Checking For The Signs Of A Bedbug Infestation?

Answer 1

Inspecting Your Home for Bed Bugs

It is not always easy to detect the signs of bedbugs in a home. There are some general guidelines that can be used to help determine if there is a bedbug infestation, although there are instances where a professional pest control company might be needed to confirm the suspicion. Most of the ways to check for bedbugs involve the visual inspection of areas, so it is vital to use a strong flashlight to look for the pests because they can be hard to see. If a bedbug infestation is detected, it is important not to immediately start sleeping in another area because the bedbugs could be unintentionally spread in this way.

The first sign that there might be a bedbug infestation in a home is the appearance of small red bite marks or sores on the skin of people living in the house. These can be as small as pinpricks on the skin, or they can be larger and appear like flattened mosquito bites. The sores are generally located on areas that touch the surface of the bed while sleeping, such as the back of the body, although they can really form anywhere that the bedbugs can reach.

Bedbugs look for two primary components when they are choosing a spot to nest. The first is safety. This means bedbugs will attempt to live in areas that are protected, dark, and that are not frequently moved. This can include the folds of upholstery, the space between mattresses, the inside of pillows, or the space between a wall and a piece of furniture. Air vents are also popular if they are located in the right area. The second thing bedbugs look for is proximity to a food source, which is generally a person or a pet. Since people sleep for hours at a time in a bed, this is why many bedbugs are found in and around mattresses. Checking all of these potential areas for bedbugs, or bedbug dropping that look like small, black stains, is the best way to check for an infestation.

There are a few other ways to check if there might be bedbugs in a home. One way is to feel the weight of a mattress or couch cushion. If it is excessively heavy, it might contain living and dead bedbugs as well as their eggs. In cases where there is a large infestation, bedbugs emit an odor when in large groups. Sometimes, this can smell like fruit or berries. For an established colony, this odor has more of a rancid or sour character.