How Do You Know You’ve Got Bed Bugs?
Bed bugs can hide in tiny crevices or cracks and usually stay hidden during the day, making them hard to spot. Very often, the first signs of bed bugs will be bites that start to appear on your body. Bed bug bites are often in lines on the torso and generally fairly painless.
Bites alone aren’t always confirmation that you’ve got bed bugs. Other signs of bed bugs are dark stains or small dark blood spots on the mattress or sheets, sometimes a slightly sickly scent as well as seeing live bed bugs or shed skins.
There are other reasons that you may cause you to see blood spots or bite marks, but if you’re noticing these signs then it could mean you have a bed bug infestation. When you combine all the common signs of bed bugs, it’s a clear indicator that bed bugs may be living on your mattress.
What Do Bed Bugs Look Like?
Bed bugs are small dark brown, oval shaped crawling insects. Adults are only 4-5mm long but still visible to the naked eye. You’ll also see shed bed bug skins which are white or pale yellowish in colour.
If you have a bed bug infestation, you’ll find them hiding in furniture as well as beds, mattress edges, carpets, skirting boards, in between floorboards, in drawers and cupboards, behind pictures or mirrors – in a line almost anywhere there’s a crack small enough for them to squeeze into.
You’re more likely to see bed bugs in bedrooms as they’re attracted to your body heat and the carbon dioxide from your breath during the night. This also means they’ve got easy access to their food source (you).
Where Do Bed Bugs Come From?
Bed bugs can be transferred on clothing, in luggage or on furniture – their small size means they can hitch a ride on pretty much anything.
If you stay away in overnight accommodation and there is a bed bug infestation before you arrive, then there’s a good chance you could take a few bed bugs home with you. Second hand furniture is also a common way to transfer bed bugs and they can crawl through wall or floor cavities so if you live in a terrace house or apartment there is a chance of bed bugs travelling to or from adjacent homes.
It’s worth being mindful if you do find yourself with a bed bug infestation to limit their spread within your own home and to other people’s houses. The best way to do this is not to move furniture, or items such as clothing, between rooms or other homes until the bed bug infestation has been treated and completely removed.
How To Get Rid Of Bed Bugs
Bed bugs can be really hard to remove, but they can’t survive very hot or cold temperatures. Washing all bedding at over 60 degrees and bagging any clothes or soft furnishings (curtains, cushions etc) and leaving in the freezer will remove the bed bugs on those items.
You can buy bed bug proof mattress covers which may also help and there are chemical and non-chemical based products you can buy off the shelf to treat bed bugs.
If you decide to get rid of a bed bug infestation yourself, you’ll have to treat and then keep re-checking regularly for signs of re-infestation and re-treating as necessary – bed bugs are notoriously difficult to remove and it may take some time. For this reason we’d always recommend using your local reputable pest controller as they should be able to successfully treat and remove bed bugs in a single thorough treatment which in the long run may be easier, cheaper and less stressful.
