Bed bugs have been around a long time. The small, flat wingless insects feast on blood of humans...and even pets! They are not known to spread any diseases, but scratching bed bug bites can lead to secondary infections, especially in children, seniors and those with compromised immune systems.
Multi-residential buildings, such as apartment buildings and condos can be a haven for bed bugs. These bugs can be hard to control in these settings as the infestation in your bedroom might originate from your neighbour, or from apartments above or below.
Ridding your home of a bed bug infestation is not easy, but you can take steps to try to control them.
Signs of Infestations:
- Look for bites. These appear as small red, swollen bites that are typically found on your arms, legs, and face.
- Bed Bugs stay close to feeding areas. Check for live bugs along the seams of your mattress and on bed frames and headboards.
- Blood stains. Check your pajamas, bed and bedding. Bed bugs will also leave rust-like blood stains on mattresses.
- Bed bugs also leave black fecal spots in the places where they hide, such as under loose wallpaper and wall hangings, on furniture, in electrical outlets and more evident places like bed frames and on the seams of mattresses and box springs.
- Use a flashlight to inspect cracks and crevices for active bugs. Live bugs often hide away from people but do leave evidence of their existence and are often seen during times when we are sleeping.
The early signs of bed bugs:
Most people have no clue when they first have bed bugs. It only takes a few bugs and the right conditions for the population to grow. Female bed bugs lay approximately 1-5 eggs each day. The eggs take approximately 10 days to hatch. Bed bugs eggs are white in colour and are only about 1mm in size (relatively the size of a pinhead) which makes them impossible to see.
It takes around 7 weeks for a bed bug to grow from an egg to an adult. Adult bed bugs are approximately 5-7mm (about the size of an apple seed) but can grow up to 10mm after a bloodmeal.
If you are noticing many adult bed bugs, you can assume that you have an active infestation. These infestations can get out of hand quickly and sometimes certain situations cannot be solved on your own. If this is the case, it’s time to call in a professional.
Also read:
Best method to control bed bugs
