Category: Bed Bugs

Bed bugs can be seen all around the world, from the most isolated places, to the most crowded ones. This insect has been known to live in the UK since after the WWII, where it started spreading more and more. In those times, it was pretty normal to find them, as heating systems bring warmth and give the best conditions for these disgusting animals to thrive.

This didn’t stay in the past. Nowadays, it’s pretty easy to find them since their population has increased over the last 10 years, which is pretty alarming. The large majority of pest services has had to deal with these scurry insects along the past few years.

There are different places where they can be seen, however, it varies depending on the location. For example, when it comes to finding them, you’ll most certainly see them in flats (95%), family homes (93%) and also in hotels (75%). Even though hotels can host for many travellers and people, they seem to be the lowest as they are constantly being treated and cleaned.

In houses and flats, there is a high chance for these bugs to appear since generally people come and go, and for them humans are food, so it is easier to get to them during their sleep as these insects crawl out of their crevices and feed off them. Generally, this happens also because of the warmth that allows them to thrive. Moreover, with them being night creatures, this can make it more difficult to identify that they have infested the house and this helps them increase their population.

You can find them where crowds or people usually gather, this can be either a hospital, offices, schools, dormitories, and hospitals. You could find them everywhere waiting for a host to come so be attentive. In the summer is when you can see many infestations due to the moving from city to city of their hosts, transporting, going places gives them a chance to reproduce and feed, since they have a wide variety of hosts.

The levels of bed bugs are high across the country since they have rapidly evolved, leaving those pesticides behind and be immune to most of them, so they are harder to eradicate or remove, this is why humans are creating more poisonous and efficient ways to get rid of them.

If you see a black or reddish spot on your mattress this can indicate that there has been a bug near it. It is very possible that you suffer from a bed bug infestation. How do you know? Well, these little animals hang around while you are sleeping and feed off your blood, so for you to get rid of them you better know how they look like so pay attention to what comes next.

How bed bugs look like according to their stages

Remember that to the human eye we might identify different bugs, and many of them have characteristics that differ from others, so if you want to recognize them be very attentive to the details.

Adults

They are tiny, so they can be difficult to see to the naked eye. They tend to measure up to 5 mm just like a grain of rice, and their main characteristic is that they don’t have wings, so don’t confuse them with a cockroach since these animals are much bigger and eat other kinds of food. In terms of colour, they go from brown to reddish once they’ve fed, and are shaped like an oval. Six legs are what they have with 2 antennae.

After they have fed off their host they increasingly grow, making them more noticeable as blood gets into their body. You can see them better when they have done that, check the box spring or the headboard of your mattress.

Nymphs

These are more difficult to see since they are basically a baby bed bug. They are translucent and turn opaque after each moult they have. If they are fed, they’ll turn into a red spot due to all the blood they have sucked, making them very noticeable, although they are tiny so you better use something to help your eye. This is one of the main reasons why people don’t notice they have been infested since they barely leave a trace.

Bed bug eggs

Having to look for a bed bug egg can be very difficult if your eye hasn’t been trained for that. They seem like white capsules, almost like a poppy seed. Whenever you’re inspecting your home, be sure to have a magnifying glass that can let you see everything more closely and have a torch, as the light can show where they are. Make sure you investigate in dark places since those are their favourite places to be.

It is a fact that bedbugs can be difficult to locate, especially if we have never suffered from this pest before. For the same reason, many people are unable to identify bedbugs, and their bites are often diagnosed as mosquito bites.

However, once you know the right places to look for bedbugs, you can probably detect them, so you can eradicate the pest. Adult bedbugs are easy to find if you know how to search properly.

Here’s how you can find signs of bedbugs in mattresses and sheets and other signs that will help you fight them effectively. Remember that getting to the root of the problem is vital to exterminate these pests.

Signs of bedbugs on mattresses, sheets and other furniture

Be aware that bedbugs enter your home undetected through luggage, beds, clothing, used furniture and other items. Their flat bodies allow them to enter narrow places, which are as thick as a credit card.

Even if your home is kept clean, bedbugs can still enter because they live only on blood.

Blood stains on your sheets

Waking up and noticing that your sheets have small bloodstains may be an indication that you have a bedbug infestation in your home. Sometimes people crush these bugs during or after feeding at night.

This can lead to blood splatter on your sheets, duvets, or pillows. If you wake up with bloody specks in your bed, we recommend you contact an expert to diagnose whether you have a bedbug infestation.

Dark spots on the mattress

If you get dark spots on your sheets or mattress, it is most likely due to bedbugs. They often leave faecal signs on the bedding or wherever they have gathered in large numbers.

So if you’re unlucky enough to touch any of these stains with your hand, they’re likely to leave a foul, unpleasant smell.

