Bed bugs are small, barely visible to the naked eye, and very good at hiding. They like to hide in creases of soft furnishings such as a couch or the curtains. One of the favorite spots is the edge of your bed. At night they will come out of hiding and bite you, sucking a little blood before returning to their homes.
The good news is that bed bugs don’t normally carry any disease. However, their bites are itchy and irritating. Interestingly, an average feeding session lasts between three and ten minutes, their bite is so small that you are unlikely to notice it when it happens.
However, if you have a bed bug problem it is a good idea to contact your local pest control company. These creatures multiply rapidly and are very good at hiding. Trying to deal with the issue yourself frequently means missing a few and the whole process starting all over again.
The Clues
If you wake up and find red marks on your body that are itchy and you are sure weren’t there the night before then you are probably dealing with a bed bug problem.
To help you confirm that this is the case you will need to look at your bed. You are likely to see dark spots that look a little like rust. These are the excrement from the bed bugs and will be on your bedsheets. In addition, you may find blood spots on your sheets. These can be where you have bled a little or they can be a result of you rolling over and squashing a bed bug or two.
If you have rolled over you may even see a dead bed bug, this will help you to confirm the issue.
It is also possible to see tiny egg shells or shed skin from the bed bugs. In almost every case there will also be a musty odor that the bed bugs emit while they are moving around and consuming your blood.
How They Got There
Bed bugs are very good at traveling unnoticed on clothing and other items. If you have visited a hotel or a friend’s house and they have a bed bug problem you can bring them home with you without realizing it. They will find a spot to hide and quickly breed, starting your own infestation and giving you a headache as they are difficult to completely eliminate.
Treatment Methods
The experts are definitely your best bet when dealing with a bed bug problem. However, you can start the treatment process by washing all your bedsheets and other soft furnishings on a hot wash. If you can’t wash them then try putting them in the dryer on high heat for at least 30 minutes. The heat kills the bed bugs.
You should also brush your mattress with a stiff brush and then vacuum the entire area to suck up the bed bugs. They will suffocate inside your vacuum.
The professionals will also treat your room to kill any remaining ones and hopefully prevent them from returning.