By Devin Kyle
Bed bug infestation symptoms need to be recognized because if you ignore these they spread wider. A low degree of infestation is less costly and easy to treat. However, you need to uncover them and identify them correctly because carpet beetles can be mistaken for bed bugs. First, get to know the sign and symptoms of bed bug infestation.
- Red and itchy bites
- They are active at night, especially in your bed so you get those itchy welts and find it comfortable to sleep.
- They feed on exposed skin like shoulders and arms. It is different than the chigger and fleas that bite around ankles.
- Bloodstains are left on the bed-sheets, which are similar to tiny spots of rust. Usually, seen on the edges or corners of your bed.
- They leave behind their oval brown exoskeleton, which you can notice in your search.
- Bed bugs release pheromones and its smell is strongly musty. If your bedroom smells like a dirty locker room, then perform an inspection.
Where do bed bugs hide?
La punaise du lit [the bed bug] hide in different places.
- First check around the piping of the bed, cracks in the headboard or frame, as well as the tags and seams of the box spring or mattress.
- If a room is infested heavily, then bed bugs will be found in between cushions, drawer joints, chairs, couches, curtain folds, loose wall hangings or wallpaper, screw heads, and the junction where ceiling and wall meet.
The width of bed bugs allows them to squeeze inside tiny hiding spots. A crack that can hold a credit card means it can hold bed bugs.
Bed bug habits
If you get to know the habits of bed bugs, you will be able to find the source of infestation before it gets established. You can keep an eye for their presence after treating your home.
- Survival conditions – They survive at low temperatures 46°F but dies at body temperatures 113°F. Common bed bugs remain active anywhere their host lives. Tropical bed bugs need high average temperature than common ones.
- Life stage – Minimum one blood meal is needed for a single bed bug to develop and in every stage their skin molts. Each female lays a maximum of 3 eggs daily. They can feed on blood more than once.
- Feeding – Besides humans, bed bugs feed on birds and mammals. They travel 5 to 15 feet away from their established hiding spots called harborage. At night they are too active, but if they feel hungry in daylight they seek hosts.
