Before you go out and buy products to fight bed bugs, make sure you are certain that you have them in your house.
Bed bugs are small and may be hard to spot. They like to live in small cracks, where it is hard to see them. Here are some tips for you to identify and locate bed bugs.
Identifying a bed bug
Adult bed bugs are usually reddish brown in color and their bodies are fairly flat. The newly born babies are almost colorless, but they get their reddish brown color as they get older. It is common for an adult bed bug to lay 4 – 6 eggs per day. These eggs are very hard to see with the human eye.
See pictures of bed bugs here.
What To Look For
- A musty smell (comes from the glands of the bug)
- Small blood stains
- Dark spots of excrement on sheets and walls.
- Fecal spots and old shed skin is often found near their living quarters.
Where To Look For Bed Bugs
Bed bugs hide very well, so you must closely inspect the critical areas of a room. Look especially in these areas:
- Mattresses and box springs. Closely look underneath the mattress, along the seams
- Sheets and blankets
- Window and door frames
- Upholstered furniture, under chair seats and in seams
- Wooden furniture, in and around drawers of dressers
- Behind books and frames
- In eletrical appliances
- Along the edge of carpets
- In cracks and crevices
- Behind baseboards
- In thermostats
- Around window coverings
- Behind wallpaper
- Behind wall and ceiling moldings
What To Do Next
If you have located definitive signs of bed bugs, you should think about how to handle the situations. Either you hire a pest control expert (the most effective choice) or you can buy bed bugs products and treat the infestation on your own.
If you have further tips, please share them in a comment below!