Bed bugs are blood-feeding insects that might cause significant health and skin conditions, which makes it essential to know whether bed bugs exist in your house or not.
Often people confuse bed bugs with other insects like fleas, Booklice, and more due to similar reactions. People often wake up with sudden spots over their body and wonder if it’s caused due to mosquito bite or due to a bed bug.
According to PestWorld, around 84% of people contact pest controllers for other insect problems turning out to be bed bugs. This makes it essential to know and recognize the early signs of bed bugs to get rid of them as soon as possible.
In this article, I will mention early signs and hints that indicate whether you have a bed bug in your house or not, along with what needs to be done if you witness bed bugs in your home.
7 Early Signs Of Bed Bugs
1. Dark Spots Around Your Bed
Rusty or dark-colored spots around your mattress, pillow, bedsheets, and clothing are the most common signs of bed bugs.
These spots are often a result of the exoskeleton or feces of bed bugs’ molted skin, so if you witness some of the spots around your room, then there is a high chance you have an infestation in your house.
2. Musty Smell
Glands are organs that can be found in the body. Bed bugs contain a musty smell that comes from these glands. This smell is very unsettling and is described as similar to coriander and berries.
Although with a low number of bed bugs, you might not be able to witness such a smell. It would require a large number of infestations in your house to have this kind of smell.
3. Red Bumps Over Your Body
Suddenly one day, if you witness red bumps or bites over your body, primarily upper body areas such as the neck, arm, shoulders, face, and more, it might be due to a bed bug’s bite even though several insects bite and cause red bumps.
However, a bite of bed bugs is usually dark centered along with a light swollen surrounding area.
4. Eggs Or Nymphs
One of the most familiar signs of bed bugs is spotting eggs and nymphs. These eggs are very small and look almost transparent.
Even though bed bugs are excellent in hiding and aren’t easy to catch, eggs or nymphs don’t really move much and stick to a single place, making it easy to spot them.
Areas that contain infestations are the ones where bed bugs generally lay their nymphs or eggs. So finding such eggs and nymphs are a massive indication of infestations.
5. Change In Pet’s Behaviour
All Bed bugs need blood to survive and also to mature from egg to adult bed bugs. Even though bed bugs can feed on both humans and pets, they prefer humans as they tend to be more accessible, especially once humans sleep over the furry pets.
However, in some cases, bed bugs do infest your pets which causes irritation and itchiness. Though most of the time, these are suspected to be fleas, it might be due to bed bugs as well. So if you witness a change in your pet, then be a bit more careful.
6. Skin Irritation
Once a bed bug bites, you are most likely to find skin irritation in the bitten area. This skin irritation is sometimes confused with mosquito bites but might be due to a bed bug bite.
This skin irritation might result in some cases as a burning sensation and cause health issues. This sudden irritation can be an indication of bed bugs present.
7. Bloodstains
At times when bed bug infests you, they might leave bloodstains over your pillows, mattress or bed sheets as bed bugs aren’t good at cleaning themselves.
Even though blood usually appears red, but in case the bloodstain tends to occur more tanned and brownish. You might witness bloodstains because of crushing them as well.
Most of the time, when a person is asleep and a bed bug infests them, a particular movement through the body can crush the bug while infesting, which can cause bloodstain.
So, if you find sudden bloodstain in the morning over your bed or nearby place, then it is due to bed bugs.
What Should You Do If You Witnessed A Bed Bug In Your Home?
If you find any of the signs mentioned above in your house, then it is suggested to check your home thoroughly. You should start with your mattress as it tends to be the most common place where bed bugs hide.
If you had just purchased a used mattress, then there might be high chance bed bugs entered your house due to the mattress.
If you want to buy a new mattress, you should go for the best mattress company. Other familiar places are box springs, furniture, closet, and more.
It is essential to act upon bed bugs and contact a professional to remove these bed bugs from your house fast so they can’t spread any further.
You can also use a few methods yourself to eliminate these bed bugs, such as using a vacuum. Take the vacuum and run it over all the bed bugs this will help you prevent them rapidly.
You can also use steam with a temperature of 212°F, which can help you kill bed bugs as soon as it comes in contact with the steam.
FAQs
1. Do bed bugs bite you every night?
Bed bugs usually bite based on their convenience. A bed bug might bite you more than once in a single night to get completely full, but after that, they won’t bite you up until one or two weeks.
2. Do adult bed bugs die if they don’t feed for a month?
No, adult bed bugs can go on for months without feeding for months. In fact, adult bed bugs can survive for around five months without blood.
You May Also Like To Read:
Where Do The Bed Bugs Come From?
What Chemical Kills Bed Bugs And Their Eggs
Conclusion
Most times, bed bugs are missed for other insects due to similar biting reactions and scars, making it challenging for us to discriminate between them.
But with details mentioned above might help up know about the early signs of bed bugs and help you prevent yourself from these insects.
If you have doubts regarding the signs of bed bugs then tell us in the comments.
