Bed Bug Detection:

Don’t Let Them Bite You While You’re Dreaming

a person is sleeping on a mattress

First and foremost, it is vital that you know what bed bugs look like. These parasites are microscopic, growing only to around 5.5mm in adulthood, but they are still visible to the naked eye. They are tan in color and slightly flat unless they have fed.

If bed bugs have recently ingested blood, they’ll be red and puffy. Once they hatch, they all have the same basic look through their seven life cycle stages.

Bed Bug Detection

Each stage of a bed bug’s life cycle is accompanied by the shedding of their old skin to allow for growth. This process is known as molting. Although these layers of shed skin are tiny, they can still be seen, especially by a magnifying glass.

The number of these skins that you see in a given area will indicate how many bed bugs you might be dealing with. However, they are probably too small to tell the difference between one life cycle and another.

Bed bugs are known to hide in crevices and cracks inside your house. This includes furniture, which is why they received the moniker of “bed bugs.” They can hide in a variety of places, and because they are very small, you might never actually see one up close and personal. This could prevent you from deciding whether or not an infestation has, in fact, taken place.

To solve this problem, though, all it takes is a disposable latex glove or two. All you have to do is slip one on and slide your hand in the folds and crevices of your couch, bed, etc. Rub around the edges slowly, pressing down a bit, and take a look at the glove. If it comes back with black marks, this often indicates bed bug feces.

How to Know Bed Bug Bites

Bed bugs usually bite while you’re in a deep sleep and the bites are harmless. That’s where they got the epithet “perfect parasites.”  Many experts say that bed bugs are more dangerous than other parasites such as fleas and ticks. They don’t stay on the host. Instead, they dart to their hidden shelter after bitting you.

bed bug bites on the cheek

Bed Bug Bites (Wikipedia)

Sometimes, you might not even realize that you have been bitten. The reason is that bed bugs inject an anti-coagulant, or commonly known as blood-thinners, which allows a bed bug to extract blood from the human. They also draw out a sort of anesthetizing agent, which allows the bite to be painless.

Another symptom of bed bug bites is that you’ll see unusual small, red itchy welts on your body. While other blood-eating animals like mosquitoes usually bite you on your legs or your arms, bed bugs could bite your neck or your shoulders, and they could bite anywhere on your body.

Treating the Bed Bug Bites

If you have been bitten by bed bugs, you are likely wondering how to treat it. Many physicians will use a steroid cream to soothe the area. Since bedbugs are not life-threatening, nothing stronger is really necessary. Before you can treat a bed bug bite, you should know what our exterminators use to kill bed bugs. Sometimes we use environmental pest control.

This can only be determined useful once our bed bug terminator has provided you with a free bed bug inspection. The inspection helps them to determine the extent of your bed bug problem. Once the bed bug specialist knows the extent of your problem, they can advise you on how to handle the problem.

bed bug crawling

It is important that you know what bed bug bites look like because this is very often the first sign of infestation that a homeowner will notice. Bed bug bites are presented as small red areas on your skin.

They appear to be a small rash of some kind. Itching will occur at the location of the bite. If your skin is sensitive, its overall appearance could be much worse, along with the severity of the itching.

Finding Your Bed Bug Infestation

If you pay attention though, you can spot bed bug infestations before they get out of hand. Small as these things are, you have to look close, and you have to stay on top of the situation.

The minute you become suspicious, keep your eyes peeled for the following telltale signs of these unwanted visitors and you just might stop their assault in its tracks:

  • Small bite marks on your body in areas mosquitoes wouldn’t have easy access to
  • If you wake up itching in spots you can’t remember itching the night before
  • Unexplained bloodstains on your pillowcases and sheets
  • Other tiny spots on your sheets, mattress, or the wall around your bed—these could be anything from bed bug fecal droppings to eggs to shed bug skins
  • A new, musty odor in your bedroom

If you notice any of these signs, remove the sheets from your mattress, inspect your mattress fibers closely, and lift your mattress off of your box spring to inspect its underside and your box spring’s surface. Bed bugs love these spaces because they provide easy access to your sleeping body and a hidden location to which they can sneak off after feasting.

It is important that you know what bed bug bites look like because this is very often the first sign of infestation that a homeowner will notice. Bed bug bites are presented as small red areas on your skin.

Bed Bugs Products for Your Home or Business

Concern about bed bug infestation has naturally risen as bed bugs have reemerged as a threat in the past 15 years. To help people protect themselves, some useful bed bug products have emerged.

a mattress in white background

Mattress Liners

A wide range of mattress encasements is available to seal off bed bugs (and dust mites). Key characteristics to look for are a sturdy, secure zipper system and the comfortableness of the encasement, including whether it has an odor.

An ActiveGuard Mattress Liner, one of the most popular bed bug products, will not only keep bed bugs from spreading, but it will also actually kill the blood-sucking pests. The same idea of encasement can be applied throughout your home. There are bed bug products to cover sofas, chairs, and pillows.

Luggage Encasements

It’s also a good idea to encase your luggage when traveling, and bed bug products such as BugZip will seal your luggage off from bed bugs you could easily pick up in hotel rooms. You can simply use large Ziploc bags to protect clothes that you remove from your luggage.

Luggage Treatment 

Another alternative for protecting your luggage while traveling is to buy a PackTite portable heating unit, which is large enough for you to place your luggage into before entering your home after a trip. The PackTite unit heats to above 120 degrees Fahrenheit, which kills the bed bugs.

Disposable Laundry Bags

A highly convenient and effective way to handle clothes that you’ve taken on a trip is to put them in GreenClean disposable laundry bags that will prevent the escape of any bed bugs that are trying to stow away in your clothes. You can safely bring the bags into your home, and they will dissolve in the washer when you wash the clothes.

Climbup Insect Interceptors

This product is a great way to check for a bed bug infestation. The interceptor is a plastic cup that is placed under the legs of beds or other furniture infestations. The cups are coated with a thin layer of talc, which makes them too slippery for bed bugs to crawl on.

They fall into the cup and can’t get out. Therefore bed bugs trying to climb onto the bed or other furniture—or trying to leave to return to a nest somewhere else in the house—will be exposed.

Vapor Steam Cleaners

Steamers will kill bed bugs with their high heat, but be sure to dry any wood surfaces immediately and to let mattresses or furniture completely dry before putting bed bug encasements back on.

Call A Professional

When you’re seeking a professional bed bug exterminator, Rest Easy Pest Control will be the right place to turn to. While we are not able to treat bed bug bites, we can tell you whether or not the bites you have are due to bed bugs. Many people who think they are experiencing a problem with bedbugs complain of an itch that they develop overnight. This is often the first sign of a bed bug bite.

We have the best technicians in town to help you with your bed bugs. We specialize in residential and commercial bed bug control. Call us today.***

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