Bed bugs are known to cause a lot of psychological distress. They don’t transmit any disease, but their bites can be very uncomfortable. It might seem like they are appearing out of nowhere and getting rid of them is very hard.
If you are worried about bed bugs, look for the following signs and contact a pest control company for help.
- You wake up with bite marks
Are you getting bitten at night but see no bed bugs? The most telling sign of a bed bug infestation is to wake up with bite marks. Bed bug bites are small and red, and often appear clustered or in the formation of straight lines. These are usually found on the parts of the body that are exposed, like the arms, hands, legs, neck, or face. Many people find bed bug bites itchy, and they may become swollen. For some, they are not itchy at all.
- There are drops of blood in your sheets
Finding unexplained, small droplets of blood in your bed sheets may indicate a bed bug problem. This happens after getting a bite or you roll over a bed bug in your sleep and squish it.
- Your mattress is spotted or dirty
Take the sheets off your mattress and examine it carefully. Look for little black spots and bed bug shells, which appear like small, white grains of rice. If you haven’t found any, continue to look in your bed frame, night table, baseboards, and flooring. Bed bugs hide in the crevices of furniture and wallpaper where they leave rust-colored stains.
- Your bedroom smells weird
Have you been noticing a strange smell in your bedroom? In some cases, people with bed bugs notice a sweet smell of berries. It may also smell unpleasant and musty. The smell of bed bugs is usually only noticeable once the infestation is advanced.
- You saw a bed bug
Did you see a bug in or near your bed, but you weren’t sure what you were looking at? It might have been a bed bug. Bed bugs are small, flat, rounded insects that are reddish brown. They usually appear at night when you are laying down in bed. This is because bed bugs can feel your body temperature and the carbon dioxide that you exhale. Examine your mattress and bed frame and look for these bugs. They usually come in groups.
How to Get Rid of Bed Bugs
Contact a local pest control company as soon as you see the signs of an infestation. Bed bugs are extremely difficult to get rid of by oneself because they are highly resistant to pesticides. They can also be very difficult to target because they hide very well. A professional can conduct a proper inspection and get rid of the pests using a combination of professional-grade insecticides and steam treatments.
Professional insecticides will work for weeks after they have been applied, eliminating every bed bug that emerges after the first treatment. Steam destroys bed bug eggs, which usually resist pesticides. Together, this is an effective treatment that gets rid of bed bugs at every stage. Technicians usually return for additional treatments, too, just to make sure that the bugs are gone for good.
What you can do to help is to wash all of your clothing and bedding at the highest allowable temperature. Then, keep all of your fabrics in sealed plastic bags until the bugs are gone. Be careful when purchasing used pieces of furniture and clothing and inspect your luggage when returning home from a hotel.
