Bed bugs are small size insects which survive on human and animals blood. These insects infest very fast and spread very faster in the surrounding areas. Often bed bug bites have resembled with other insects bites in the lack of proper knowledge about them however with awareness about the signs of bed bug infestation one can get rid of it by using effective anti-bug methods.
These insects change their body color five times in their whole life and at each stage, they need bite so that they can get enough blood to bring changes inside them irrespective of size and color. The area bitten by these insects turns to be red, itches and sometimes scarring.
Top Signs of a Bed Bug Infestation
The name of the bed bug is inspired by its most favorable place to reside that is a bed but it’s not that these insects only exists in mattresses and beds. The bed bugs can easily exist in walls, cracks, ceilings, chairs, cupboards etc. If you want to confirm that your home is infested with bed bugs then read the below-mentioned signs or symptoms of bed bug infestation, which will make your way easy.
Reddish Itchy Bites
One of the most important signs of bed bug bites is redness and itching on the affected area. These insects remain hidden in the daytime and come out in the night or when it is dark around. When these bugs bite any of your body parts the affected place gets red and swollen.
Apart from the red sign, you may feel itching for very long time or even sometimes the itching may persist for the whole day. In general bug bites doesn’t cause any severe health concern but long-term itching can cause bleeding while itching that place or sometimes this can cause infection too which requires to be cured otherwise it can spread.
Mark on Arms and Shoulders
Bed bug bites mainly in the areas which remain uncovered when you sleep and most likely these places are arms and shoulders. So they leave their mark of bite on these exposed body parts that is why people sleeping on the bug infested beds often feel irritation and itching in their arms and shoulder areas.
This is the leading differentiator between the bites of different insects like chiggers and fleas which can even bite around the ankle area. If you are suspecting the bed bug infestation in your home then you can consider the marked arms and shoulders as a sign of its existence.
Trouble in Sleeping
It’s quite obvious that a bed bug infestation will not let you sleep peacefully in the night time resulting in trouble in sleeping. The bed is the most favorite place to live as humans spent their most of the time here and so these bugs can easily get their blood to survive by biting them.
If you are getting continuous trouble in sleeping during the night time accompanied by itching and irritation then most likely it may be because of bed bug infestation.
Musty Odor
Another most common sign of the bed bug infestation is its musty odor which remains very strong and spreads fast. The bug itself carry an unpleasing smell and when it bites somewhere in the body it smells as bad as a wet dirty cloth. Pheromones are released by these insects and when the number of these insects is high then the odor seems very strong and very unpleasant.
Clings on Clothes
Bed bugs can easily cling on clothing and closet as it is human who wears clothes so they can easily bite them by clinging on clothes and closet. Also, the bed bugs can travel from one place to other or from one person to another by clinging on cloth.
It is important to check thoroughly the cloth and wardrobe if you are regularly getting itches and discomfort while wearing any cloth.
Bed Bug in Room
It’s not that if you are bitten by these bugs that mean you will find them in your bed only. These bugs can exist anywhere in your room and will come to your bed in the nighttime to suck your blood. So if you’re getting itching and musty odor around your bed and room then you should check thoroughly in all the corners of your house.
Apart from the bed, these bugs can host in other places and things of the room like in chairs, carpets, curtains, couches etc. These bugs are of brown reddish color, so if you find an insect of this color around your bed and any other places of room especially where these small insects can easily hide then this most likely be the bed bug.
Stains
The bedbug leaves one fecal stain behind them wherever they exist. So you can easily find stains around the bed like the black color drops are left by these bugs. Another sign of the existence of these bugs is that when these stains are washed out it get the smear. Often the area bitten by the bed bugs are left with little bloody sign which clears out the existence of these insects.
Above mentioned symptoms are most common sign of the existence of the bed bug infestation. These insets can easily multiply into thousands in number if immediate preventive measures are not taken. Even a single lady bed bug can give birth to several bed bugs if it lives longer. So in order to ensure healthy and comfortable sleeping and to relieve irritation and infection accompanied with these bugs you should apply prudent bed bug preventive measures.
Ways to Getting Rid of Bed Bugs
Once you are very much sure or confirmed that the bed bug infestation is there in your home then the thing that hunts your mind is how to get rid of it. So to make your way easy here we have enlisted some best and effective ways which can help you to get rid of these unhealthy and irritating bugs completely.
Clean the Bed Thoroughly
Bed bug infestation happens in the bed and mattresses for the very clear reason that they can easily suck human blood which is their food and necessity to be alive. So if visualize these insects in your bed and inside your bed accessories like pillow, bed cover, mattress then without any further delay clean everything thoroughly in warm water.
Mattress and pillow should be kept under the sunlight consistently for few days so that the bed bugs living inside these can come out in the presence of unfavorable condition to live. Also, do the proper dusting of your wooden bed as these bugs can easily make their homes in small cracks or holes of your bed.
