Sharing A Bed With Bed Bugs – 5 Signs That You Might Have A Problem

Bed bugs are common dwellers of many bedrooms. For some people, it may take several days or even weeks to discover that you have uninvited guests between your sheets!

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The longer you wait with action, the more time you give bed bugs to hatch and spread around your home. Since they’re skillful climbers and persistent movers, these little insects aren’t too picky when it comes to types of beds and rooms. This can be quite inconvenient when it comes to their eradication. The later you spot them, the more likely it is that they will spread to all your rooms and beds. In the next few paragraphs, you can find out more about some common signs that bed bugs are already here, together with some recommended remedies for this problem.

Bloodstains on Linen

When a bed bug bites you, it usually sucks on your blood for up to 15 minutes per session. However, most people don’t feel that this is happening, for two main reasons. The first reason is that we usually sleep when bed bites start their meals, and those bites are not so strong to wake us up. The second reason is that bed bugs release a certain type of numbing liquid onto the biting area. This special agent reduces our sensitivity to those bites. But there’s always the proof that bed bugs have been here: blood stains on linen. Sometimes those stains remain on our pillowcases and sheets during the blood-sucking session. On some other occasions, blood keeps dripping from insects’ mouths after the meal. So, bloodstains on the bed linen may be a good sign that you need to handle bed bugs.

Dark Shells and Black Specks

The body of these insects is protected with light brown to dark brown shells. During their growth and development, bed bugs change several layers of shells. As they drop their old shells, these pieces will remain on the floor and other parts of your rooms. Another typical trace of bed bugs is black specks. These are usually leftovers of their feces, which they leave on the area where they live. So, if blood stains on your linen don’t necessarily need to mean that you have bed bugs, black shells and specks are stronger evidence of their presence. This means that it’s necessary to immediately react and start working on the removal of bed bugs from your bedroom and your home.

Since average people don’t know too much about bed bug extermination, it’s wise to contact professionals. They may propose a string of actions, ranging from traditional extermination procedures to more innovative ones, such as bed bug heat treatment. The former ones include the usage of chemicals to exterminate bed bugs. In this case, removing your clothes and furniture from the treated room is a must. The latter one relies on a remotely heated mixture of water and propylene glycol, which is applied to the infested area. While the old-school method is simpler, the bed bug heat treatment service is more convenient in terms of ecology and safety. Either way, always ask for the price of those services, as well as about the period of time necessary for the process in question. Depending on the type of treatment, you might need to leave the room or your entire home during the procedure.

Moist Odor

Bed bugs release special substances that don’t smell nice. To be more precise, these agents have a pretty harsh, moist odor. It can be compared to that of damp towels. So, people with a sharper sense of smell will most probably be able to recognize this smell, especially if there are any other signs of the presence of bed bugs in your home. If you feel such a smell or if you spot any other symptoms, it would be wise to meticulously clean your carpets. That way, you’ll ensure that all the potential bed bugs and their remains are removed from these items of furniture. On the one hand, you’ll remove the physical signs of their existence. On the other hand, you’ll eliminate that unpleasant odor.

Red bites on the Skin

Since bed bugs usually have three meals – breakfast, lunch, and dinner – they leave a certain number of red bites on the skin. Some people won’t have intensive reactions to these bites, but others will have visible traces. On most occasions, it’s not the bites that cause the feeling of discomfort, but itchiness. Also, the bites of bed bugs most commonly don’t spread any diseases, but they might infect mostly due to scratching and the dirt from our fingers. These bites usually appear in lines, i.e. in the way that bed bugs bite your skin. So, if you notice such traces on your skin, treat them with proper medicines to reduce itchiness, scratching, and potential infections.

Spotting Bed Bugs in Rooms

Last, but not least, bed bugs are not microorganisms, so they’re clearly visible. Since they don’t like light, they will try to hide as soon as possible when you switch on the lights in the bedroom. So, if you notice small light or dark brown creatures fleeing the bed as the light went on, you most probably have bed bugs. In that case, it’s time for extermination. What’s also important to know is that bed bugs can easily spread to storage spaces around the home, i.e. to any places where they can stay close enough to their source of food, i.e. you and your family members. Because of that, make sure to reduce the clutter around your home once you spot bed bugs. This will reduce the number of places where they can hide and dwell.

Even though they’re not poisonous and usually don’t spread any infectious diseases anymore, bed bugs need to be treated as soon as they’re spotted. Since they feed by biting people, they leave an unpleasant smell, and they’re visually repulsive, it’s recommended to get rid of them with the help of professionals. We hope that the tips for identifying and removing them shared in this post will help you remove them from your home as soon as possible.

Luqman Butter has been a pest control technician for over 20 years. He is passionate about solving people’s pest and wildlife control problems through innovative, eco-friendly and humane methods. Luqman currently works for https://www.pestend.ca. He believes that pest control is a science and feels that his function in his community is very important since he helps people live in peace without causing unnecessary harm to animals.