Have you been waking up with itchy red bumps on your arms and legs? Have you noticed little dark spots on your sheets? These are just some of the signs that you might have bed bugs. It can be hard to distinguish if you truly have them because bed bugs are so small and they are very good at hiding. However, continuous cycles of waking up with itchy bumps that were not there the night before is a pretty solid piece of evidence.
You may, however, manage to see a bed bug at some point. This means you should be able to identify them for further proof. Bed bugs are brown or reddish brown and have semi-rounded bodies somewhat similar to a tick, six legs, and are very small. Their young are very difficult to see because they are even smaller and may be at a stage where they are translucent in color. Bed bug eggs are tiny and white. If bed bugs are crushed they can emit a semi-sweet odor.
If you have light colored sheets, another method of detection is to give them a thorough examination. Do you see any dark spots in your sheets? These may be blood stains or fecal matter from bed bugs. You may find more by checking beneath sheets to see the seams of mattresses, or even underneath your bed in the box spring.
Should you suspect that you do indeed have bed bugs lurking in your home, you need to contact professional pest controllers to take care of the problem. There are dozens and dozens of places beg bugs can be hiding, places they may decide to lay eggs, and there are all sorts of steps that need to be taken in order to remove the infestation and make sure that it doesn’t happen again.
It is important that you don’t wait. If you think you may have a bed bug problem, but aren’t completely positive, don’t’ hesitate to call a pest control company. Many of them will offer free evaluations and if they find something they will be able to show you the proof. From there you will already have someone on hand that you can talk to about getting rid of the problem and making sure it doesn’t reoccur. Bed bugs should not be tolerated and if left to their own devices will spread and contaminate the entire house. Get help as soon as you can to stop the problem in its tracks and get your house – and your bed – back.