How Do You Know If You Have Bed Bugs?

You may ask, how do you know if you have bed bugs, what do these insects look like and how will you know which insect you should observe. These are common queries people often ask. If you suspect that you have these insects at home, you should find out the indicators. Look for blood spots on sheets and also dark brown spots on mattresses, partitions, and bed frames.

If you see them, there may possibly be a bed bug infestation on your hands. Bed bugs are good at hiding, as they are skinny so that they can slip into cracks or anywhere you will have trouble seeing them. Bed bugs suck blood late at night, especially when you are sleeping. You could also get bed bug bites during the evening or day without even knowing it. Bed bug bites can be difficult to recognize, as the appearance is often the same as other insect bites. Even a dermatologist is often unable to recognize a bed bug bite or decide whether it is from a bite of a different insect.

Bites can also appear differently from one person to another. On some people, the bites are significant and appear like a red dot in the middle in which the skin was penetrated, while on some others, they may possibly look like pimples. Bed bugs usually bite in a semi-circular style, which causes a pattern of bites. However, there are numerous cases in which the victim does not end up with a pattern of bites. Being bitten by one of these insects is absolutely unpleasant. According to how sensitive you are to bed bug bites, your skin can be irritated and even inflamed. Some people described the bite as being like a mosquito bite – very itchy, but it could last for a number of days. The reaction to this insect’s saliva injected into the skin, causes itchiness and could disturb your sleep in a serious way.

Knowing Bed Bugs Physically

Bedbugs are a potential human foe. They appear as tiny harmless living creatures but they are absolutely not. First of all, these insects are tiny and uneasy to find. Their sizes are about 4 mm long and 2 mm wide with an oval body. These insect’s bodies are brown and flat with no wings. As they suck blood, their body size expands and their body’s color will become a darkened blood-red tone. Bed bugs tend to live in a small space in your mattress and bed.

If you think you will only find these insects in dirty areas, then you are wrong because bed bugs can be found in your home and even in first-class hotel rooms. These insects are so tiny that usually, you will not be able to see them with naked eyes. They may look like termites or ants, but if you look at these insects closely, you will know that they have different physical attributes. Some of them are deep brown, while some others are burnt orange or even light tan to nearly white.

Finding Bed Bugs

First, you have to know that bed bugs are tiny and nocturnal, so it’s quite hard to see them immediately. In most cases, people discover their presence when they have already started attacking a member of the household. It’s not unusual that the first sign that you have bed bugs is someone being bitten. Yes, bed bugs bite and they typically do this at night, when you’re peacefully sleeping and oblivious of their blood-sucking activity.

When bed bugs bite, they release an anticoagulant substance that creates a reaction on the skin. Hence, it is highly possible that one morning, you can get up feeling itchy and filled with red rashes and welts on the exposed skin areas such as the face, arms, and legs. These signs of bed bugs typically appear even before you start seeing crawling creatures under your bed. Quite disappointing, don’t you think?

Once you suspect that there’s already an infestation of bed bugs in your home, there are things you have to do. First, inspect your bedding. If the bugs have just finished feeding and get squashed when you move or turn in your sleep, they will burst and leave marks. It’s a bit disgusting but true. Hence, seeing some blood stains on your bed sheet can also be one of the signs of bed bugs that you should watch out for.

As already mentioned, bed bugs are nocturnal insects. They hide during daytime and the most accessible and ideal place for them would be the bed. It would be best to strip off your bedding and take a closer look at your mattress. Inspect the seams, creases, and buttons. If there are indeed bed bugs, you will either see them crawling or see some fecal marks on various areas. Apart from the bugs themselves and their fecal markings, translucent eggs may be present too. These eggs are as small as a grain of rice which may be attached to the mattress. When you see them, then you are definitely looking at the clearest signs of bed bugs.

Now, you should also know that the bed isn’t the only refuge for the bed bugs. Move away a bit and you may be surprised at the signs of bed bugs everywhere else in your place. Start with your room. Look around and scrutinize every crack and crevice on the floors as well as the walls. They are likely to have some signs of bed bugs. Take some time to open the drawers, closets, picture frames, and other soft furnishings too. All of these locations may serve as ideal hubs for bed bugs.

