Bed bugs are nocturnal and their bites are often mistaken for mosquito bites or other insects. In fact, some people show no reaction at all to bed bug bites. Do you think you have bed bugs in your home? Well, we’re going to deep dive into everything you need to know to see if you’re in fact having a bed bug infestation.
Some places to check when searching for bed bug evidence include, headboards, bed side tables, wall junctions, loose wallpaper or paneling, as well as wherever you find a crease or crevice near where a person sleeps. This includes baseboards, mattress seams and personal belongings.
Eggs hatch in about 6-10 days and the newly emerged nymphs seek an immediate blood meal. Immature nymphs molt five times before reaching adult hood and they to feed at least once before each molt. Although they can feed often as once a day. There may be three or more generations per year.
Mature bed bugs are about 5mm, reddish-brown, wingless and flat. Although they swell up after blood feeding. When that happens, they change to a bright red color, taking days to return to a reddish-brown. Immature bed bugs have five immature stages before reaching adulthood. The youngest stage is difficult to spot. Eggs are even smaller and harder to see, but can provide another sign of bed bug presence. Eggs are pearly white, found in clusters and are about 1mm in length.
You can find all stages of bed bugs congregating near where their host sleeps. Since they group together, they can vary in shape and size. Among these groups remains of exoskeletons, feces and egg castings accumulate.
Bed bugs are smart enough to hide, but not smart enough to clean up the evidence they leave behind. These are the best indicators your room and maybe even your house is overrun with bed bugs.
- Cast/shed bed bug skins, exoskeletons or shells.
- Fecal spots on your mattress and bedding.
- Blood stains on your sheets and pajamas.
Do you suspect bed bugs in your room? Take the sheets off the bed and look at the edges, crevices and piping of your mattress. Look in the box spring and check for various sizes and stages.
Molted skins: Bed bugs grow with each blood meal on the way to maturity. In doing so, their shed their skin in order to grow larger. When infestations grow large, there will be hundreds if not thousands of molted skins left behind. The shells look like a bed bug itself but are translucent.
Fecal spots: Signs of bed bugs include liquid waste, which is found where ever they go. Bed bug fecal spots differ from blood stains. The spotting tends to resemble smears of stains, which are dark brown or black. This is because the blood has been digested and excreted.
Bites: Bed bug bites are raised red welts, that can burn and itch. You may see a rash across the bite area, and have straight lines of multiple bites. Usually around three, known as breakfast, lunch and dinner.
With a bed bug infestation, it is best to contact a professional, as they can be very difficult to eradicate. It is highly recommended to treat using a fumigation to guarantee the infestation is gone.