Stripping the bedding is the most sensible way to get rid of the bed bugs infestation. You should strip the bed into the double coated plastic cover as this will help to reduce the spreading of bed bugs all over the area. The vacuum cleaner will help to remove the bugs and its eggs from the whole bedding and bed frame. After cleaning makes sure that all the content of vacuum cleaner is thrown very far away from the home place. Pesticides should be sprinkled on the bed frame to make it bug-free.
After a thorough cleansing of everything you will get relaxation from these bugs and can now sleep peacefully in the night time. Remember one thing if your bed is already attacked once by these bugs then chances exist of their future attack if you don’t maintain necessary cleanliness after some time. So bed cleaning is the regular process in order to prevent the bed bug infestation.
Heat Method
Heat method can help to get rid of bugs existing in the clothes and closet. Under the heat method for preventing the bed bug infestation, fabrics containing bugs are killed by the laundering into the hot water.
The bugs can only survive if their body temperature is below 45 degree Celsius, exceeding to this temperature they get died. For killing the bugs at a rapid rate the fabric with bugs needs to be kept under 60 degrees Celsius as this will kill the bugs of all stages.
Cold Method
Just like high heat temperature bed bugs can also be killed very easily on the cold temperature at a very fast rate. The object containing these bugs should be kept in below -18 degrees C or 0 degrees F for continuously four days. This will help the cold atmosphere to penetrate the infested object hence bugs and eggs get killed.
Any small size object which is trapped with bed bugs can be cleared by keeping them inside the freezer for 4 days. When -18 degrees C temperature will penetrate the object it will automatically kill all the bed-bugs in it and make it suitable to use. In freezer heavy objects cannot be kept because of its size and weight. So for them, any other process needed to apply in order to kill bed bug inside them.
Another possible way to isolate home from bed bugs by keeping home empty for as long as one whole year. An empty home with open windows remains cool and this will create a negative environment for the survival and growth of bed bugs.
Chemical Application
There are chemicals which comes in liquid form specialized for killing bed bugs in huge quantity. These chemical products are pesticides which can easily remain available at any hardware stores. While buying it the buyer should read the content and instruction mentioned on the packaging. It must have mentioned over there that the product is for bed bug killing, if not then don’t buy it.
Also, the mentioned instruction for its usage or way of application and its precaution is needed to adhere very strictly otherwise it will not bring any effective output and only a few bugs get killed and remaining will be left as it is.
Also if mentioned precaution will not be followed properly then it can be dangerous too as these chemicals contain harmful and harsh chemicals for humans. Its odor remains very strong so make sure that you have covered your nose and mouth while applying it.
Only Environmental Protection Agency or EPA registered and approved chemicals should be used for the bugs killing as it ensures the safety and optimum result out of the product application. In this respect remember that the bug bombs or foggers are no way an effective and safe process as these are harmful to health, also it won’t reaches to cracks where bed bug infestation happens in very huge quantity.
Some of the anti-bug chemicals include biochemical or cold processed neem oil, pyrethroids, pyrethrins, boric acid (desiccants), diatomaceous earth, pyrroles, insect growth regulator, neonicotinoids which attack the bug’s nervous system to kill them.
Encasement Method
The encasement is an effective popular way to isolate the bedding from bed bugs. A fabric material is used to encase the matrix and box spring which helps to trap the internal bed bugs and also prevents the entrance of bugs from outside.
These sheets remain in the zippered form so very easy to use. Another advantage of the encasement method is that it comes at the lesser cost with the comparison to the costing involved in the replacement of the whole mattress.
This needs to be left for at least one whole year in order to get rid of bed bug infestation completely. By removing the hiding areas of bed bugs the encasement method helps to spot the existing bed bugs so that it can be killed and prevented from breeding further.
Take the Help of Experts
There are professional bug killers who are expert in their job and ensure complete cleaning of the bed bug infestation from a house with protective measures so that it won’t affect the human health. The pest control practitioners are well trained and registered under the government health organization body of any country.
These pest control professional follow proper technique and steps for killing the bed bugs of any location or any house. They first do a thorough inspection of the location and its nearby area to understand that how far this infestation has gone through. Also, they confirm whether there is really an infestation happens or any other insect is suspected as the bed bug infestation.
Once these professionals are confirmed about the bed bug infestation and its total range then they use their bed bug killing measures. Usually, they combine the insecticides and nonchemical control products together.
In order to ensure that the bed bug infestation is totally relieved and removed they come for inspection after few days and also apply the review treatment measures if applicable. They also guide and suggest the preventive measures to people living over there.
Bed bug infestation is really troublesome for the people as it affects them in several ways. So once you are assured of the signs of bed bug infestation at your place, immediately apply necessary preventive measures without further delay.