Finally, don’t forget to check your clothing too. Your pockets, collars, and shoes can serve as favorable hideouts for these blood-sucking insects. The next time you look for signs of bed bugs, don’t forget to include these items on your list. Knowing where they are will help you know how to prevent bed bugs better.

Bed Bug Signs

If you see signs of bed bugs, it means they are already in your home. However, there are ways to tell about these insects, so that you can know the signs before you have too great an infestation.

Let’s start with the signs of bed bug bites. When a bed bug bites you, it sucks on human blood. They use two hollow tubes to do this. One, to inject an anesthetic and an anticoagulant to numb the area and prevent your blood from clotting. And the other tube, is to suck the blood through. As a rule, they are active during the night and bite any exposed human skin while you are sleeping.

Bites can arise on just about any part of our bodies. As the bites are painless, you won’t detect that you have been bitten, so you will not wake up. Others, may notice the bites very fast. The way you will notice, is by the extreme itching you will feel.

However, once you wake up and see that you have some puffiness and itching, you may imagine that you have a mosquito or flea bite, which is often why the signs of bed bug bites frequently go unnoticed. They are not easy to tell apart from the other sorts of bug bites. The most regular signs of bed bug bites are raised bumps on the skin that are small and flat.

When you do observe them, you should take care not to start scratching them, due to the fact they can get infected. You should take note that the signs of bed bug bites have a propensity to have a number of bites in a linear shape. Their growth is based on the feeding cycle. It might not be just one bed bug feeding on you. That is why there are usually several bites lined up in a row.

Based on the results of their research, infectious disease specialists have found that other signs can be a funny smell close to the bites and other areas that bed bugs live in. The reason for the smell around the bites is that they have glands that produce this aroma. They do leave fecal spots on the bedsheets and in the areas where they hide during the day. As these nasty critters are usually within 8 feet of their victims, there will be many dark places they can hide. They will hide just about anywhere in the room so you can never rule out any one place.

The thing to remember here, is that most of the time, signs of bed bugs are hard to see until it is usually too late. They are already where you won’t want them to be. But you can take the lead, and look for them frequently. Mainly when you are purchasing furniture that is used. Mattresses are not to be resold so l would advise that you don’t get a mattress from a person that you do not know, or if the mattress is old.

Unlike dust mites that you cannot see, you can see bed bugs. You’re able to locate them if you look for them carefully. But as mentioned earlier, once they are in the house, you may need to do a proper check of all possible hiding places, starting with the bedroom, or wherever the bites occurred. When you understand what to look for, it’s not too difficult to uncover many bed bug signs.

Bed Bug Traps

Bed bug traps are a must for people suffering from bed bug infestation. Bed bugs may be tiny, but they can make your life a living hell. These parasites can make you toss and turn in your bed with their itchy and irritating bites.

Where Do Bed Bugs Live

Before you get excited in solving that bed bug problem once and for all, there are some things worth knowing about these creatures. As the name suggests, these insects particularly like beds and mattresses. They are most likely found in holes or cracks of the bed’s framing. If you notice dark spots on the bedding along with a stuffy smell, chances are your home is infected with bed bugs. Bed bugs can find their hosts because of the carbon dioxide that humans breathe out. Apparently, bed bug treatments use this information to effectively draw out bed bugs from the mattresses and adjoining areas. Bed bugs are also found in tight spaces like headboards, between gaps, storage drawers, as well as upholstered furniture.

Prevention

Since bed bugs like to thrive in dirty surroundings, maintaining the cleanliness of your home is the first thing to do. Regularly changing the bed sheets and vacuuming deter these bugs from increasing in number. Bed bugs are also transmitted from infested hotels or dwellings. To keep these bugs from hitchhiking to your place, make sure that you check the sanitation of the hotel or any place you are temporarily staying in. Place your luggage or clothing as far as possible from the bed.

