Signs your home has a major bed bug infestation.
Getting a bunch of blood-sucking bed bugs in your home can be a very disturbing experience. Among other problems, bed bugs are nocturnal, which means they’ll feast on your blood without you even knowing about it until the next morning.
This is why it’s so important to identify an infestation as soon as possible. We’d like to help you out, so we’ve put together seven signs of a bad bed bug infestation that you and your family can watch out for:
Live Bed Bugs
Although adult bed bugs are small, they can definitely be seen with the naked eye. As for what they look like, they’re small and reddish-brown, approximately 4 to 5 mm in length when not engorged on human blood, and have flattened bodies. Live bed bugs are sometimes mistaken for carpet beetles, but with a quick internet search, you should be able to tell the difference.
Molted Skin
Like many other insects, bed bugs shed their skin as they move through their lifecycle. Also referred to as “shell casings,” the skin appears as either yellow-brown or translucent. While live bed bugs are uncommon, it is much easier to find molted skin of various sizes depending on which lifecycle they were in. They can be found in a variety of areas but are typically on the undersides of mattresses and other furniture or perhaps along the bottom of floor molding.
Bed Bug Eggs
As you can imagine, bed bug eggs are very tiny. You’re not likely to find any without using a magnifying glass. These eggs are only 1 mm long and pearlescent white. If you have an infestation, they’re easier to locate because a single female bed bug can lay up to seven eggs per day.
They only take 10 days to hatch, so if you do see any, there probably won’t be any bed bug larvae inside them.
Red, Itchy Skin
Detecting bed bugs in your home often relies on physical interaction. In other words, these blood-sucking creatures have made a meal of you overnight. If you wake up in the morning and notice red, itchy bumps on your skin, these might very well be bed bug bites.
The most common areas of your body for them to show up are your arms, legs, hands, and feet. They’ll often appear in a cluster or line, but not always.
Blood Stains
We’re not sure if it’s a good or bad thing that bed bugs are messy eaters. Sure, it’s kind of gross to think of them spilling out a little bit of your blood while they’re feasting, but it also gives you a good sign of an infestation. That’s because any dropped blood will leave dark spots on your sheets or mattress. There’s also a chance that you rolled over in the middle of the night and squeezed one a little, but that’s even worse.
Fecal Stains
Like other pests, bed bugs leave behind fecal matter. These stains are approximately the size of a pen tip and will almost appear like a permanent marker. Since the fecal matter contains a bit of human blood, the stains it leaves behind will often be tough to get out. If you run your sheets through the washing machine and see a bunch of black dots, this could indicate the signs of a bad bed bug infestation.
Musty Odor
Many people have no idea that a certain type of odor can also indicate that your household has a bed bug problem. The precise smell differs depending on who you ask because our olfactory senses aren’t always the same. Bed bugs who feel they’re in danger will often release a scent that’s similar to coriander in response. A full-on infestation will often smell like a pair of moldy shoes, musty clothes, or even berries.
More Signs of a Serious Bed Bug Infestation? Contact ProHealth Pest Control
The professionals at ProHealth Pest Control are experienced bed bug exterminators. If you have any questions about the signs of a bad bed bug infestation or are in need of residential or commercial pest control for any type of insect, rodent, or arachnid, reach out to us at (727) 472-9420 today.
