What’s scarier than having a nightmare in your bed? Having bed bugs in your bed.
Bed bugs are one of the most dreaded pests that can make their way into your home or apartment. They are such a problem that it’s estimated that one in every five Americans has either personally experienced bed bugs or known someone who has.
It’s well known that these blood-sucking pests are difficult to get rid of, so it’s important to keep a watch for any signs you have bed bugs.
Bed bugs infestations typically happen in areas where people sleep. They can infest homes, apartments, hotels, dorms, or public transit areas.
These bugs are known for their bites and tend to feed on blood at night. They don’t transmit diseases, but their bites cause itching, and it is difficult to sleep when you’re being bitten through the night.
Getting rid of bed bugs can be an extensive and exhausting process. It requires cleaning out your entire home and usually pest control. That’s why it’s so important to know the signs of bed bugs in your home.
Read on to find out about the telltale signs that you have bed bugs in your home.
The Signs May First Show Up on Your Skin
Bed bugs hide in the most personal of spaces, your sleeping area. They are known to hide in the crevices of mattresses, box springs, bed frames, headboards, and in clutter around your bed area.
One of the first signs that you may have a bed bug problem will be seeing and feeling small, red bites on your skin. These bites will often show up in a zigzag or line pattern.
The bites will likely occur on the skin that is most exposed during sleep, like arms, legs, and the upper body. These bites may appear flat or raised and might become itchy, inflamed, red, or swollen, though reactions to bites will vary.
The reaction to a bed bug bite will vary due to the anticoagulant that the bug injects into a person’s body, along with their saliva when they are feeding on blood. The reaction to the anticoagulant may determine the size and severity of the bite.
The bites are not initially painful, which is why you’re unlikely to notice them in your sleep as they happen. This is why the bugs can feed on a person for up to ten minutes until they are full.
Bites may vary in appearance. Bites can appear as a raised bump with a clear center, a raised lighter bump with a dark center, or small bumps surrounded by hives or blisters.
Some people may have severe reactions to bites, sometimes allergic reactions, but these cases are rare. In these instances, a person may experience nausea, fever, difficulty breathing, blisters, or an irregular heartbeat.
You may even find bed bug bites on your pets as well. While they prefer to feed on humans, they may bite dogs, cats, birds, and rodents.
Check Your Bedding and Furniture
Another telltale sign of bed bugs will be found in your bedding and furniture. It’s especially important to double-check any second-hand furniture that you’ve brought into your home.
The most obvious sign will be seeing a bed bug in your area. They are small, about the size of an apple seed, but they are visible to the naked eye. Inspect your furniture, sheets, mattress, and pillows closely to find the bugs.
Another sign these pests have invaded your area is that they will leave their excrement behind. If you find small dark or rusty spots on your furniture or bedding, it may be bed bug poop.
These fecal stains are very small, about the size of an ink dot from a pen. You will likely find the fecal markings in large numbers around the areas that the bed bugs are sheltering in. As a warning, these fecal marks may be difficult to wash out of certain fabrics.
You may also find eggshells or skin that has been shed by growing bed bugs, called nymphs. These nymphs shed their skin five times before reaching adulthood, and female bed bugs lay hundreds of eggs, so you’ll likely come across skins if you’re infested.
There may also be small blood stains on your bedding or furniture or even your pajamas. This is a residue left over from when the bed bug last fed on blood. The anticoagulant they emit while feeding makes it so that you may continue to bleed a little after they are done.
It may also be from accidentally squishing a bed bug that is engorged with blood after it has fed.
You may also see dead bed bugs around your bedroom or near your furniture.
You May Smell the Signs
Did you know that there are three different types of bed bugs? While only two types live in the U.S. and Europe, they all have one thing in common. They create a distinct odor that is another clear sign of a bed bug infestation.
A bad infestation may smell like rust, moldy fabric, or wet fabric, much like wet towels. If you smell anything like this in your home and there doesn’t seem to be an apparent cause, it may be a sign that bed bugs have invaded.
Bed bugs emit pheromones that have an unusual smell as well. It has been described as sweet and musty, somewhat like raspberries, almonds, or cilantro. This smell is often very faint and may not be detected by a human nose.
The musty smell that you will most likely come across is the result of a combination of pheromones, excrement, and dead bed bugs.
See Signs You Have Bed Bugs? Call Pest Control
If you’ve seen the signs you have bed bugs in your home, it’s important to act now to prevent the problem from getting worse.
At Results Pest Control, we are dedicated to bed bug removal. Read our webpage about bed bug infestations and how we treat the problem before calling us for a quote.