How to check for bed bugs

How to check for bed bugs | DIY Pest Control
March 8, 2022
How to check for bed bugs

Learn How To Find, Identify, And Eliminate Bed Bugs

Do you ever feel like you're sharing your bed with insects when you're trying to sleep? Chances are, you might be sharing your bed with some unwanted guests - bed bugs! Bed bugs are tiny, parasitic insects that feed on human blood. They can be challenging to detect and get rid of, so it's essential to know how to check for them. In this blog post, we will describe in detail how to check for bed bugs and how to get rid of these alarming nuisances if you find them. We'll help you stay safe and bug-free!

How To Check For Bed Bugs

The easiest method to check for bed bugs is visually inspecting your mattress and bed frame. Look for tiny, reddish-brown bugs that are about the size of an apple seed. Adult bed bugs are oval-shaped and can flatten their bodies to hide easily in hard-to-reach places around beds and mattresses. These pesky parasites are usually 1/8 inch to 1/2 inch.

Male bed bugs are larger than females, are elongated, and have a pointy tip on their abdomen. Females are slightly smaller and feature more rounded bodies. They can lay up to five eggs per day, and each egg will hatch in roughly 6 to 10 days.

When you know where to look, bed bugs are easy to spot with their distinctive appearance.

Quick Tips For Inspecting Bed Bug Infestations

One of the first things you need to know before hunting for bed bugs is how difficult they are to see with your naked eyes. Therefore, we recommend getting out a magnifying glass, as this will make the process much easier.

  • The first thing you'll want to do is declutter the suspected room. Bed bugs thrive in these cluttered environments. Just be sure not to spread the bugs to other rooms by moving infested clothing or bedding without adequately inspecting the items.
  • The younger the bed bugs are, the smaller and harder to find they will be.
  • Since bed bugs can travel between rooms in search of new bedding and hosts, it's crucial you look in any adjacent rooms as well.
  • You can find signs of bed bug activity by searching for fecal material spots, even if you don't immediately spot any bugs.
  • Inspect the entire room or rooms meticulously. Leave no stone unturned.
  • It's important to remember how it's easy to kill bed bugs but challenging to locate them.
  • Bed Bug Insecticide aerosols, such as PT 565 or Stryker 54, can not only immediately kill bed bugs but also greatly assist in flushing them out of hiding.

Places You'll Absolutely Want To Check

  • Appliances and electronic devices that are near the bed
  • Mattresses and box springs
  • Headboard, footboard, and bed frames (dismantle them)
  • Nearby furniture
  • Carpets and walls

Be sure to look in all the crevices of your mattress and around the seams. You can also use a magnifying glass to get a closer look. If you suspect that your home might have bed bugs, it's crucial to take action right away!

Bed bugs tend to thrive in cluttered rooms.

How To Get Rid of Bed Bugs

If you happen to find evidence of bed bugs on your mattress or bed frame, it's time to take action! There are multiple ways to rid your family of them, but we recommend using a combination of methods. Here are some tips:

- Use an insecticide aerosol such as PT565 or Stryker 54 to kill any bed bugs that are hiding.

- Steam clean your mattress and furniture. This will help kill any bed bugs or eggs that might be present.

- Vacuum your entire room, being sure to get into all the crevices and cracks. Dispose of the vacuum bag after use.

- Wash all of your bedding in hot water and dry on high heat for at least 30 minutes.

Remember, it's important to take action quickly if you think you have a bed bug infestation! The longer you wait, the more time-consuming and difficult it will be to get rid of them.

How To Prevent Bed Bug Infestations

Now that you know how to check for bed bugs and how to get rid of them, it's time to learn how to prevent them from coming back! First, you'll want to vacuum regularly and dispose of the vacuum bag after each use. By vacuuming regularly, you may be able to prevent any straggler bed bugs that happen to be on the floor from making their way back up into or near your bed. Additionally, suppose you have a vacuum cleaner like a Dyson that does not use vacuum bags. In that case, you'll want to inspect and clean the container meticulously. If your vacuum container allows for it, a rinse afterward with hot water or a steam cleaning would be beneficial.

Remember to keep up on regular furniture and mattress inspections for signs of bed bug activity. As much as possible, keep your bedroom neat, clean, and clutter-free. Bed bugs not only love this kind of messy environment, but they also thrive in it. It allows them to find more places to hide, rest, and reproduce. Don't give them any more excuses to hang around your room! If you keep a clean room, it'll also make it much easier to locate and eliminate bed bugs again in the future, should the need arise. Some companies offer mattress encasements, but the quality may vary, so it's a good idea to thoroughly research which option might work best for you. Ultimately, you're still going to need to take care of the bed bug infestation before you begin looking at mattress encasements.

Keep up on good laundry habits. You may be tempted to wear an outfit again if you've only briefly worn it. However, if you've been dealing with a bed bug infestation, it's best to toss any used clothing directly into your laundry basket. Also, it might be a good idea to leave your laundry basket out of the room until you've dealt with the bed bug problem. Wash your bedspreads, blankets, and bedsheets very regularly with hot water and heat-dry them as well. 

Inspect your luggage carefully when traveling

You can kill bed bugs with heat, but simply turning up your furnace won't do the trick. Bed bugs generally die at about 113 degrees Fahrenheit, making it nearly impossible to destroy them with just a thermostat adjustment.

When or if you dispose of furniture that has been infested by bed bugs, always make sure to destroy it thoroughly, so no one else will use it. You wouldn't want a neighbor taking your chair or mattress by the curb and then having to deal with the same problem! We recommend slashing or crushing any ruined furniture, if at all possible.

This is often overlooked, but if you travel, inspect your luggage carefully when you return home and wash all of your clothes very thoroughly in hot water. It's unfortunate, but hotels and accommodation rental homes may have bed bug problems you don't notice during your stay. So it's crucial that you don't pass on the issue to your own home!

By following these tips, you can help prevent bed bugs from infesting your home! Bed bugs are pesky creatures that nobody wants in their house. But with these tips, you can keep them at bay!

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