How to Know if You Have Bedbugs (what they do, how to tell, how to get rid of them) Bedbugs are small, oval, brownish insects that survive by sucking on human or animal blood. They are about the size of an apple seed but swell and reddish in color after feeding. Newborn bedbugs are known as hatchlings or nymphs. They are tiny and about the size of poppy seeds. Both the adult, egg, and nymphs can be seen with the naked eye.
Where Bed Bugs Hide
The natural habitat of the bedbug is in human homes: sofas, bed mattresses, clothing, and other soft furnishings. They also prefer the dark when they are in a group. Their tiny structure allows them to hide in tiny spaces. They eventually spread through the home and are usually found in mattresses, box springs, bed frames, and headboards where they easily bite people at night.
When Bedbugs Bite
Bedbugs are more functional at night and usually feed on people while they sleep. They feed using their elongated beak to pierce the skin to suck blood. It takes 10 minutes for the bedbug to feed and then crawl away unnoticed.
Most bedbug bites are painless at first, but later result in itchy welts. Bedbug bites are mostly found on the skin and do not form a red spot in the center. This itching and welts can be mistaken for mosquito bites.
How do you know if you have bedbugs?
When you start experiencing bites that occur at night while asleep, these are symptoms of bedbug infestation. If this happens, check the bedrooms for signs of bedbug activity. When observing the bedroom, you will come across fecal stains or rust-colored dark spots, egg cases, and shed skins (exuviae) of bedbugs in crevices and cracks on or near beds. You can also observe a brown or black stain on mattresses or materials which is as a result of bedbug excrement.
Bedbug Treatments
Getting rid of bedbugs begins with cleaning up the places where bedbugs live. This should include the following:
- Wash bedding, linens, curtains and clothing with hot water and dry with a high dryer setting. Items that can not be washed, such as stuffed animals, shoes and other items, should be placed in the dryer and dry on high for 30 minutes.
- Wash the mattress or material with a stiff brush to remove bedbugs and their eggs before vacuuming.
- Vacuum your environment frequently and place the vacuum cleaner in a plastic bag and keep the bag outdoors.
- Revamp cracks and glue peeling wallpaper to get rid of bedbug hiding places.
- Get rid of dirt around the bed.
Keep your mattress and box spring in a tightly woven, zippered cover to keep bedbugs from escaping or entering the mattress. Bedbugs are known to live up to a year without feeding, so keep the cover on the mattress for a year to eliminate or kill all bedbugs.
Final thought
If your mattress is infected, get rid of it and get a new one. However, take proper measures to get rid of the bedbugs in your home before laying your new mattress. Repair wall cracks and vacuum dark corners to destroy their homes. If you have any questions regarding bedbugs in Arizona or need help getting rid of bedbugs in the Phoenix Arizona Valley, give Early Bird Pest Control a call at: 602-919-5915.
More info on Arizona Pests
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