How to Figure Out If You Have Bed Bugs

How to Figure Out If You Have Bed Bugs

If your bedroom has an unpleasant musty odor, this could be evidence of bed bugs. They emit an excretion pheromone when they bite and their excrement contains coppery-tasting excrement; so be on the lookout for signs such as bloodstains in sheets or mattresses as well as any upholstery such as couches or headboards that could indicate their presence.

Search for tan, translucent shell casings in areas where bed bug nymphs could potentially hide, such as www.thesleeploft.com creases and furniture seams.

Signs of Bed Bug Infestation

Signs that you may have an infestation include bites with reddish-brown centers that itch. Bed bugs pierce skin with their mouthparts to feed; when disturbed while feeding they withdraw their mouthparts and search for another blood vessel to feed on.

Apart from bites, signs of bugs include rust-colored or tarry stains on sheets or pillow cases left by their excrements as well as musty or unpleasant odors reminiscent of locker rooms that originate from their release of pheromones.

Terminix suggests that anyone suspecting bed bugs should start by carefully stripping and inspecting their mattress, particularly around its corners and seams, according to Terminix. They suggest looking in places such as bed frames/headboards’ seams/piping, cracks in upholstery furniture and any electrical sockets they could hide such as pipework/pipe seams as potential locations where bedbugs might hide.

Looking for bed bug eggs is another way to identify an infestation, and can often be found nestled into mattresses and bed frames’ crevices. If found, immediately vacuum up and dispose of bag with this material immediately in order to stop future hatchings.

Bed Bug Bites

Although their name implies they live only in beds, bed bugs can actually hide anywhere they can find shelter. As expert hitchhikers, these pests may enter your home via luggage, clothing, old bedding, boxes or furniture used elsewhere in your house or hotel room — or while staying with friends or visiting relatives.

Bed bugs often leave telltale signs that indicate their presence: bites and stains. Their mouthparts pierce your skin to draw blood out for feeding; these bites typically occur on exposed areas like hands and arms and in lines across your body as they aim for blood vessels close to the surface; their bites can be highly itchy, with some people developing an itchy rash; scratching these bites can even lead to infection!

As well as bites, you might also notice small rust-colored spots on your sheets or mattress known as fecal stains left by insects after feasting on blood. These unique spots differ from traditional blood stains by being darker reddish brown in hue and more like an unsmudgeable stain than blotches of blood.

Your mattress and other upholstered furniture could contain bed bug skins or egg shells shed by bed bugs that have shed, as well as sticky spots from sticky eggs left behind by them. While these objects can easily go undetected, if suspicious use a magnifying glass and flashlight to inspect these potential hiding spots. If any objects contain foul smells such as mustiness they should be stripped down and washed as soon as possible to restore a better sleep environment for everyone involved.

Bed Bug Stains

Bed bugs are small, flat and brown insects without wings that move along the ground with an ungainly crawl. They like to hide in small cracks; look out for them around seams or tags of mattresses and box springs, in bed frames’ headboards and side tables’ piping, loose wall paper or pictures, folds of curtains, or in seams on fabric curtains for signs.

Occurring in large numbers, bed bugs produce a musty odor through their excreta (a form of excrement that contains blood-based materials such as droppings). This scent comes from their exusion of their own pheromone after feeding; its coppery hue owing to blood in their droppings adds further complexity.

Stains that appear on your sheets and furniture could be an indicator of an infestation by bed bugs. Initial signs might include reddish-brown drops on light-colored fabric sheets. As their population expands, you may start spotting fecal marks that resemble dark specks on light surfaces.

As bed bug populations expand, they may begin aggregating near where people sleep or in nearby closets and around wood framing in closets or chipped paint indentations and baseboards. These clusters contain bed bugs in all stages of development as well as their shed outer shells (similar to dandruff flakes), feces, and egg castings — as well as their shed outer shells (similar to dandruff).

Bed Bug Eggs

Bed bugs are prolific breeders. Even one female bug will produce one to seven eggs daily which will hatch within 10 days, so be wary when buying bedroom furniture like mattresses, beds, box springs, headboards and couches in case these tiny pearly white specks with oval-shaped markings are present on them — these could be bed bug eggs! Although they’re hard to spot they should still be carefully examined.

Another telltale sign of bed bug infestation are dark stains on sheets, pajamas and other bedding materials caused by digested human blood that resemble small patches of rust or tar. They also emit an unpleasant odor.

Bed bug eggs will also be noticeable around your house and should be looked out for along seams, piping and folds of mattress and bed frame tags, upholstered furniture or even in seams of mattress casings and folds. A musty sweet odor similar to that found in locker rooms or damp towels could also indicate bed bugs’ presence in your space.

Bed bugs don’t discriminate when it comes to cleanliness; they are just as likely to appear in immaculate homes or filthy hotels/dormitories. Bed bugs tend to become active at night and attack while people sleep, biting them when sleeping — although their bites don’t cause serious medical concerns; the itching that results from them, however, may be distressing; but there are measures you can take to avoid this distress such as using an itch relief spray and performing regular inspections to detect bed bugs/bed bug presence/intrigue!

Originally published in The Sleep Loft — Online Mattress Showroom NYC