Having bed bugs in your home is nothing short of a nightmare.
As if getting rid of bed bugs weren’t hard enough, their nocturnal habits and minuscule size make them difficult to spot in the first place. And, since a single bed bug can turn into a severe pest infestation in a matter of months, early detection can make all the difference.
This is why it’s vital to know what key signs you have bed bugs to look out for. Keep reading to find out how to spot them.
1. Unpleasant Odors
One of the earliest signs of bed bugs is a strange odor coming from your bedroom or sofa. The smell comes from bed bug pheromones and tends to be musty with a sweet edge that some liken to raspberries, coriander, or almonds. That said, the smell is often too faint for humans to notice and can easily be mistaken for something else unless you’re familiar with the scent.
2. Bites
Unlike the often unnoticeable smells of bed bugs, there’s no danger of missing bed bug bites. That is, unless you’re one of the 30 percent of people whose skin doesn’t react to bed bug bites.
In most cases, however, bites tend to be small, red, and itchy. Clusters and line formations are also common, and will typically appear overnight as bed bugs like to feed on our blood while we sleep. So if you start waking up with itchy bites on your arms, legs, and hands, don’t hesitate to call the bed bug removal experts at whyubugginpest.com.
3. Bloodstained Bedsheets
Another sign of bed bugs to look out for in the morning is bloodstained bedsheets. These small rust-colored specks of blood are often the result of squashing a feeding bug when rolling over in your sleep. Or, they can be caused by the open wound the bug creates when feeding. Either way, if you notice blood stains on your sheets and don’t have any cuts, bed bugs could be to blame.
4. Fecal Marks
While smaller and darker than bloodstains, the fecal marks that bed bugs leave behind also contain blood. This contributes to the rusty smell that a severe bed bug infestation can emit. Fecal marks appear like black marker pen dots on your sheets, but can also appear on pajamas, walls, curtains, sofas, and anywhere else the bed bugs have been.
5. Eggs
As soon as they set up home, bed bugs like to lay claim to your property by laying as many as seven eggs per day. Since these only take around a week to hatch, you can see how an infestation can appear so fast. As for what to look out for, bed bug eggs are ovular, pearly white, and around 1mm in size.
Watch Out for These Signs You Have Bed Bugs
These signs you have bed bugs can be hard to spot. But, knowing what to look out for makes it easier to put two and two together before you have a serious infestation on your hands. In which case, professional bed bug removal will be your only hope of getting rid of these blood-sucking pests.
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