Do you keep waking up with itchy bug bites? Your home may be under a bed bug invasion. Bed bugs are a year round pest that is often brought into people’s homes. Bed bugs are hitchhikers. They can be found in other homes, on a public bus, in cars, hotels and many other places. During the holiday season there are plenty of opportunities for bed bugs to invade your home. Bed bugs feed on the blood of mammals and mostly humans since we have little body hair. They are often found in a variety of places near humans. If you have your suspicions that bed bugs may be hiding in your home, Stewart Termite & Pest Control will share how to visually inspect your home and when to call a professional bed bug control service.
Bed Bug Bites
Bed bugs are usually found in groups or small clusters. They will also usually feed together. Because bed bugs will stay in groups, it is common to have multiple bug bites in a small area. Additionally, bed bugs will bite more than once. They will look for a sweet spot where there is more blood flow and settle in. They will often walk in a straight line biting along the way until they find that sweet spot. A bed bug bite also will swell and redness will appear around the bite.
Bed Bug Stains on Bedding
After a bed bug feeds their abdomen becomes engorged. Occasionally they can pop or burst when a person rolls over on top of them. When they burst it can leave red blood stains on the bedding. You may even see a reddish brown stain which is bed bug fecal matter. When sheets and bedding get small red or brownish red stains, this is an indicator that there are bed bugs in your bed.
Seeing Bed Bugs
For those who keep waking up to bug bites or stains on their sheets, it’s time to do an inspection to find out if you have bed bugs. Bed bugs will hide in dark places during the day and come out at night to feed. They can travel up to 10 to 15 feet each night to a food source which means they may not be in the bed. However, in most cases bed bugs are hiding somewhere in the bed. Begin your search with your mattress and box springs. You may want to remove your bedding to make it easier. Look underneath the mattress and in the seams. Bed bugs are small but can be seen. They are about the size of an apple seed, are oval in shape and are brown. They may also appear red if they have recently fed. Also inspect the box springs. Check on the top and bottom and along the sides. They may also be under the bed, hide under a night stand, or in the crack of a baseboard. Looking for bed bugs can be tricky and often takes a person with experience to locate them. However, sometimes they are easily found.
Bed Bug Inspections, Treatment & More
When you discover or believe you have bed bugs, contact a professional pest control service that provides bed bug treatments. Stewart Termite & Pest Control provides bed bug inspection and treatment services and can help rid your home of bed bugs. For quality pest control services, contact Stewart Termite & Pest Control and schedule our service today.