Management

Bed bug population is controlled via pesticide and non-pesticide treatment. The former makes use of malathion, dichlorvos, or pyrethroids-based chemical sprays. The chemicals are applied in the affected areas to eradicate the bugs. Another way of controlling these parasites is with the use of diatomaceous earth. This compound can either be combined in insecticides or applied solely in powder form. Diatomaceous earth is effective since it punctures the exoskeleton of bed bugs and dehydrates them until they die.

There are some however, who prefer non-pesticide treatment since it is safer and non-toxic. Heat treatment for bed bugs like Thermapure can kill the insect in all growth stages. Heat at temperatures of 45 to 46C is allowed to penetrate the areas where bed bugs usually live. Methods like this are advantageous, especially when there are people allergic to chemical sprays.

Making improvised bed bug traps is another easy alternative since it makes use of materials that are already available in our homes. All it takes is dry ice pellets, flat dish, and a 1/3 gallon cooler-insulated jug. A talcum powder is also useful for coating the sides or bottom part of the jug. The powder is effective for keeping those bugs in the trap. These bed bug traps will work by attracting the insects with the carbon dioxide released from the dry ice. As the bed bugs crawl into the trap, the water in the flat dish will keep them from coming back to their hiding places. People who want a quicker and more effective solution can try bed bug traps available in home depots. These commercial traps can either be passive or active bed bug traps. Active bed bug traps can catch more of these insects compared to passive interceptor. These devices also use carbon dioxide to draw bed bugs. Although it looks like an improved version of those DIY bed bug traps, a commercially sold active bed bug trap provides controlled release of carbon dioxide. These portable bed bug traps can be refilled for total bed bug infestation removal. It costs approximately $10 to $49 for commercial bed bug traps.

Heat treatment for bed bugs and prevention

Heat treatment for bed bugs is better than chemical treatments for a variety of reasons. Your bed bug problem can disappear with the help of heat treatment.

What are bed bugs?

Bed bugs are not like any other insect. They can last without eating anything up to a year under their needed climatic conditions. These bugs are not easy to get rid of and it is essential to get rid of them in the proper way, because they can bring different diseases and infections with their bites and bloodsucking. The process of eliminating bed bugs takes a lot of time, effort, and patience on your part. That is why you should consider using the heat treatment for bed bugs.

Where do bed bugs live?

Bed bugs are not the biggest of insects. They are very small and difficult to find. They normally hide in dark corners and spots close to their hosts. Their reproduction is rapid and their eggs are hidden in places that are difficult to locate.

Heat treatment for bed bugs

ThermaPure Heat is one of the superior solutions as heat treatment for bed bugs. It is a safe treatment to use because of its non-toxic and non-chemical approach that could penetrate your wall cavities, mattresses, furniture and other hard to reach locations. Applying heat evenly throughout your chosen structure, ThermaPure Heat kills all hiding bed bugs. It kills all bed bugs regardless of their growth stage and even its eggs. Most pesticides can’t control bed bug eggs. In choosing your heat treatment for bed bugs, you should make sure that it is not hazardous to your health while controlling pests. The beauty of using ThermaPure Heat is its effectiveness and eco-friendly design. Pesticides contain chemicals that harm the environment while killing bugs. Heat treatment for bed bugs is a safe and non-toxic way of keeping a clean and bug-free household. Aside from using the heat treatment for bed bugs, Diatomaceous earth could also be used. It is also safe and non-toxic.

Preventing bed bugs

After using the heat treatment for bed bugs, the next way is to keep the bed bugs away forever. You could prevent bed bugs in four effective steps:

Always ensure that you inspect your mattresses, pillows, and closets for any sign of bed bugs. These insects like the warmth of these places and they like dark places and a lot of human contact.

Be sure to use eco-friendly insecticide dust or sprays on your furniture to prevent bedbugs from hiding in cracks.

Bed bug mattress covers can be used to prevent any type of insects from crawling in and out of your bed.

Get rid of the mattress where the bed bugs used to stay and replace it with new ones. There is a high possibility that that contains eggs that could hatch anytime. Bed bugs are significantly resistant. So bed bug traps should also be utilized along with the heat treatment for bed bugs.