Presence of clusters of shells on furniture

The eggshells of the bedbugs emerge as white specks in the shape of a shell. Sometimes they can be spotted and are generated when these insects shed their skin during their growth.

Even if you find the eggshells on your mattress or headboard, you may still be able to get them under furniture or in cushions. Bedbugs prefer fabric and wood over metal or plastic.

White stains on the joints of your furniture

Another sign that you may have a bedbug infestation is the discovery of small white traces in the joints of your furniture or in the holes of your mattress. If you see these signs, it’s important to check all other places for signs of infestation.

Use a torch to check between the headboards and cushions of your furniture, removing the fabric attached to the inside of your furniture whenever necessary.

When buying second-hand furniture

It is common to buy second-hand furniture. However, there is a lot of risk involved in buying furniture of this type, as this is one of the most common ways bedbugs infiltrate the home.

The high prices charged by a professional to remove these parasites from the home may convince you that it is better to buy a new piece of furniture rather than a second-hand one.

Other signs that bedbugs are present

Presence of red spots and itching

One of the most obvious signs of a bedbug problem is located on your skin. Bedbug bites are characterised by being red, itchy and inflamed depending on how the person reacts.

Bedbugs are especially active at night, biting people as they sleep. They feed by pricking the skin and drawing blood for 3-10 minutes to feed and continue their journey.

However, people who have a bedbug infestation in their home do not always know about it, as many do not have physical reactions to bedbug bites. That’s why it’s crucial that people regularly check for bedbugs in their homes.

Linear pattern bites

Another feature of a bedbug infestation is that you can wake up with a particular bite pattern on your skin. These bites appear as a line, which means you can tell them apart from mosquito and flea bites, which have a different formation.

Moist smell for no reason

The smell of dampness is typical of leaks, but if you don’t have these drawbacks start to worry as this can be a sign of a bedbug infestation, along with all the other signs.

The musty smell is because bedbugs release pheromones that are strong enough when there are too many of them.

Dark spots on the walls

Although it may seem strange to you, bedbugs leave faecal stains on the walls or under wallpaper. If you can’t find any signs of infestation on your bed or furniture, try looking at the walls.

A history of bedbugs in your neighbourhood

One thing you should know to identify bedbugs, is that both males and females of this species are much smaller than an apple seed. And because they are so small, it is what makes them pass from one person to another, and from one house to the next without you noticing.

Just by visiting your neighbour’s bedbug-infested house, getting some of their belongings or even going to a hotel room with the same situation, you can bring bedbugs into your home.

Many people are afflicted by bed bugs and it all starts with their eggs, which is why we are showing you this valuable guide to identify them and some measures to combat them.

Eggs appearance

There are many ways to identify bed bug eggs, and because they are like insect eggs of the same size, some details must be looked at carefully.

Bed bug eggs are usually tiny and white. Many people can identify them at the site of the infestation, which is where both adult and juvenile bedbugs hide. The eggs are clustered together and there are eggshells all over the site.

The bugs do not hatch from the eggs simultaneously, which is why the shells are located near the unbroken eggs. They are the result of discarding the first eggs that hatch during a bed bug infestation.

Experts recommend that you spend time checking the location of the bedbug infestation, otherwise you may mistake the bedbugs for another insect and ignore them. Only a few insects and eggs can cause a new bed bug infestation in a home.

Where to find bedbug eggs

You can usually locate bed bug eggs in the exact places where the adults hide during the day. These are the most common places bed bugs devastate in homes and buildings:

• The area around the bed.
• Luggage you have recently travelled with.
• Underneath, inside the mattress and bed frame.
• Electrical appliances, electric and light switches.
• Bedroom furniture and shelves.
• Behind the wallpaper.
• Behind paintings and pictures.
• Cracks and grooves in the home.
• Carpets.

Regardless of where you find bedbugs, we suggest that you take precautions to fight them. Female bedbugs lay up to 500 eggs. If the pest is difficult to eliminate, contact professionals.

When bed bug eggs hatch

It often takes 6-10 days for bedbug eggs to hatch. The moment this happens, the nymphs begin to track down their first meal which is blood to complete their first phase of life.

After the nymph completes its five life stages, it moulds its skin. To grow better, bedbugs look for food close to their hiding places as they are slow moving.

Many insects require conditions to hatch and bedbugs are no exception. These are some criteria below.

• Hatching temperature between 20 and 30 degrees Celsius
• Humidity levels in the air for bed bug eggs to hatch must be between 70 and 85 percent.
• Pesticides are available to kill the eggs. Some cause newly hatched nymphs to die, while others do little to harm the eggs. However, a lack of products makes it easier for bed bug eggs to hatch.
• The insects absorb oxygen from the air through their exoskeletons. By the time the nymphs are born, they require large amounts of oxygen to develop into adults.
• Natural predators, such as spiders, rodents, small rodents, and reptiles, if found near the eggs or nymphs, bed bugs have no chance to survive.

