Most diseases, pests, and other problems that come from nature are getting better across time. But this is not the case with bed bugs. In fact, bed bug infestations are becoming more and more common in the United States, as well as in other countries like Canada, England, and the rest of Europe!
In other words, this is one problem that your parents are grandparents might have had to deal with, but you will. So how can we learn to deal with this rising problem? Read on to learn all about the signs you have bed bugs and what you can do about it!
Table of Contents
Know How to Identify Bed Bugs
If you want to know how to know if you have bed bugs, the first thing to learn is what bed bugs look like. Just because you see bugs in your bed doesn’t mean that they are bed bugs. The same goes for seeing bugs around your room or home.
So what do bed bugs look like? Bedbugs are about the size of apple seeds once they have fully matured. As adults, they will have flat backs and appear to be mostly brown.
Bed bugs can also have a reddish color. In cases where they have been eating a lot, they could even appear bright red. This red color comes from the blood that they suck out of people.
If you haven’t seen these bugs around your room yet, you may be able to find them by looking more carefully. You should look all around your mattress and sheets, as well as around your headboard. You can’t even look around furniture in the room.
In most cases, bed bugs will be in crevices or corners. The edges of your mattress might have little flaps of cloth. Look under them to check for bed bugs.
Even if you don’t see an adult bed bug, you might see signs of eggs or infant bugs. Infant bed bugs are a lighter brown color. If you find a cluster of small white eggs, then that is another sign you have bed bugs.
Identifying the Bites of Bed Bugs
If you are trying to figure out how to tell if you have bed bugs, then there is a good chance that you have been getting bites. However, there are many possible causes of bites. Red spots on your body could be mosquito bites, spider bites, or just a reaction to a chemical or stress.
So if you want to know how to know if you have bed bug bites, you have to know how bed bug bites differ from other bug bites. Bed bug bites not only itch, but in some cases, they include a burning sensation.
On top of that, bedbugs have a unique way of biting people. Instead of just biting in the same spot on the skin, bed bugs will often bite many times. Additionally, they will often travel down the body as they continue to bite.
The end result is that bed bug bites often come in straight lines of red welts that are itchy and burning. Some people will also have a reaction to bed bug bites and end up with a larger affected area.
Stained Sheets
While other bugs might leave bite marks on the body, most of them don’t leave the same kind of stains that bed bugs do. There are basically two kinds of stains that you can find from bed bugs.
The first thing you might find is spots of blood. If a bed bug has recently fed and then gets smashed, then it might leave a red splotch across the sheet. You might accidentally kill bed bugs in your sleep by moving around.
On the other hand, bed bugs also leave fecal matter across sheets. These will generally look like black or dark brown stains. They might be approximately the size of the head of a pin.
Stained Floors
While it is somewhat less likely, bedbugs can also leave stains on your floor, especially if it is a carpet. In these cases, you are less likely to find blood stains and more likely to find the stains from fecal matter. So you should look for more dark brown splotches and fewer red ones.
Signs of Molting Bed Bugs
The last sign of bedbugs is the shells and skins that they leave behind. As bedbugs grow older and bigger, they molt and leave behind their old shells. They can do this up to five times in their life.
If you can find the old and abandoned shells of bed bugs, then you know that you had bed bugs in the past and probably still have them.
What to Do If You Have Bed Bugs
One of the most important things to know is where to sleep if you have bed bugs. You want to avoid your bed so that you don’t get bitten more. At the same time, you don’t want to spread the bed bugs to other places.
It is almost inevitable that there is some risk you will spread bed bugs wherever else you sleep. Therefore, it is best to set up temporary sleeping arrangements that can be discarded. A sleeping bag or set of blankets that you can throw away afterward can be a good choice.
You will also need to get rid of the bed bugs in your home. The exact right way to do this can depend on the specifics of your own home. Follow this link to get in touch with experts who can provide a custom bed bug extermination solution.
Know All of the Signs You Have Bed Bugs in Your Home
We hope that you learn something helpful about some of the signs you have bed bugs in your home. As the problem becomes more and more common, it will have to become common knowledge how to detect and handle bed bugs.
To learn more about home management, interior design, roofing, and more, take a look through our other pages!
