Bed bugs can lurk in the crevices throughout your home without you even realizing it. These little critters are about a quarter-inch in length, flat, and reddish-brown. While they don’t always leave marks, knowing how to recognize bed bug markings is important.
Otherwise, you could have a major infestation without realizing it.
Female bed bugs can lay up to 200 eggs in their lifetime. After a meal, they can become 200% larger in weight. Learning how to spot bed bugs quickly can ensure you eradicate them before they snack on your entire family.
Keep reading to discover the five major tips to spotting bed bugs you’ll need to keep them from taking over your home!
1. Check Your Bedding
First, take a look at your bedsheets. Bed bug markings will leave dark stains against your sheets. While these little creatures are small, they can leave a mess in their wake.
Look for small stains that are reddish in color. You might also notice tiny spots on your pillowcase or sheets. These markings will look like marker stains.
As you use these tips for spotting bed bugs, make an effort to check your sheets regularly. You might wake up one morning and notice your sheets spotted with these stains. If you do, you’ll want to look for an actual bed bug or its eggs next.
If you notice these bloodstains, there’s a chance you killed a bug while you were sleeping.
Casings and Eggs
Look for small flakes on your bed. A bed bug’s casings usually appear oval, brown, and very small. These casings might appear before many of the other bed bug markings we’ll discuss.
If you start seeing these flakey casings, it means the bed bugs are eating, growing, and shedding. As a bed bug grows, it has to shed its skin, leaving casings behind. Tracking the bed bug’s casings will make it easier for you to spot them.
You can differentiate a bed bug’s casings from another creature’s if they appear light and see-through. You might notice shells as well. A bed bug’s shells indicate the bed bugs are fully matured.
As you begin noticing bed bug markings, you could also recognize small eggs in your bedding as well. If there are only shells leftover, it means the bed bugs have hatched and likely spread.
These eggs will appear oblong and either white or semi-transparent. You might compare them to a grain of rice. Look for a cluster of eggs as you search your bedding for signs of bed bugs.
2. Smell the Air
As you work through these steps to spotting bed bugs, take a deep breath. Do you notice an unfamiliar, musty scent? That odor could indicate you have bed bugs throughout your home.
Why do bed bugs smell, exactly? Namely, you’ll notice this scent as the bed bugs begin releasing pheromones. The more bed bugs in your home, the stronger the smell will become.
Many people compare this smell to a pile of wet towels. After cleaning your home, you might still recognize this musty odor. If that’s the case, there’s a chance you have bed bugs.
You don’t have to remove these bed bugs alone. Instead, consider trusting an experienced bed bug specialist. They’ll help you recognize the signs of bed bugs in your home.
Then, their prevention techniques will ensure those bugs stay gone.
3. Search Your Skin
As you learn how to spot bed bugs, don’t forget to check your own skin. Bed bugs are nocturnal creatures; they come out at night for a snack. If you wake up in the morning with red bites and bumps on your skin, there’s a chance you have bed bugs.
You won’t only receive these bites while you’re sleeping, though. Bed bugs might also decide to feast on your blood while you’re driving or on a plane.
Sometimes, they won’t even bite. Instead, they’ll latch on for a ride and wait until you arrive at home.
Spotting bed bugs is a lot easier if you know what to look for. Most bites will look similar to mosquito bites, but smaller. You might notice that the bites appear in a straight line, too.
Not everyone has a reaction from bed bites, though. While you notice these bites on your skin, a family member might not. Don’t forget to check everyone’s bedsheets just in case.
4. Know Where Else to Look
There are a few other places you can look for bed bugs. For example, they might sneak into your luggage after a trip. There’s a chance they’ll cling onto your clothes after you visit a friend’s house, too.
If you’re looking throughout your home, make sure to check the seams of your mattress and between couch cushions. Bed bugs might also hide:
- Within the crevices of your box spring or headboard
- Between chair cushions
- Around cushions
- In drawer joints
- Within electrical outlets
- Inside wall voids
The next time you stay at a hotel, complete a quick inspection before you crawl into bed for the night. In the past five to seven years, more bed bugs have appeared in homes and hotels. Do you notice any dark stains or casings?
You can use the SLEEP method when looking for bed bugs, too.
First, survey the rooms for signs of an infestation. Lift the bed to look for bed bugs that are hidden away. Elevate your luggage away from the bed.
Examine your luggage when you’re packing to leave. Then, place your clothing in the wash as soon as you get home.
Are you planning on buying secondhand furniture? Make sure to use these tips for spotting bed bugs before you bring any furniture into your home, too.
5. You Found a Bed Bug
It helps to know what a bed bug looks like, too. A full-grown bed bug is still small, but visible to the naked eye. If you find a bed bug, it might appear the size of an apple seed.
It will likely appear reddish-brown.
If you’re unsure about whether or not you have bed bugs, it pays to have an expert take a look.
Did You Find Any of These Bed Bug Markings?
Keep those bed bugs out! Now that you know which bed bug markings to search for, take a look around your home. Taking a proactive approach will keep the bugs from spreading further.
Want to live comfortably in your own home again? You don’t have to handle these bed bugs alone. Instead, contact us today for a free quote.
