Bed bugs are small, blood-sucking that feed on human and animal blood. They belong to the family Cimicidae, contain over 100 species, and have been around for millions of years.
Bed bugs are flat-bodied pests about the size of an apple seed. But once full after feeding, their bodies swell and become reddish. The nymphs or the immatures are closely identical to the adults, except they are much smaller, with a size range of 1/20 to 1/5 inch. They also have a thinner skeleton and have yellowish to white.
Bed bugs are one of the most common household pests. Unfortunately, they are also the most difficult to get rid of. Once they infest an area, it is hard to get rid of them completely. One way to eliminate them is to find out where they are hiding and then treat the area. So how and where do you find bed bugs at home?
Where do bed bugs hide?
When not feeding, bed bugs hide in cracks and crevices. These can be in the bed frame, mattress, or headboard, behind wallpaper or picture frames, under the carpet or floorboards, in furniture, behind baseboards or moldings, and in electric outlets.
They are primarily active at night when they come out to feed but can also bite during the day if hungry. Bed bugs can live for several months without feeding, depending on the temperature and humidity.
Since bed bugs have a flat body almost the same width as a credit card, they can squeeze into tiny spaces. This is why it is essential to check all potential hiding spots when looking for them.
How do you find bed bugs?
Bed bug infestation can be difficult to find and even more challenging to get rid of. Therefore, it is best to treat an infestation as soon as possible to avoid it from spreading. Here are some tips on how to find bed bugs in your home:
- Check all potential hiding spots. This includes the bed frame, mattress, headboard, behind wallpaper or picture frames, under the carpet or floorboards, furniture, behind baseboards or moldings, and in electric outlets.
- Look for bed bug signs of infestations – another way to find bed bugs is to look for the signs of an infestation. These include:
– Blood stains on your sheets or pillowcases – these are from bed bugs getting squished when you roll over in your sleep.
– Rust-colored spots on your sheets, mattress, or furniture – these are bed bug droppings and feces.
– Tiny black dots on your mattress, sheets, or furniture – these are bed bug eggs.
– Bed bug bite – when you wake up and find red, itchy bites on your body, this is a sign that you have bed bugs.
Finding bed bugs in your home can be a challenge. So it is essential to know how these itchy pests can get into your homes to avoid infestations.
How do bed bugs enter your home?
Although bed bugs can’t fly, bed bugs can enter your home in two ways, migration and hitchhiking. Migration is when the pests travel from an infested area to a new one in search of food. They can travel through cracks, crevices, and voids in walls, floors, and ceilings. Once they find a new host, they start to feed and mate.
Hitchhiking is when the pests are brought into your home on secondhand furniture, luggage, or clothing. If these items have been in an infested area, there’s a chance that bed bugs could be hiding in them. Therefore, it is important to inspect all secondhand items before bringing them into your home to avoid an infestation.
Bed bugs are a nuisance, and their bites can be itchy and uncomfortable. But with these tips, you can find and eliminate them from your home.
Bed bugs habit
Understanding bed bugs’ habits can help you get rid of them. Here are some things to know about bed bugs:
– Bed bugs need at least one blood meal to develop to the next six life stages.
– Female bugs lay 200-500 eggs in their lifetime.
– Adult bed bugs’ lifespan is 4 to 6 months under normal circumstances.
– This pesky little insect can survive and remain active at temperatures as low as 7 °C (46 °F), but it dies when its body temperature reaches 45 degrees Celsius or 113 degrees Fahrenheit.
– Bed bugs mostly feed on human blood but can survive on other mammals and birds if humans are unavailable. So it’s important to check for bed bugs in areas where people or animals sleep.
– A bed bug will engorge itself up to six times its normal body weight in one meal, usually lasting for 3-10 minutes.
– People usually don’t realize bed bugs until after the bed bug has finished feeding.
– They are attracted to the carbon dioxide we exhale, and they can sense when we are asleep by the lack of movement. This is why they mostly come out to feed at night.
Conclusion:
Bed bugs are a nuisance, and their bites can be itchy and uncomfortable. But by knowing the habits of these pests, you can find and eliminate them from your home. Check all potential hiding spots, look for signs of infestation, and inspect all secondhand items before bringing them into your home. With these tips, you can get rid of bed bugs and get a good night’s sleep.
Bed bug infestations are quite difficult to get rid of on your own. So if you think you may have an infestation, it’s best to call a professional for help. A professional will be able to identify the problem and come up with a plan to get rid of the bugs. They will also be able to advise you on how to prevent bed bugs in the future.
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