How a bed bug infestation occurs

Make sure the eggs you found on the mattress or any furniture were hatched by bed bugs, it is easy to identify if you locate real live bed bugs. You should start by studying how the bugs got into your home.

One of the most common reasons for bedbug infestation is that they have leaked through luggage, as they get in when people travel and stay in hotel rooms and inns. The risk of infestation increases when travel is frequent.

Bedbugs come out at night and feed on the blood of the person sleeping in the bed.

They inject a non-life-threatening blood thinner (like mosquitoes) that causes rashes and itchy. Not surprisingly, bedbug infestations are passed on, and many people mistake the lesions for mosquito bites.

How to exterminate bedbugs

When you discover bedbug eggs, nymphs or adults, there are numerous techniques to eradicate them. Consider that this activity will take time and a lot of patience, as there is no miracle solution to eradicate them.

Bed bug eggs are treated similarly to other insect species, with clear exceptions. You should know how many eggs will hatch after treatment, which depends on the type of products you buy for that purpose. We strongly recommend not to use chemicals or other hazardous products on your own, always call a professional.

Hard brushes can help you damage the surface of the eggs. However, this tool is not very useful for reaching narrow cracks. Vacuuming can also help, as long as you set the suction power to maximum to remove the eggs.

Isolate and seal properly the debris you vacuum so you avoid a recurrence of the bugs. If all the above fails, you can always apply heat treatments which, although expensive, will extinguish bedbugs at all stages of their lives.

Some experts recommend that you use vaporizers as long as you know how to use them. Because bedbug eggs are the enemy of moisture, you can buy a dehumidifier to stop them from hatching.

Continue to perform bed bug inspections on a weekly basis if the eggs persist. Use interceptors and other tracking techniques, placing them under furniture legs to trap bedbugs and prevent them from climbing on your legs.

All over the world there are many pests. They come in all shapes and sizes, but one thing doesn’t change, the danger they have. From cockroaches to mice, these pesky animals can turn a home in a hazardous place. Not all of them act the same, some wait for you in the safest place you can think of: your bed. Bed bugs are experts at crawling and getting their food while you’re sleeping. When people realize that they’ve infested their houses they ask this simple question: how to get rid of bed bugs? Well, we’re going to tell you all about it.

How to identify a bed bug infestation

The first thing you need to check is your bed. Bed bugs have the tendency to hide in crevices and dark places, so they can feed off you at night. You might see blood stains near their hiding spot or in different surfaces.

Remember that a female bed bug can lay up to 500 pale yellow eggs. They’re easy to miss, however, if you find an adult bed bug they can’t be that far. Try to use a magnifying glass and check your furniture, your mattress, bed frame cracks, and all areas surrounding your bed.

Ways of dealing with bed bugs

Once you’ve found out that your house is infested with bed bugs it’s time to act. Firstly, think in how they got into your house. Many of them go over people’s clothes, so they can go from one host to another. Check if you’ve recently bought secondhand furniture that may have brought these disgusting animals into your home.

You may want to go online and search how to get rid of bed bugs but here we have the best ways to remove them from your premises. Using chemicals will allow you to eliminate them in a faster way but remember that these substances can cause harm to you and your family so it’s better to leave it to the professionals.

Get your vacuum ready

If you’re leaving the chemicals away, then you need to set up a vacuum cleaner. It’s the best way to address this issue in your hands. If you can find a disposable bag vacuum it would be perfect since you’ll end up with many of these bugs in it and if you don’t seal it and throw it away they’ll return.

Try to vacuum the spaces where you’ve identified or seen these bugs. These pesky animals can be tiny so keep an eye on what you’re doing. As you vacuum, you’ll see them, and you’ll take as many of them as possible in the bag. Remove it after you’ve done this at least three times, since you might never know where they’re hiding.

Once you’ve done these you can try other things, so you know how to get rid of bed bugs. And another thing you can do for that is killing them by using heat.

Heat vs bed bugs

Using a vacuum does not only allow you to get rid of the larvae and the eggs. They’re difficult to see and sometimes while you vacuum, you’d spread them over your house since you don’t know where they are. The easiest thing to do is fight them with heat. Larvae and eggs will die if they’re struck directly. Steam also helps, so you can use a steam cleaner for you to remove them.

All the infected items must be preserved

Remember that bed bugs can go from one place to another including your mattress, furniture, pet furniture and more, so they have to be separated from the places in your house that can get them too. After you’ve done the cleaning, you can also take the infected things outside on a hot day so bed bugs that could still be alive can dry out since they’re affected by the heat.

Try to keep your items bed bug free

When you’ve eliminated all those bed bugs that were visible, you need to make other bed bugs that might be dwelling inside your house feel it’s not a good place. Cover your bed with a special bed bug sheet and try to trap them so no bugs can enter or go out of it. However, if this doesn’t end the problem, then you can try with insecticides.

