We can all agree that beds are a sacred place. You wouldn’t let a stranger come and interact with you while you sleep, so why should it be any different with bed bugs. The problem is that bed bugs are often difficult to spot. Even if your home has hundreds of bed bugs, you may not know it. To help you better identify a bed bug infestation inside your home, here are four signs our experts recommend you keep your eyes out for.
Some Things You Should Know About Bed Bugs
Before we talk about how you can spot bed bugs around your Raleigh home, there are first a few things you should know. For one, you should know that bed bugs are hitchhiking pests. This means they use items people carry to get from place to place. If you place a bag down in public, at a friend’s house, at a hotel, or anywhere lots of people frequently travel for more than 20 minutes, you give bed bugs the opportunity to crawl over and catch a ride.
Another thing you should know about bed bugs is that they are amazing at hiding. Once inside homes bed bugs won’t just stay around beds. They will roam when you are asleep and hide in the deepest darkest reaches of your home. Some of their favorite hiding spots include beneath floorboards, behind outlets, and inside cracks and crevices throughout the home.
Finally, you should know that bed bugs can be dangerous. How dangerous they often depend on how severe your infestation is. As bed bugs grow in numbers, certain problems arise such as insomnia, anemia, and infection from scratching bites.
Bed Bug Sign Number 1: Bites
One of the best ways you can identify a bed bug infestation is with the bites they leave on skin. However, not all people react the same to bed bug bites. Where some might have red welts show up on their skin in a zig-zag or straight line, others may have no reaction at all.
Bed Bug Sign Number 2: Blood Stains
Bed bugs are sloppy eaters and it is common for them to dribble blood over sheets and bed coverings. If you don’t have any open cuts or wounds, finding blood spots on your bed is a good indication that bed bugs are biting you at night.
Bed Bug Sign Number 3: Live Bed Bugs
Although bed bugs are extremely good at hiding, there is still a possibility you might spot one inside your home. To identify an adult bed bug, keep your eyes out for reddish-brown insects the size and shape of an apple seed. To search for bed bugs check the crevices of your mattress and box spring along with the cracks and gaps around your room.
Bed Bug Sign Number 4: Fecal Matter
The worse bed bug infestations get, the more you will notice coffee-like dust stuck to surfaces and furniture around your home. This dust is actually bed bug fecal matter and is another great way you can identify an active infestation in your home.
The Best Way To Handle Bed Bugs
If you suspect your home has an active bed bug infestation and would like to find out for certain, we are here to help. At Pest & Termite Consultants, we have the tools and experience to spot and eliminate bed bugs at all stages of their development.
Reach out to our team today to find out more about our bed bug control plans, or to schedule a thorough pest inspection for your Raleigh home.