If you’ve never dealt with a bedbug infestation before but think that you may have one in your home right now, you’ve come to the right place. In the post below, we will give you everything you need to know in order to identify and eradicate a bedbug infestation.
How Do I Know If I’m Dealing with Bedbugs?
The short answer is that you can identify bedbugs in one of two ways: by bites or by mites.
Bites
Bedbugs are most active at night, biting people while they’re asleep. According to WebMD, bedbug bites can be differentiated from flea bites both because they the tell-tale red spot in the center of the welt and because they appear over the whole body rather than just around the ankle area. Furthermore, bedbug bites are known to start itching after a delay rather than immediately.
Mites
In addition to bites, bedbugs leave other physical traces behind.
Rusty or reddish stains on bed sheets or mattresses caused by bed bugs being crushed.Dark spots (about this size: •), which are bed bug excrement and may bleed on the fabric like a marker would.Eggs and eggshells, which are tiny (about 1mm) and pale yellow skins that nymphs shed as they grow larger.Live bed bugs. (EPA)
Visually checking for these telltale signs of bedbugs is a good way to confirm whether or not you are dealing with an infestation.
How Do I Handle an Infestation?
Although people often try to take matters into their own hands, bedbug infestations are often difficult to deal with on your own. Often, DIY methods prove ineffective in the long run, and the problem comes back.
If you believe that you have a bed bug problem on your hands, the best step would be to contact a pest control professional.
