The Ultimate Cheat Sheet To Identifying Bed Bug Problems In Your Huntsville Home
February 28, 2020
There’s nothing quite as disturbing as having an unwanted visitor in your home. Unfortunately, some unwanted guests aren’t as easily identifiable as others. Bed bugs are particularly difficult to find. Today, we’re going to discuss how to identify a bed bug problem in your Huntsville home and how to take action to prevent an infestation.
Signs of a Bed Bug Infestation
Bed bugs are small, which makes them difficult to identify. But it’s a misconception that they are invisible to the human eye. Approximately the size of an apple seed, adult bed bugs can be seen. They have flat bodies, but their bodies become engorged as they feed. Bed bugs like to hide in the cracks and crevices of your mattresses and upholstered furniture. If you look closely at seams and underneath cushions, you may be able to see the adults hiding.
On the other hand, bed bug eggs are more difficult to see. Each egg is about the size of a tiny speck of dust. Typically, the first signs of a bed bug problem are either seeing one or noticing their bites on your body.
How Bed Bugs Get Inside Your Huntsville Home
While most people associate bed bugs with mattresses, the pests can hide in other areas. In fact, they will hide on a person or that person’s belongings to find their way into a home in the first place. Bed bugs are notorious hitchhikers. For instance, they may be hiding out in your luggage, on used items you bring into your home, or on clothing you’ve worn in the proximity of bed bugs.
Therefore, to prevent bed bugs from infesting your home, it is important to inspect your belongings carefully for bed bug activity. If you suspect your clothing, bags, or other belongings have come into contact with bed bugs, wash them immediately in hot water as bed bugs can't survive intense heat.
Once bed bugs are inside your home, the flat shape of a bed bug’s body makes it easy for them to fit in small nooks and crannies. If space is at least as wide as a credit card, a bed bug could fit in it.
These pests tend to live in groups. Therefore, one-bed bug sighting is an indication of a much larger problem. If you suspect that you have bed bugs in your home, check underneath your mattress, in your bed frames, and underneath couch cushions.
Other Signs Of A Bed Bug Infestation
In addition to finding adult bed bugs in your home, you may also notice these other signs of an infestation:
- Dark spots on your sheets, clothes, and walls from bed bug feces
- Bloodstains on your sheets
- Shed bed bug skins or eggshells
- A musty odor, which is excreted from the scent glands of adult bed bugs
Bed Bug Bites
One sign of bed bug problems in your Huntsville home is a bed bug bite. The only way for the pests to survive is for them to feed off of blood. For that reason, you’re likely to have bed bug bites if you have an infestation.
Bed bugs are nocturnal, so generally, they bite at night. You won’t feel a thing, but the insect will feed on you from anywhere from three to ten minutes. Once it becomes swollen, the bug will go back into hiding. The whole experience will go unnoticed until you wake up to a series of itchy welts in the morning.
Although flea bites usually appear around the ankle, bed bug bites are more likely to appear on any areas of exposed skin. They also tend to bite in a linear or zig-zag pattern whereas flea bites are more scattered. To be certain your bite is from a bed bug and not a flea, you need to look for bed bugs or hire a pest control company to help identify the source of the problem.
Taking Control Of Your Home
If you believe that you have signs of bed bugs in your home, it’s time to hire a pest control expert. A bed bug problem is practically impossible to fix without professional assistance. You may be tempted to try DIY methods, and though these may seem to work at first, your problem is likely to return. If bed bugs sense danger, they can go into hiding and survive for months without feeding. Eventually, unfortunately, they will resume their nightly routine.
Fortunately, Custom Pest Control is ready to eliminate bed bug problems in your Huntsville home. We will discreetly treat the entirety of your home and work with you to eliminate your bed bug problem. Don’t try to deal with this stress alone. Call us today for more information.