The last thing anyone wants to find out is that they have bed bugs. They also don’t want to see them in hotel rooms when they are on vacations. These yucky bugs live for sucking the blood of people and animals, and they hide in mattresses, waiting for their opportunity to feed. If you wake up in the morning and find bites from an unknown source, it is a possibility that there are bed bugs in your home. But, not all bites are from bed bugs. If you have pets, there could be fleas in the home. Mosquitoes get inside when doors and windows are open. It is important to find out what is biting you in order to use the best treatment to get rid of insects.
If you think you may have bed bugs, it is time to go on the hunt to see if your suspicions are correct. You will need a flashlight, a magnifying glass, a zip-lock baggie or other type of sealable container, tweezers or a paint brush, gloves, a knife, and a can of compressed air. Using these tools, you can start looking to see if you have these gross bugs in your home by following these steps:
Look All Around the Bed – Bed bugs don’t just hang around in your bed. They can also be found in many other areas around the bedroom. Experienced Bed Bug Finders look all around and inside the night table, inside dresser drawers, and even in the crevices of lamps, lampshades, and alarm clocks. Be sure to look on and behind picture frames, as well as around the baseboard heater and in electrical outlets. Bed bugs also like to hang out around curtains, and in cracks in walls. It is best to do a complete inspection of the entire room, including all furniture.
Catch Bed Bugs in the Act – Set an alarm before bedtime so you wake up about an hour before dawn. This is the best time to catch bed bugs while they are hunting for your blood. Use your flashlight and look for movement in the bedding, staying perfectly still the whole time. If you move, bed bugs will scatter and hide, and you won’t be able to find them. You may have to do this a few times before you see anything, because bed bugs often only feed once a week or so.
Look at Your Bedding – Dark spots or reddish stains on bedding is a good sign that you have bed bugs. The red stains are your blood that has stained the bed after you were bitten. Dark spots could be bed bug eggs, dead bed bugs, bed bug feces, and shed skin. Be sure to inspect all areas of the sheets, as well as the piping around the mattress and where fitted sheets are tucked in. You should also move the mattress to see if there is any sign of bed bugs on the box spring. Look closely at the corners, especially beneath the corner guards. Look around and behind the headboard, and between joints in the wood.
Look at Your Bites – Bites from bed bugs are usually found on the arms and shoulders. They are red, and will be very itchy. Bed bug bites are usually found in a straight line and not scattered.
If at first you don’t succeed with your bed bug hunt, don’t give up. This is especially important if you have bites and you have eliminated other sources of the bites. Inspect daily for at least a week or two to know for sure if you have bed bugs. If you discover bed bugs in the home, you can then take the proper steps to get rid of them.
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