Something Is Bugging Me: The Top Signs You Have Bed Bugs
Do you have bed bugs? How can you tell? Read on to learn the top signs of bed bugs in your home.
Can you imagine being kept up night after night with strange bite marks? Bedbugs bites may be red itchy bites or nothing at all. It sounds like a horror movie, but over 30% of people don’t react to bed bug bites at all, which means a lot of homeowners have no idea they’re living with a bed bug infestation.
To have a bed full of pests is the last thing you want, but the first thing you need is knowledge on how to recognize the warning signs of an infestation and how to deal with it.
Read on so you can learn the leading ways to spot bed bugs signs in your house and do some serious pest control.
What Are Bed Bugs?
Bedbugs are small, quarter-inch sized insects that usually appear to have a reddish-brown color. They are predominately found in small, dark undisturbed spaced.
Unlike many pests that hide in homes, bed bugs specifically feed on human blood, hence why they’re considered modern-home pests.
As it turns out, bed bugs have two main species, each with related symptoms following a bite. Each species can be determined by the size and color of a bedbugs outer shell.
What Causes A Bed Bug Infestation?
In most cases, bed bugs are attracted by poor hygiene. If you wash your sheets infrequently, eat in bed, or keep your room cluttered and dirty, your risk of getting bed bugs is much higher.
It’s just as common for bed bugs to be brought into your home from outside. In these cases, any public destination is a transfer-zone for bed bugs. Here are some example locations to be aware of for the potential of bed bug problems:
- Bus stations
- Schools
- Laundry mats
- Shelters
- Other homes
- Hotel rooms
Unless treated immediately, a bed bugs population can increase by 200% in a short amount of time. Bed bugs signs can develop rapidly. This largely depends on if multiple bed bugs are present, and if they have begun to mate.
How To Check For Bed Bugs
Start by doing a deep scan of your bed from your sheets to the mattress. Fecal stains from bed bugs can look like small dark brown or red spots on the sheets or mattress.
Each layer can represent the degree of infestation. For instance, if you’re noticing the bed bugs on your sheets, it’s possible they haven’t found a safe location to reproduce yet.
As you move down, be careful to avoid throwing your covers onto other parts of your room. This makes sure you aren’t spreading the problem even more.
Check the under your mattress and in its creases. Any spot that is cool, dark, and undisturbed is the perfect place for a bed bug to hide.
You can extend the depth of your inspection by checking all throughout your home. No area is off limits. Try inspecting your pets, furniture, and even between book pages.
If you’re quite certain that you have bed bugs, wait for your professional to perform the visual inspection. Point out the areas of your home where you feel there are bed bugs signs.
Signs of Bed Bug Bites and How To Spot Them
Bed bug bites can be decided through two categories:
- Visuals
- Sensation
Sensation
The itch will often come before you notice a bed bug’s bite mark. Though, once you’ve begun scratching the area that itches, the bite mark can start to burn and become quite painful.
It’s sometimes difficult to know you’re being bitten; bed bugs inject you with a form of anesthetic when biting you. With all that said, sensations may also take longer than visual detection to notice. Therefore, it’s important to know the proper signs of bed bug bites.
Visual Bite Marks
The bite usually appears as a raised red bump. Bed bug bites are often confused with flea bites. The main differences show in the surrounding tissue, and in the middle of a mark.
If you notice a clear center or a zigzag pattern on the bump it’s probably the work of a bed bug.
Allergic Reactions
Bed bug bites can sometimes cause asthmatic reactions, numbing, and paralysis. Cases of intense allergic reactions are rare. In most cases, you or a loved one will experience basic skin reactions around the bite area.
How To Kill Bed Bugs
You should contact a pest control service that you trust. Most personal means of bed bug removal can risk your health and require training.
Before you begin any treatment, try decluttering your house. Inspect all of the items in your house with soft materials, such as clothes and comforters, and bag them.
Always remember clutter is part of the reason that brought bed bugs into your home, it’s also the way to get them out.
Next, you should wash all of your clothes and materials that come in contact with your body and bed. It’s recommended that you soak clothing and covers in very hot water to kill the bed bugs.
If you’ve hired a pest control service, they will take care of the rest for you. If you have not, one thing to always remember: heat kills bed bugs. Taking this into account, steaming and vacuuming your carpets is a great way to eliminate bed bugs from your house.
How To Heal Bed Bug Bites
One of the first things you can do is take a warm shower. Wash your bites with hot water and soap. This will relieve the pain and inflammation, while also cleaning the bite.
To relieve the itch, you can always apply a corticosteroid cream, which gets rid of the bite and also fights inflammation. If you notice the bite mark is infected, you can see your doctor for antibiotics as well.
Ready For Peaceful Sleep?
Being unable to sleep in your own bed is a nightmare.
Once you’ve established you have bed bugs, follow these steps and you’ll be sure to fix the problem and take your home back. So here’s your next step: return your home to its former condition.
By calling a pest specialist you can trust, you have higher chances of never seeing a bed bug in your house again.
You got this. Start by finding the signs of bed bugs in your home, then remove it with the help of someone you can trust.
Interested in learning more about bed bugs and bed bugs signs? Please review our other bed bugs blog posts:
https://synergy2ms.com/where-do-bed-bugs-come-from-and-how-do-you-check-for-them/
https://synergy2ms.com/bed-bug-bites-pictures-everything-you-need-to-know-about-these-bites/
Also, the following online references provide excellent information on bed bugs:
https://www.epa.gov/bedbugs/how-find-bed-bugs
https://www.pestworld.org/all-things-bed-bugs/signs-of-bed-bugs/
https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/bedbugs/symptoms-causes/syc-20370001
If you need pest control services for your home or business please visit our site at https://synergy2ms.com. Feel free to read more about us and decide if Synergy² is the right company for you. We have over 200 Five-Star Google reviews for pest control service in the Jackson metro area (Jackson/Madison/Brandon/Ridgeland). Check out our newest location reviews for pest control service in Jackson, MS here!