A bed bug infestation is anyone’s nightmare

Finding multiple mysterious bites on your body can be startling, and the very idea of a pest in your bed can make you uneasy. If you’ve noticed a few bites here and there, you may be wondering if you have an infestation of bed bugs in your home.

The first step in recognizing an infestation is getting to know the pest. Below, we will help you identify what bed bugs look like, where they like to collect, how to identify their bites, and how to determine if you have an infestation.

What Do Bed Bugs Look Like?

Bed bugs are fairly small at about 4 to 5 millimeters in length; their size and shape can be compared to an apple seed. They don’t have any wings, but they still spread quickly. Bed bugs are reddish brown and flat, but they may be more on the red side after a blood meal.

Where Do Bed Bugs Like to Collect?

These little bugs generally like cracks and tight spaces. Some of their favorite spots are in the crevices of furniture, sheets, and mattress seams. They may also collect behind electrical outlet plates, hung picture frames, and baseboards. They can easily be spread from place to place through clothing and luggage, and they can also find their way into your home through used furniture and other objects.

How Do You Know You’ve Been Bitten By a Bed Bug?

Bed bugs are essentially night owls, so they often search for food in the middle of the night. They primarily feed on blood, and when other food sources are unavailable, they go for humans. They like easy targets such as exposed skin, including the arms, legs, neck, and face.

Often, bed bug bites are clustered together. They can also be in something of a zigzag arrangement across your skin. Bed bug bites are usually a little raised and flat, and they can become red and inflamed. Itchiness and inflammation may not always come right away; your body may not react to the bite until a couple days later.

The size of bed bug bites can vary, depending on how sensitive your body is to the anti-coagulant in the bed bugs’ saliva. Bite size can also fluctuate depending on how often you’ve been bitten by bed bugs.

How Do You Know You Have a Bed Bug Infestation?

When you find you have unexplained bug bites after you wake up, you may want to look for bed bugs in your home. Check for any reddish or dark spots of bed bug excrement on your bedding, mattress, or walls. You may notice blood stains on your sheets as well. Also, look for any shed skins in your bedding or around the cracks and crevices bed bugs will hide in.

To find any adult bed bugs, look behind electrical outlet plates, in the seam of your box spring’s framing, and any other slim cracks.

When you have a bed bug infestation, it can be difficult to effectively rid your home of these tiny pests. To eliminate bed bugs in your home in Flanders, NJ; Freehold, NJ; or Somerville, NJ; call Cavanaugh’s to inspect and provide a  guaranteed bed bug treatment.