5 Early Signs of Bed Bug Infestation

Bed bugs are insects in an oval shape with a brownish colour. They mostly feed on human or animal blood. They reside in wooden beds and even in mattresses. Adult bed bugs are a little more significant and have flat bodies. They are almost the size of an Apple seed, but they are horrible if it is a bed bug infestation. They are flat just for some time, once they suck blood and feed themselves, they swell, and the body colour changes to red, due to the blood. Even though they are called bugs, they are unable to fly.

But they are fast on flat surfaces like walls, floor, and ceilings. Their reproduction is quite an issue as their eggs are very minute and cannot be disposed of quickly. So, are you free from bed bugs, or is there a bed bug infestation at your home?

What’s bugging us in the bed?

Bed bugs enter the house without our knowledge through various means like clothes, luggage, infested beds, and mattresses. Their flat bodies help them go into small nooks and corners of things. Like most insects, bed bugs live in groups in places where it is easier for them to get blood. They do not have nests like bees or ants, but their colonies are vast.

They are quite quick when it comes to spreading themselves. They scatter through your rooms and try to get in a safe location by moving into other rooms or even apartments, which might lead to bed bug infestation.

When Do They Bite?

Bed bugs are active in the night time and mainly bite people when they are having a sound sleep. They have a long beak by which they suck the blood. So, first, the pierce the skin and then withdraw the blood. They can stay on your body, sucking the blood for over 10 minutes, swell with red bodies and then crawl away without being noticed. The bites are not painful at the start, but you will likely feel itchy on those spots and turn into scars.

You can check the scars to make sure if they are bed bug bites. People mistake the scars for mosquito's bites are they are somewhat similar. You should confirm if that is a mosquito or a big army of bed bugs.

Signs of bed bug infestation

As already discussed, bed bugs are active at night, and if you wake up with scars around an itchy area, which you were not having before you went to sleep, then there might be bed bugs at your house. These bed bugs can also stay in your furniture and couches. Other signs that you might have a bed bug infestation include:

• Stale odour near your bed, which is from bugs' scent glands.
• Dark spots of bed bug excreta on sheets, beds, couches or walls
• Bloodstains on your mattress, sheets or pillows
• Small egg shells or shed skins in the infested areas

You will probably freak out if you find that a bed bug infestation attacks the place. So, if you witness anything like it, check under the sheets and beds if there are any bed bugs or their waste. Also check your bed, under the wooden plank and in the corners. They can stay anywhere to be safe, like books, radios or even telephones. Look inside the furniture drawers and its edges.

If there is a carpet, do inspect under it nicely and do not forget your closet where most of your clothes are vulnerable to bed bugs. If this type of investigation gives you any doubtful idea, call the exterminators.

Learn How to Identify bed bugs

How to Treat the Bed Bug Infestation?

The key to getting rid of bed bugs and having a free home is cleanliness. Clean the places where the bed bug infestation has occurred. Here are some of the ways to do it:

• Use a vacuum cleaner to get rid of bed bugs in the bedbug-infested area surrounding the bed. After you are done vacuuming, dispose of the vacuum cleaner bag in a plastic bag and outside the house.
• Bed bugs can live up to a year without feeding. So keep the mattress and other things in a tight nag which has a zip on it for at least a year, so that all the bed bugs are dead there itself.
• Regularly clean the sheets, pillowcases, curtains, and even clothes in hot water and use a dryer. Also take care of shoes, stuffed animals, and other washable things which might also be attacked by a bed bugs.
• Use a stiff scrubber or brush to remove the bed bugs as well as their eggs before using the vacuum cleaner.
• It would be best if you repair small cracks and holes which are there on the walls or wooden beds. You can also block them by using glue or any other sealing agent.
• If the bed bugs have affected your mattress a lot, dispose of it and get a fresh new one. But make sure to clean everything before placing a new one.

Bed Bug Extermination

Even if you are sure of getting rid of bed bugs by cleaning and scrubbing, then you are wrong. It will not clear things completely. Sometimes, such situations require chemical treatments as treating your bed and other things during bed bug infestation can be dangerous.

It is why there is a need for products that can be safely used in bedrooms. Please do not treat the bedding unless it is mentioned as it may affect them.

The best way to get rid of bed bugs is with the help of specific chemical measures and some heat treatments which are applied by a Pest Management Professional (PMP). They might be somewhat costly, but that's the best way.

We saw the various ways in which the bed bug infestation can lead to various problems. It is important to know how the bed bugs are, where to reside, when and where they feed, how to take proper precautions are how to exterminate them. PMPs are the best solution in getting rid of the bugs.

They can reliably solve the issue. There are online services provided by various companies too. Reach out to 24H Pest Pros.