One of the nasty and vexing creatures are the bed bugs. To the ‘untrained eye’, the bites of the bed bugs could be confused with that of the other insects. From itchy red welts to black spots, rust spits and musty odor; are some of the most common signs that tell the presence of ‘bed bug’ infestation.
Unlike the blood-suckers or mosquitoes, the bed bugs inject a numbing agent before biting. Each of the bugs feeds about 10 to 15 minutes per week before they return back to their ‘hiding place’. The most common sign of a bite from the bed bugs are the ‘splotchy welts’ that appear in a zigzag pattern. You have to look out for specific signs and symptoms to be assured that there are no bed bugs in your house.
Here are the 5 signs to watch out for in order to be assured there are no bed bugs present in your house.
- No Itchy Red Bites: You would not be assured that there are bed bugs in your home unless they leave their impression. One of the prominent signs to be confirmed of the presence of bed bugs in your home is the appearance of red, flat welts in small clusters or zigzag manner on your skin. They could even leave their marks as bites in ‘straight rows’. They do not spread diseases but their bites are annoying which can lead to infection and bleeding on scratching.
- No Blood Stains on the Pillows or Bed sheets: After feeding and being crushed on their way to the hiding place, the bed bugs would leave red blood stains on the pajamas, mattresses, pillowcases and bed sheets. You must carefully examine these blood smears as they might look like something else.
- No Black Spots: To be confirmed that there are no bedbugs in your home, you must watch out for the black spots. The black spots are basically the droppings of the bed bugs and they appear like pencil marks. You must check out for these marks on your sheets, mattresses, bed frames and box springs.
- No Offensive Odor: One of the key signs to look out for while detecting the ‘bed bug’ infestation is the musty odor they emit. The odor is similar to a wet towel and is mistaken usually for mold smell. If there is a musty and foul odor in the bedroom, it could be due to the presence of bed bugs.
- No Signs of Molting: The bed is the place to check out for bed bugs. Apart from leaving blood stains that appear as ‘rust spots’ on the bed sheets, the bugs leave other signs on the bed to confirm their presence. One such sign is their tiny brown oval exoskeletons. You can come across their shed skin while doing your bed. The bed bugs are known to molt a couple of times when they are maturing and they leave around their exoskeletons all over the bed.
These are the signs to watch out for to be assured your bed is not infested with bed bugs. The absence of the above-mentioned signs would confirm the absence of bed bugs in your home.
