Where Do Bed Bugs Come From and How Do You Check for Them?
1 in 5 Americans are dealing with, or have dealt with, a bedbug infestation. Instead of your bed being a source of comfort and rest, it’s now infiltrated with pests.
While bed bugs are undoubtedly a nuisance, discovering whether or not you have them can be tricky. And where do bed bugs come from, anyway?
In this article, we’ll address everything you need to know about bed bugs.
What Are Bed Bugs?
Bed bugs are insects that feed on the blood of humans. They are about the size of an apple seed, but after feeding, they swell, similar to that of a tick. You can identify bed bugs by their oval-shaped bodies and brown color.
During her lifetime, female bed bugs can lay eggs by the hundreds, which is how infestations happen. They do not spread diseases and cannot fly.
Where Do Bed Bugs Come From?
There are many ways that bed bugs can make their home yours.
Bed bugs are hitchhikers. Most bedbugs do not enter your home on purpose; they’re a result of human traveling.
They can come into your home through used furniture, bags, luggage, hotel stays, apartment buildings, and more. They’re small, so they easily fit into any crevice undetected.
Even places like daycares, the bus, and also on people’s clothing are known for carrying bedbugs. One they’re snug in your home, they get right to work breeding.
How to Do A Bed Bug Inspection
Bed bugs don’t just hide in your mattress – they take residence anywhere in your room or home. They like to nestle in places deep and warm, and it means they can be found in places like curtains, other pieces of furniture like couches or chairs, baseboards of a room, nightstands, drawers, sheets, and the folds of your mattress.
Before you begin your inspection, you’ll need a pair of gloves (to avoid getting bitten or coming in contact with blood) and a flashlight. Using a flashlight, inspect every part of your room. One vital sign of bedbugs is small blood stains or trails left behind.
Remember, bedbugs are oval-shaped and round if they’ve recently feasted on blood, but If not, they’ll be flat and brown. Usually, they’re easy to detect without a magnifying glass, and you’ll notice them walking around your mattress or furniture. Other signs of bedbugs might include bedbug waste or eggs.
Keep checking your mattress, bed frame, and remove all sheets and bedding and all sides of the mattress. Turn furniture over and inspect all cushions and walls if the furniture is up against the wall. Use a small thin object like a credit or debit card to dig out anything that might be hiding in the baseboards.
Don’t leave any stone unturned. Look underneath lamps, curtains, dirty clothes, holes in the wall, behind pulled corners of wallpaper, and inside electrical outlets. Bedbugs love anywhere warm, so don’t be afraid to take all precautions and look everywhere.
Bedbug Bites
Typically bedbugs are more active at night. The bite might be similar to that of a flea or a mosquito because of the itching they produce. Bites from bed bugs start small and then turn into large welts.
Some ways to identify bedbugs are:
- Itching and painful
- Clear or dark center surrounded by painful redness
- There might be a pattern to the biting such as zigzags
Finding the bed bugs hiding in your home can confirm the bites are bedbug bites and not another insect.
What to Do When You Find Bed Bugs
It is imperative that once you find bed bugs to take care of the problem immediately. Bed bugs are notorious for spreading and could cause other severe issues in parts of your home. Additionally, the cost of dealing with a smaller infestation is better than waiting until the problem expands.
Once you’ve cleaned up the infected areas, you’ll need to call a professional to help with extermination. They have the tools and knowledge of pests and can properly rid your home of bedbugs.
Prevent Bedbugs
Prevention is key to keeping out these unwelcome bloodsuckers. Here are some ways to keep bedbugs out of your home.
Once you spot bedbugs in your home, dispose of those items in plastic bags. Label them as infested, so no one takes them into their home.
Never take home used furniture or mattresses found abandoned. If you buy used furniture, check it carefully for any sign of bugs or other infestations.
Caulk all cracks and crevices in your homes such as door frames, windows, baseboards, and the like. Sealing will take away their hiding places and prevent more from multiplying.
If you’re staying in a hotel, check everything for bedbugs before unpacking and making yourself comfortable. Never keep luggage on the ground because bed bugs can crawl into bags and make themselves at home.
Mattress and bed protection products are available that repel bedbugs.
Be diligent in cleaning your home. Vacuuming dust could catch bedbugs before they start breeding. Use high heat to dry your items in the dryer, as heat kills bed bugs.
Bedbugs: Don’t Let Them In
Where do bed bugs come from? They’ve brought inside your home from a variety of sources. Double-check everything when you’ve arrived home to ensure your home is bedbug-free.
Even though bedbugs are mostly harmless, they’re still a pesky problem and often need professional intervention. If you’re fighting a bedbug infestation, contact us today to help you banish bedbugs and regain your home!
Interested in learning more from our recent blog posts on bedbugs? Visit:
https://synergy2ms.com/bed-bug-bites-pictures-everything-you-need-to-know-about-these-bites/
https://synergy2ms.com/look-a-like-bugs-mistaken-as-bed-bugs/
The following website links provide excellent information on bedbugs:
https://www.health.ny.gov/environmental/pests/bedbugs.htm
https://www.cdc.gov/parasites/bedbugs/faqs.html
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https://www.livescience.com/42297-bed-bugs-facts-information.html