Do you have bed bugs? How do you know? Let’s learn how we can detect the little vampires.
There are different signs that will tell us if an active bed bug infestation is happening in our homes. The surest and best sign is finding live bed bugs.
Only with the discovery of live bugs can you declare for certain that you have a bed bug problem. Check out the picture accompanying this article to see what the little pest look like. The baby bed bug looks just like the adults just smaller.
Besides live bed bugs there are five other signs that bed bugs are or have been in your residence or work place.
1. Shed skins: In order to grow a bed bug nymph (baby bed bug) will molt or shed its skin five times. The old skins are the same general size and shape of the bug that crawled out of them. These skins are translucent and of course empty.
They may be found in abundance in harborage areas out of normal eyesight. Finding these skins confirm that at the very least there was at one time bed bugs here. Look closely at the skins, sometimes the nymphs will hide inside of them and females may deposit eggs in them.
2. Dead bugs: Finding dead bed bugs as with the discovery of shed skins confirms that they have been in the house or office in the past. Deceased bed bug carcasses may remain intact for a long time.
3. Fecal Spots: Fecal spots are found where bed bugs hang out. These spots help in identifying the cracks and crevices the bugs are residing in. These spots are formed when the digested blood that the bug consumes is excreted.
The feces is deposited as a semi-liquid, when it dries a black slightly raised spot is left behind. These spots are long lasting and are evidence that bed bugs have been there but not necessarily there now.
4. Bloodstains: These stains are not the same as fecal spots and are brown or rusty colored. These stains may be found on sheets, pillow cases, and bed clothes. Blood often drips out of the bed bugs anus just before it is finished eating (I know, gross — right?). Also, when the bed bug withdrawals it’s “beak,” the host’s bite wound may bleed a little.
5. Bed Bug Eggs: The last sign of a possible bed bug infestation is the discovery of their eggs. The eggs are small, oblong and translucent white. Because of the color they are very difficult to spot on any white item. The eggs are most often deposited inside the cracks and crevices that the bugs stay in.
They are covered with a sticky substance that cements them to the surface they are left on. Viable eggs are plump, not dried up or shriveled. An egg that has already hatched will have one end opened up and of course will be empty.
Once again, the best evidence is live bed bugs. The presence of bites on you or a loved one may be evidence but there are other insects or allergic reactions that can cause such skin irritations.
To be sure have a pest control professional inspect your abode. Most companies offer this service for free.
