestation is already taking place in your home, you will be able to find any bugs right away.