Bed Bug Identification Guide

Most homeowners didn’t put bed bug identification and prevention onto their things to learn prior to moving into their homes. Truly, one of the worst things that can happen to a homeowner or renter is to have bed bugs brought into their home. Bed bugs are a parasitic insect that travels from host-to-host, relying heavily on their ability to remain unseen. Bed bugs in the home can turn into a full-blown infestation in a few weeks to months. Unfortunately, exterminating bed bugs costs higher than most other pest control services. It’s important to be knowledgeable about bed bug identification, prevention, and treatment. Because of their nature to turn into an infestation, we always recommend you leave their control to the experts!

Here at Spidexx Pest Control, we specialize in preparing homeowners and renters for service. We make sure that you’re 100% ready for when we come to complete very thorough treatments with safe products. We will make sure to keep treating until the issue is resolved.

Signs of Bed Bugs

Do you suspect you might have bed bugs in your home? There are several signs that they could be in your home, but the best way to ensure you know 100% is to hire a professional who can identify and treat your home for bed bugs. Signs of bed bugs include:

1. Unknown bites on your body, usually in a straight line
2. Bloodstains on sheets
3. Dark spots on the mattress (often in the seams), which is the presence of fecal matter
4. Live bugs, which are most often found at night

Physical Characteristics

Bed bugs have a pretty distinct look, although they can sometimes be confused with bat bugs. Bed bugs are small, oval-shaped parasitic insects. They are brown or red, depending on how long it’s been since their last blood meal and where they are in their lifecycle. They are mostly flat but will swell up after a meal. They have striped lines across their abdomen.

Bed Bug Behaviors

Bed bugs can quickly infest a home, due to their nature of living in dark, unseen areas. They are nocturnal, which is why they are found in beds, while their hosts sleep. Their ability to go unseen is what makes them difficult to treat. Once bed bugs come into your home, they will continue to move around and follow a host in the home, and then quickly retreat back to hiding. In shared living units, this is often why many units will have bed bugs, because they will move from unit-to-unit, through the wall voids.

Bed bugs are usually found hiding within 8 feet of their host. While in hiding, female bed bugs can lay 1-12 eggs in a single day. They tend to live in groups, so if you’ve found one bed bug, you have many more near it. Bed bugs have 5 nymph stages and require a feeding between each of the stages. After each nymph phase, they will shed their exoskeleton, which will leave small castings around the bed area. This is one of the ways people often find out about the bugs.

Bed Bug Bites

Bed bug bites are often found on exposed areas of the skin a few days after the bite occurs. They tend to bite in a straight line and cause small raised, red bumps, that are often itchy. Not everyone is allergic to their bites. It is possible to live in a bed bug infestation and have no bites. For those people, it can be harder to realize you have them in the home until the infestation is bad enough that live bugs are being seen on the bed and other areas. If you suspect you have a bed bug bite, an inspection of the home for bed bugs needs to be completed. Otherwise, you would be referred to your doctor to determine the source.

Leave Bed Bug Identification and Treatments for The Pro’s

Many homeowners try at-home methods for bed bug identification and treatment, but bed bugs are best left for the professionals! The service professional who will come to perform the treatment on your home has undergone extensive training and licensing to exterminate bed bugs. We provide you with a written checklist prior to treatment, as well as a follow-up visit to break up reproductive cycles. If you’re suspecting bed bugs in your home, please give our office a call at (844) 922-7732 to set up an in-home inspection.

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