The top 3 ways to identify if you have bed bugs living in your home and what to do if you find them.
As the weather warms up in Papua New Guinea, bed bugs can become more and more active, with their activity peaking in the summer months.
Bed bugs can come from anywhere, either already being present in your home or property and being dormant for a while so you haven’t noticed them, or, they could be transferred to your home very easily by friends, family or guests.
And unlike their name, they don’t only live in your bed mattress (although that is where they are commonly found). Bed bugs can also live in your couch, bed frame and headboard.
Due to their very tiny size (no bigger than an apple seed when fully grown and mostly flat) they can go undetected and can cause serious irritation and annoyance to you and your family. As they live solely on blood, they mostly come out at night when you or members of your family are still while sleeping, piercing the skin and feeding for up to 10 minutes. While bites may be painless at first, they can later turn into itchy welts.
We will show you what to look for to identify if you have bed bugs in your home, and what to do if you find them.
TOP 3 WAYS TO IDENTIFY BED BUGS IN YOUR HOME OR PROPERTY
PHYSICAL EVIDENCE OF THE BUGS IN YOUR ROOM OR HOME
To look for the bugs themselves, remove sheets off your bed and look at the piping of your mattress, any crevices where bugs could hide and the edges. You should keep an eye out for flat, almond shaped bugs no bigger than an apple seed. They are a reddish-brown colour.
If you don’t see any bugs themselves, look for these signs as one of the easiest ways to identify if you have bed bugs:
- BUG SHELLS: Keep an eye out for empty shells in the same areas as above. This is because as bed bugs grow, they are required to shed their shells a number of times and leave these behind as evidence.
- FECAL SPOTS: Bed bugs leave liquid waste behind where they go, known as faecal spots. They are dark brown or even black smears or spots that may be present on sheets or on your mattress.
Bed bugs themselves can be difficult to spot at first as they are excellent at hiding during the day, however, the signs they leave behind are more obvious.
USE YOUR NOSE
Due to the pheromones released when bed bugs are in large numbers, there is often an unpleasant smell where bed bugs are found.
This smell is described as a strong musty odour like that of a wet towel. If you have a smell in your room or home that you can’t seem to identify or get rid of, it could be a sign of bed bugs.
PHYSICAL BITES
Sometimes the earliest people notice bed bugs is when they start to find themselves being bitten during the night.
While bed bugs don’t spread diseases, these bites are quite irritating, can become inflamed and can sometimes become infected.
You can look out for these signs to identify bed bug bites:
- Raised welts that are red in colour.
- Itching or burning bites on skin.
- Bites normally contained to one area, and sometimes in a line of multiple bites.
You may also find bloodstains on pillowcases or sheets where bugs have been squashed, or, where a bite has resulted in a small drop of blood being left behind
WHAT TO DO IF YOU SUSPECT YOU HAVE BED BUGS
If you have bed bugs, it’s best to find them as early as possible before they become very established or spread throughout your home or to someone else’s home.
Treating an infestation especially when found early is important rather than waiting until it has spread far and wide.
Over these warmer months, make sure you keep a lookout for bed bugs in your home and check children and family members for bites or marks that may indicate bed bugs are present.
And if you do find you have bed bugs, ProPest is here to help. We can work with you to eradicate the infestations in your home and return you to having a great night sleep – bed bug free.
Want to know more about bed bugs or have an expert help you to identify or eradicate any infestations? Contact our expert team today.
