Bed bugs are one of the most commonly misidentified or unidentified pests in America. Oftentimes, homeowners will mistake bed bugs for another insect or will fail to see them entirely due to their small nature. These pests are parasitic hitchhikers in the sense that, similarly to fleas and ticks, they catch a free ride into your home on things like used furniture or on your person or belongings after you've stayed at a hotel, and then they never leave.
Bed bugs survive on your blood and will feed on you, or any other warm-blooded mammal, while you sleep, allowing them to multiply and infest your home with the swiftest of ease. In short, no one is safe from their bites and it is surprisingly easy for San Diego homeowners to have a bed bug infestation and not know it. If this is the case, you may be wondering how to tell if you have a bed bug problem. Let's take a look.
How To Spot A Bed Bug
Bed bugs will infest anything in your home that they can, though they prefer places like beds, old sofas, and clothing. That said, some of the key physical characteristics that you should look for in order to identify bed bugs:
Size: Bed bugs are minuscule, measuring approximately ¼ of an inch while their nymphs are even smaller. You may need a magnifying glass to spot them.
Shape: Throughout the course of a bed bug’s life, they will resemble an apple seed and may even be confused with ticks. Bed bugs are ovular in shape in adulthood, while during the larvae period, they resemble white crusty matter. Needless to say, San Diego homeowners could easily mistake a bed bug's eggs for paint chippings or other pests' fecal matter.
Color: Bed bugs have a distinct reddish-brown coloring that makes them distinct from other nuisance pests.
Location: As one could assume from their name, bed bugs do thrive in the bedroom, primarily in mattresses. They also like secondhand furniture such as sofas, chairs, and ottomans, and secondhand appliances like microwave ovens and toasters. If you spot bugs around any of these areas andthey fit the physical characteristics of bed bugs, it is most likely that bed bugs are what you are dealing with.
How To Know If You Have Bed Bugs In Your San Diego Home
Because bed bugs are so commonly mistaken for other pests or are ignored altogether due to their secretive nature and small size, it's important for San Diego homeowners to understand how they might identify an issue if one were to arise.
A few things to look for to determine if bed bugs have taken over your home are:
Bites: If you have been bitten by a bed bug, you will know it. Their bites usually result in red welts that are uncomfortable and very itchy. Furthermore, bed bugs tend to leave a high count of bites in a pattern such as a straight line, unlike many other pests.
Staining: Any reddish-brown staining on mattresses or furniture may mean that you have had bed bugs that have been squished, which may imply that there are more around.
Seeing a bed bug: The presence of bed bugs themselves or their eggs most likely means that you already have an infestation.
Excrement: Bed bugs will leave tiny fecal matter that resembles small pellets. Their excrement is even smaller than they are but is still visible to humans.
Bed bugs are not a pest to handle yourself. An infestation is very difficult to remove and it is not a time for do-it-yourself methods; you will need to partner with a San Diego pest control expert. At the first sign of bed bugs, call the professionals at HomeShield Pest Control right away for effective bed bug extermination services.