How to Identify Bed Bugs in Your Home

Bed bugs in Arizona are the stuff of nightmares. You hear about them taking over hotels and apartment buildings on the news, and the owners don’t seem to be able to get rid of them, despite their best efforts. The thought of them getting into your home seems terrifying. Not only would you shiver at the thought of bed bugs dining on your flesh while you try to get a restful sleep, but you dread the uphill battle that would be trying to get them out of your home.

Before you panic, you need to know if you’re actually dealing with bed bugs. Unfortunately, there are a lot of things that could bite you in your sleep. You need to know what you’re dealing with to know how to get rid of it. Here’s what you need to know to identify bed bugs:

Adult Bed Bugs

Adult bed bugs will be the easiest to identify. Typically, they will be about the size of an apple seed, so they will be easy to see. These bugs are shaped a bit like a balloon, with a round body and a smaller head. Most bugs will be a brownish color, but some are closer to red.

Besides their appearance, adult bed bugs can also be identified by their smell. When a group of them are together, they can smell a bit musty. If your room has not been cleaned well recently, you may have a hard time distinguishing that smell from other smells in the room. For example, if you have a guest room that is mostly unused, there may be a musty smell even if there are no bed bugs.

Young Bed Bugs

Younger bed bugs are a bit harder to identify since they are smaller, but you can spot them if you know what you are looking for. What makes younger bed bugs harder to spot is that they are translucent or sometimes white or yellow. Bed bugs take on their color from the blood they feed on, which is why the adults are brown and red. If younger bed bugs have not recently fed, they can be essentially invisible against your white mattress.

You should use a magnifying glass to look for bed bugs. It will help you spot those younger bed bugs that blend in more easily.

Eggs

The presence of eggs means the presence of adult bed bugs. Even if you can’t find any bugs, you may be able to spot some bed bug eggs, which can tell you that you have a problem.

As you might suspect, bed bug eggs are very tiny. They are usually about the size of a pin head. They are also white, which is going to make them hard to spot against your mattress. But as they mature, they will develop a small brown or black mark, or an “eye” spot. That spot can make them easier to identify.

Other Tips

The best place to search for bed bugs is along the seams of your mattress. Bed bugs will hide out inside your mattress during the day, and they will congregate along those seams. You may see bugs there, or you may see signs that they have been there, such as their feces or their eggs. Tiny rust-like marks could be blood or bug feces.

Another sign that you may have bed bugs is the appearance of a rash or bites on your body. This may be the first clue that you have a problem, and then you would need to investigate your mattress more closely.

The best way to identify bed bugs if you suspect you have them is to call in an experienced pest control expert in AZ. The professionals know exactly how to identify bed bugs and how to root them out of their hiding spot. A good pest control technician in Phoenix will find the bugs quickly and will then offer solutions to get rid of them quickly, as well.

If you suspect that you have bed bugs, call Varsity Termite and Pest Control. We offer comprehensive pest services in the Phoenix area. Our expert technicians will identify the bed bugs if they are there, as well as any other pests that may be present. We’ll then present you with a tailored pest control plan that will make your home the safe haven it once was. Call us in Arizona today to schedule an inspection.

Published By:

Varsity Termite and Pest Control – Gary Dobert
6056 E Baseline Rd #122
Mesa, AZ85206

Office: 602-757-8252
Website: https://varsitytermiteandpestcontrol.com