So, at some point in your life, you have found your house infested with pests or parasites. When these un-invited guests visit, they do so in their numbers which turn out more of an invasion than a visit. Well, all parasites are irritating, however, the smaller one has proven more of a bother than their larger counterparts. The fact that house parasites like fleas, rice, misquotes and bedbugs get 95% of their nourishment directly from our bloodstreams makes their presence more devastating. Of all the tiny home invaders, Bed Bugs can be termed as “true bloodthirsty vampires within us”.

What are Bed Bugs?

In general, Bedbugs are small, flightless insects that exclusively feed on human blood and are mostly found in warm clean houses. Normally, these parasites come in a flat dark-brown body shape, however, when full with blood, Bed Bugs assuming their signature oval shape and a reddish-brown color.
To reproduce, however, these flightless, 0.25 inch long insects need the nutrient-rich human blood. This explains why bed bugs thrive in our houses.

Facts about Bedbugs

Well, to combat an efficient parasite like a bedbug, you must learn a number of facts about them. After conducting an in-depth research I came up with the following facts.

So where do Bed Bugs Hide?

If you have never encountered bed bugs before, finding their hiding places is like locating a needle within a heap of sawdust. Logically, for a tiny flightless insect like a bed bug; you definitely expect to find it within reach of its food source. However, these insects are cunning and have developed an ingenious strategy of preserving its species. So, Bed bugs hide in some of the least suspect-able places like tiny cracks in your house wall and ceiling or hidden furniture spaces-bed frames, box springs and backboard.

You may also find bed bugs residing in incredible places like inside electronics and power sockets, carpets. However, bed bugs can be found in any place of your house that is dark, warm and tight. They are versatile nighttime feeders so; as long as they can easily access you during feeding time, bed bugs will even find a haven behind your curtains.

When do bed bugs feed?

Being a nocturnal insect a Bedbug crawl out of its hideout (either at midnight or at around 5 pm), pierce your skin with its elongated sharp beak, feed for about 3 to 10 minutes and then disappear before even you can detect it.

If you sleep with your bedtime on bedbugs will mostly attack around your ankles. However, if you are the kind that likes lying without a t-shirt you may get bites on your shoulders or any part of your body that is not covered. The bites are painless, they form itchy welts easily differentiated from a flea bite by its lack of the signature middle red spot found in a flea bite.

Signs of Infestation

So how do you know that you’re sitting in the middle of a bedbug takeover?
Well, despite all the arsenal evidence that your house is infested by bedbugs, it may take you ages to know. As much as you may get the itching welts, attributing them to Mosquitoes bites is one of the reasons you may fail to learn of a bedbug invasion until when it’s too late or too expensive to exterminate these bloodsucking insects.

To know if you are sitting on a Bedbug time bomb, check out for the following signs…

1. Red Itchy Bites

Well, first you need to understand that bed Bedbugs needs a daily supply of fresh human blood to thrive. So if they are present in your home you are their sole prey.

If you notice about 3 to 5 small zig-zagged bites on your skin-especially around your ankles arms or shoulders, then you have a big reason to be worried. This is the earliest sign of bedbugs in your home and should act as a wake-up call to action. Often confused with flea and mosquito nibbles, bedbug bites can turn extremely itchy making you lose sleep.

Bug bites are unique from those of other insects. Look for small reddish clustered bites, zig-zag or straight rowed bites

2. Blood Stains

Well, this sign is pretty obvious: after having their fill, bugs will mess your sheets and mattress with rust-like blood stains, mostly around the edges and corners of your bed. As you roll over in your deep slumber while they are busy feeding, you may accidentally crush some of the blood-filled bugs hence staining your bed. Sometimes, however, you may crush open bugs crawling about on your bed resulting to stain pillowcase and pajamas.

In Addition to the blood stains, you may also notice some other less pronounced stains on your bed originating from Bedbug pee. This is how these predatory insects disregard you even after getting nourished. Research suggests that Bedbugs defecate (poo) as soon as they are full.

Stains resulting from Bedbug faces are deeper and look like that from a markers pen. As you roll over In your sleep these stains sink deeper into your sheets and mattress forming a background stain that is hard to notice if you are not keen.

You can also find Fecal stains around Bedbug hideouts including, tiny weld pockets in your bed.

3. Bedbug shed and Eggs Shells

Despite causing you havoc in your sleep, bedbugs are still insects and like all insects, they occasionally molt (shedding off exoskeleton). A Bedbug will molt for about five times before it reaches its final adult size (0.25″). So, while cleaning your house you might come across brown exoskeletons that are oval in shape.

Even if you have never seen a bug before, their light-colored empty cast skins are easy to identify. The molts may range in sizes and are common around their hideouts. However, bedbugs cast skin is usually very light and can be blown about; so you should never rely on them to locate a Bugs harborage.

Eggshells are another key symptom that your house is harboring Bedbugs. Well, these shells are quite small but can still visible with naked eyes. Bedbug’s eggshells approximately measure about 1mm in length, so I would advise you to consider using a magnifying glass when looking for them.

However, with a dried out casting; you may easily confuse them with live bedbug eggs were it not for their less shiny look and flattened shape. Mostly d will find eggshells around their hiding places including rough fabric and wood surfaces.

4. Possible Smell

Well, relying on the smell to evaluate a bedbug invasion is somehow tricky. Here you must be very keen, your nose should be hyper-sensitive and trust your instinct. Never ignore that mild wave of a musty odor assuming it’s from your wet towel.

Bedbugs communicate with each other through secreting strong chemical substances called pheromones. In their early stages you may miss the smell but as the population increases over time the smell becomes stronger. So if you find your bedroom with a dirty locker like smell makes sure to do some bedbug inspection

Why Hire a Professional Exterminator?

So, some people ignorantly think that since bedbugs are tiny they can personally get rid of them. Well, you can actually eliminate these insects, however, with little knowledge about these elusive insects the whole process may be a gamble. So, I would advise you to consider hiring a professional exterminator.
Let’s us look at some of the reasons why you need to hire a professional Bedbug buster

1. Knowledgeable

First of all, a professional exterminator is experienced and highly knowledgeable about this blood-sucking insects. As an ordinary person, you are 80% more likely to wrongly apply insecticides than an expert. A professional also has a wide collection of experience on various bedbug hideouts and laying areas which ensures both the live bugs and eggs are thoroughly sprayed.
Secondly a professional will spay using strong potent pesticides to completely exterminate these insects, unlike an ordinary homeowner who may use any toxin for the task.

2. It is Safer

With some pesticides highly toxic using excess amounts can be dangerous. However, a specialist knows exactly what amount to use and where exactly to spray. Additionally, with no safety garments and hardly any training, you may inhale the lethal toxic fumes which can cause health problems. So with a professional exterminator, your health is not at risk.

If you hire a professional exterminator is also more effective, saves on precious time and lastly it is cheaper.

So that all you need to learn about bedbugs. I hope you have enjoyed reading through our article. hit our inbox and let us know your thoughts.