Be careful when you’re using chemicals

Looking for how to get rid of bed bugs you’ll find many solutions, but the most effective one is to use insecticides. These chemicals are dangerous and should be applied by professionals in the matter since they can be harmful.

One thing you have to know is that some bed bugs are resistant to some pesticides so you may need help in terms of selecting them. The best ones are the ones that not only kill the bed bugs but mess with their nervous system making sure the die. Others, like bug bombs that emit a gas that can be toxic for humans if they’re not used in a correct way, so try to avoid them if you’re not sure about how to use them.

Continue to monitor

After you’ve eliminated all those bugs you might have to monitor your spaces for a while to make sure these animals have disappeared completely. If they’ve infected the mattress it’s better to throw it away and getting a new one.

Some bugs might still be able to survive everything, that’s why professionals are for. We can help you get rid of these animals easily, comfortably and without taking any risks and having guaranteed that they won’t go in your house again.

A bed bug is just as it is called. It’s a pest that hides in our bed or any crevices nearby for them to feed from a human host. These animals need blood to live, so they tend to get their grips on humans when night comes. Sometimes when you see this type of pest you think, where do bed bugs come from? It’s a very general question and it seems the best answer for that is everywhere.

What are bed bugs?

As their name indicates these are bugs that come to your bed at night and feed. It’s not only human hosts that they feed off, but also pets and birds. Some of them can be seen by plain sight crawling and hiding, however, some others, the ones that haven’t got to the adult stage can be more difficult to pinpoint. Maybe you think you don’t have an infestation at home because generally, they hide so you can’t see them since they tend to camouflage themselves between filth and dirt, but it is a serious issue that must be addressed.

How do I identify a bed bug?

As you’ve seen these insects can hide so humans won’t detect them. In their adult stages they can be seen at plain sight, but that is not the case for the nymphs. Their shape is an oval, they’re brown and flat until they have fed, and then they become more noticeable since they grow and you can see them as a big red dot. Where do bed bugs come from might be the question you ask yourself when you find them, and it’s the moment to start thinking in how they got to your place.

Where can I find bed bugs?

These pests are all over the world. There isn’t a place where they can’t be found, and that’s why they’re so annoying. They attach themselves to people and look for their next host, so they can attack again and infest their household. For you to be more cautious you need to know the places you can find them.

Furniture, toys and other objects

Sometimes when you go to a garage sale and see lots of objects you find interesting you might be more cautious. Furniture that has been passed down or that is second hand may carry these sneaky animals. The person who is selling might not know if they are living there, and they’re only focus is to sell so most of the time they won’t say anything so you need to be alert and look for the signs.

Furthermore, toys and clothing are the perfect means of transportation for these pesky bugs since they attach themselves, and they go “hitch-hiking” to the other host. When you hold them or wear them you can be in danger as they will get a grip on you.

Hotels, inns, and motels

If you are in one of these places and say where do bed bugs come from then you might be facing an issue. Going and staying in a hotel, motel or other lodging options can be frustrating and more if you feel like it’s not a safe place. These locations have a great deal of people moving through and through, so it’s not difficult for this little animal not to be there.

A room can become infested if one of the guests brings them in. They can’t jump or fly, so they must’ve found a way to enter through the luggage.

Renting

If you are living with a friend or a partner that can become a problem too. These animals won’t care on how clean your flat or housing is, they will go from the other person to you. It’s critical to identify if they are in the premises so you can do something about it.

How can I know if I have bed bugs?

You can be certain about the presence of the bugs if you do or see different things. The first one is the sight of blood stains around your bed or any crevices nearby. This is one of the most telling signs since they feed off blood and leave it in their faeces.

Moreover, white eggs can be found near areas where they hide. You have to be careful or you’ll miss them. However, there’s a particular smell that these insects give off. When they’re mating or there’s a male bug it releases a particular smell. Where do bed bugs come from? You might find them as being the source of the smell.

The last thing on how to know if you have them it’s seeing an actual bug. They’re pretty easy to see as long as they’re adults. They have large bodies, and they’re red-coloured so it’s not that hard to overlook. Remember daytime is a hard time to get them since their feeding time is nighttime. Furthermore, their shed skins can be seen. They are difficult to find, though.

What to do after identifying an infected household

Once you are sure they live in your house, you have to take several measurements to get rid of them. If you know they are coming from, then you just have to isolate the source and treat your house. The best thing to do in this kind of situation is to call a pest service as they know how to eliminate them and let you sleep easy without having to encounter these disgusting animals.

If you know where do bed bugs come from, then you must know this is something that you have to deal with and try to take action so you, your pets and your family feel safe and in a clean environment.