Good night, sleep tight, don’t let the bed bugs bite. You may have heard this before, most likely when you were a kid. For most kids, this was a simple saying with no underlying meaning, a fun little rhyme. Now as an adult, however, this little bedtime rhyme raises some serious questions, such as: What are bed bugs? Why do they want to bite me? And will I not sleep tight if they are around? Today we have answers to these questions, and more, all packed into this mini bed bug handbook.
What Are Bed Bugs?
For those who don’t know, bed bugs are tiny, reddish-brown, oval-shaped insects. One common misconception about bed bugs is that they are too small to see with the naked eye. The truth is, they are roughly the size of an apple seed when fully grown, but they are really good at hiding which makes them difficult to spot.
The main goal of a bed bug in its lifetime is to find a host for blood meals and settle down in their vicinity. In short, they need a human, their blood, and somewhere to hide. Unlike other pests like mosquitoes, bed bugs will not usually bite their victims when they are awake but will wait in hiding until after their host has gone to sleep. This means that you can still have trouble with bed bugs even if you sleep during the day and work at night.
How To Notice Bed Bugs Early
Just because bed bugs are hard to spot does not mean they are impossible to identify. The best way you can know if your home has bed bugs is to look for the signs they leave behind. Here are some signs you should check for around your home:
- Inspect your bed linens for spots of dried blood. These stains are left behind after bed bugs are done feeding.
- Check your skin for lines of bites, multiple in a row. Bed bugs almost never bite just once.
- Investigate around your room for tiny black dots of fecal matter. You will most likely find bed bug excrement inside cracks and crevices, around outlets, and along baseboards and door frames.
- Use a flashlight to inspect cracks and crevices around your room for bed bug eggs. These will be small, white, and almost transparent.
- Smell the air around your room. Larger infestations of bed bugs can make a room smell musty.
If you do not like the idea of bed bugs falling on you while you are conducting your search, we recommend wearing protective gear such as gloves and a face mask. In addition to this, when lifting mattresses and box springs, lift them at arm’s length, making sure there is as much space between them and your body as possible. This will limit the chances of live bed bugs falling off and onto your person.
Keep in mind that bed bugs do not just stay in bedrooms. They can wander and hide anywhere inside your home. When you conduct your search, be thorough. Bed bugs are good hiders, you are going to have to put in some effort to find them.
Why Bed Bugs Aren’t Easy To Deal With
As hard as bed bugs are to find, they are even harder to eliminate. They are able to survive 5 months deep within your walls without a blood meal and are extremely resistant to many different chemical pest control products. These bugs are about as hard to get rid of as they come. Fortunately, if you live here in Roanoke, VA, your solution to a bed bug problem lies right down the block.
At Star City Pest Control & Wildlife Services, we have the tools and equipment to handle bed bug infestations of all sizes. We know what products and methods work and are ready to implement our proven bed bug solutions to get your home bed bug-free. Give us a call today to schedule a pest control visit for your home or to ask questions about how we treat for bed bugs. Our professionals are here and ready to help.
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