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Bed bugs are small, but not invisible. If these bugs are in your home, and you uncover a group of them, you'll be able to see them huddled together. But it is difficult to find bed bugs because they are experts at hiding. While it is possible to lift your mattress and find bed bugs hiding in a tiny group in a tight space, such as the seam on your box spring, or in the stitching of your box spring, it is more likely that they'll be hiding in a gap, crease, crack, or recess that will be hard to see into. This could be in your bed frame or in some other furniture in your room. They can also be behind baseboards, inside wall outlets, or in the walls themselves. Today, we're going to offer six easy-to-detect signs of bed bugs to help you determine whether or not you have a bed bug infestation in your Orlando home.
Bites
Most often, bed bug bites are the first sign of an infestation. These sneaky insects will usually come out at night and feed on you while you're sleeping. This sign is a good one to start with because it gives valuable insight. When something starts biting you, you may not know whether you have a bed bug infestation or some other pest infestation. This is why these easy-to-spot signs are so important. They help you resolve that question. But the bites themselves can help you to answer this question. Bed bug bites have a unique physical characteristic. The bites usually appear in a small zig-zag or in a line, and often appear three at a time in this pattern because each individual bed bug feeds multiple times. If several bed bugs feed on you, the bites will start to look like a path on your skin, rather than random welts, like the bites of many other pests.
Brown Stains
As you track down bed bugs, you need to look for the evidence they leave behind. One of the most prominent signs is brown stains caused by blood excretions. These stains can look like urine stains. Some of the many locations you'll find these stains are:
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Pillowcases
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Sheets
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Bedding
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Bed skirts
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Mattresses
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Box springs
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Upholstered furniture
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In spots where bed bugs are congregating
Black Stains
Bed bugs leave their excrement in many places. This may appear as small black specks, or it may soak into fabrics and create blotched stains. If a large enough number of bed bugs are concentrated in one location, these stains can be in patches. On hard surfaces, they may appear as streaks. You may find black stains in the locations listed above, and also on:
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Baseboards
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Outlet covers
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Electronics
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Hard furniture surfaces
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Around holes and recesses in furniture
Shed Skins
As bed bugs grow, they shed old skins and develop new skins. You may find shed skins littered about in the places listed above. But you may have to go searching for these skins. One technique that works well is to drag a credit card along a mattress or box spring seam. This can lift the skins to the surface where you're able to see them.
Eggs
Bed bugs lay tiny pale-colored eggs. Each individual egg is about 1 mm long. That's pretty small, but not invisible to the naked eye. The eggs may be littered about or in small batches. Look for them in tight spaces (very tight) and also in dark holes, gaps, and recesses. These may also be in the pocket, crease, or seam of a carriable item that the bugs used to hitchhike into your home, such as a piece of luggage, a pocketbook, or a sleeping bag.
Pheromones
If you have many bed bugs infesting a piece of furniture or another location within your home, you may smell them. Bed bugs use pheromones to communicate with each other. These pheromones may smell nice to bed bugs but they are unpleasant to us. Some people describe this smell as smelling like a moist towel from a locker room.
What To Do When You Find Bed Bugs
When you find bed bugs in your Orlando home, call the bed bug experts at Green Flag Services. Bed bugs are notoriously difficult to get rid of. Our licensed professionals can help you get fast relief. Connect with us today.