Bed bugs are these oval, brownish bugs that are very small and they live on the blood of humans and animals. An adult bedbug has a flat body that is around the size of an apple seed. After it feeds, its body will swell and appear reddish. They do not fly, they move quickly over surfaces, and they can lay hundreds of eggs throughout their lifetime.
Where are they?
Bed bugs can enter the home on clothing, luggage, used couches and beds, and other items. They can fit in tiny spaces because of their flat bodies. These bugs tend to like hiding in mattresses, bed frames, box springs, and the headboards of beds where they can easily access people as they sleep. Over time, they can infest the bedroom and move into any protected location. They will even move to neighboring rooms or apartments. Rather than a sign of dirtiness, they are pests that can move to any place they please and they require specific pest control methods to be carried out so they can be eliminated.
The Bite
Bed bugs primarily bite at night because that is when they are active. They attack people while they are sleeping. They pierce the skin with their elongated beak and they withdraw blood. It takes them up to 10 minutes to become engorged before they walk away.
The bites are painless, but the bite site becomes an itchy welt afterward. Unlike flea bites that are usually found around the ankles, bedbug bites can occur on any area of the skin that is exposed.
When noticing these bites, the last thing an individual considers as the culprit is a bedbug problem. They tend to believe that the itchy welts are due to another issue. In order to confirm that there is a bedbug infestation, you have to identify the bug.
Signs You have an Infestation
If you wake up in the morning and you have itchy areas that were not there when you went to bed, you may have a bedbug issue. It is even more evident if you received use furniture around the time you started noticing the bites. Other signs can include:
• Blood stains in the bed
• Rusty spots indicating bug excrement on the mattress and sheets
• Egg shells, bedbug fecal spots, or shed skins
• A musty odor
If you notice any of these issues, pest control is necessary to get control over the problem.