If you have a bed bug infestation, you usually don’t know until it is too late. It is best to find out early, before the bed bugs have a chance to get established or spread. Treating a minor infestation may be a bit inconvenient, BUT it is far less costly and easier than treating the infestation after it becomes more widespread.
The issue with bed bugs is how challenging it is to find and correctly identify them. Other insects, such as carpet beetles, can be easily mistaken for bed bugs. Misidentify gives the bugs more time to spread to other areas of the house or hitchhike a ride to someone else’s house to start a new infestation.
If you are unaware of having an infestation, it is very easy to transport them from your house to others, especially during the holidays! Contrary to popular belief, and their name, bed bugs also live in furniture, carpeting, behind picture frames, in electrical outlets and on clothing in drawers. Early detection is important if you do not wish to spread these pests to friends and relatives.
HOW TO IDENTIFY BED BUGS
Bites on the skin are a poor indicator of a bed bug infestation, as some people do not have a skin reaction to the bites. For those who do have a reaction, their bites can look like bites from other insects (such as mosquitoes or chiggers), rashes (such as eczema or fungal infections), or even hives. A more accurate way to identify a possible infestation is to look for physical signs when cleaning, changing bedding, or staying away from home:
- Rusty or reddish stains on bed sheets or mattresses caused by bed bugs being crushed
- Dark spots (about this size: •), which are bed bug excrement and may bleed on the fabric like a marker would
- Eggs and eggshells, which are tiny (about 1mm) and pale yellow skins that nymphs shed as they grow larger
- Live bed bugs
When not feeding, bed bugs hide in a variety of places. Around the bed, they can be found near the piping, seams and tags of the mattress and box spring, and in cracks on the bed frame and headboard. Since they are only about the width of a credit card, they can squeeze into really small hiding spots. If a crack will hold a credit card, it could hide a bed bug. Fact: they are found almost anywhere their host can live, which means almost any room in your house.
To eliminate bed bugs from your home with confidence, contact a professional. Everett Milberger Pest Control has been eliminating bed bugs for a very long time! Our technicians will thoroughly inspect your home and treat the infestation. Our home inspection is free.