How Bed Bugs Get Into Your House
Bed bugs may enter your home undetected through luggage, clothing, used beds and couches, and other items. Their flattened bodies make it possible for them to fit into tiny spaces, about the width of a credit card. They do not have nests like ants or bees but tend to live in groups in hiding places. Their initial hiding places are typically in mattresses, box springs, bed frames, and headboards where they have easy access to people so they can feed throughout the night.
What do Bed Bugs Look Like?
Bed bugs are small, oval, brownish, and live on the blood of animals and or humans. Adult bed bugs have flat bodies about the size of an apple seed. After feeding, however, their bodies swell and are a reddish color. Immature ones, called nymphs, shed their skins five times before reaching maturity and require a meal of blood before each shedding.
Signs of Bed Bugs:
If you think you have bed bugs in your home, there are various tell-tale signs that you can look out for. Signs of a bed bug infestation include:
- Bloodstains on your sheets or pillowcases.
- Dark or rusty spots of bed bug excrement on sheets and mattresses, bedclothes, and walls.
- Bed bug fecal spots, eggshells, or shed skins in areas where bed bugs hide.
- An offensive, musty odor from the bugs’ scent glands.
How Do Bed Bugs Appear Out of Nowhere?
Because bed bugs live solely on blood, having them in your home is not a sign of dirtiness. You are just as likely to find them in immaculate homes and hotel rooms as in filthy ones. Bed bugs are always waiting for a new host and they come from other infested areas. This means that they can come into your home after traveling or through used furniture.
How to Get Rid of Bed Bugs
If you do find yourself with a bed bug infestation, cleaning up infested areas will help in controlling them. Getting rid of bed bugs usually requires chemical treatments. Because treating your bed and bedroom with insecticides can be harmful, it is important to use products that can be used safely in bedrooms. Do not treat mattresses and bedding unless the label specifically says you can use them on bedding. When you're dealing with an infestation, it is safest and most effective to hire an experienced pest control professional for bed bug control. If you're located in Southern Utah, contact Western Pest Control for comprehensive bed bug treatments that will help you get rid of bed bugs for good!