Bed bugs are one of the trickiest pests to deal with since most people don’t even know they have them in their homes until they notice the bites on their bodies. By the time those marks show up, the bed bugs have already made themselves at home, even if you’ve never laid eyes on them. This is because bed bugs usually only come out at night and hide the rest of the time.
That’s why many people who think they may have been invaded make an effort to learn
how to find bed bugs
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Chainsaws, fire and paranoia: my total bedbug meltdown - The Guardian
Two people that sleep in the same bed can be bitten by bugs and one might break out with red marks while the other might not.
That’s why that bug I found was so big. He’d been feasting on me for weeks but my skin hadn’t shown it. Did you know bedbugs inject an anesthetic into you, a numbing chemical, so when they do start sucking your blood, you don’t know?
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during the day. It can be a tricky task since these bugs are quite small, and find the best hiding spots in your home to prevent detection. Luckily, it isn’t impossible to figure out where they are if you’re willing to take the time to seek them out.
Though bed bugs don’t spend a lot of time out in the open, you can see them if you take the time to learn what they look like and discover their favorite hiding spaces. Bed bugs don’t really look like any other bugs, so they are easy to spot if you know what to look for.
These little pests are small, so you likely won’t spot them unless you’re actively trying to look for them. In fact, they are almost the same size and shape as an apple seed. They are even similar in color, ranging from light to dark brown in older bugs, while the younger ones are lighter in color and even smaller. Their shells darken as they age, so keep this in mind when searching for them.
Bed bugs also have a wide, oval-shaped body, though it is flat with a small midsection and a tiny head.
The reason many people believe that bed bugs are impossible to see with the human eye is that these pests rarely come out during the day. They only leave their hiding spots for meals, and since they feast on blood, it makes sense for them to come out when their food is immobile, meaning when we’re asleep. There are exceptions, of course. For instance, if you work nights and sleep during the day, the bed bugs will adjust their schedule to match yours.
Like bed bugs, the eggs these little critters lay are also visible, though they are harder to spot since most people have never actually seen one and don’t know what to look for when searching for them. They also don’t know where to find them since bed bugs are as good at hiding their eggs as they are themselves.
Bed bug eggs are almost the same size as a pinhead, with white or off-white coloring. They actually resemble little grains of rice, so they can be hard to spot on their own. Luckily, bed bugs lay their eggs in clusters, which makes it easier to see them if you make an effort to find where they’re laid.
The eggs aren’t laid out in the open either. Bed bugs hide them very carefully to keep them as protected as possible. They lay their eggs in areas that aren’t frequented by other insects to avoid the eggs getting eaten. They also keep them close, so if you decide to look for the eggs, it’s best to look in the same spots that you would look for adult bed bugs, like beneath your mattress or other common bed bug areas.
Whether or not you can find a bed bug when they’re hiding depends on where exactly they are. Bed bugs like to hide beneath mattresses, often along with the piping, so if they are in this area, you will likely be able to see them since half of their bodies will be inside the crack, and the other half will be peeking out.
The downside is that bed bugs also like to slip inside other cracks and crevices, which is easy for them to do since their bodies are so flat and wide. If they are inside these little cracks, you likely won’t be able to see them until they venture out.
You can also make this process easier on yourself by putting some bed bug traps around your home. The Bed Bug Blocker Pro traps are a popular choice since they can be placed beneath your bed’s legs and prevent those little bugs from getting into the mattress while keeping them from escaping into other hiding areas.
Bed bugs are rarely active during the day, which is why even those who have a bunch of them in their house don’t know it until the bites show up on their bodies. This is because bed bugs are photophobic, which means that they aren’t fond of the light. These little pests know that light brings other activity, making it easier for humans and predators to spot them and either kill or eat them.
They also know that their primary food source, being humans, is easier to feed off of when they are asleep. With the exception of those working night shifts, the majority of us sleep during the night, which gives the bugs hours of uninterrupted feeding time. Then they will spend the daytime digesting their meal and preparing for the next night’s feeding time.
The main areas that bed bugs like to hide are in your mattress and around your bed, but they have been known to spread out to other areas of your bedroom and the rest of your house. This means that your infestation may be larger than you expect it to be since you’ve likely never even seen one of those nasty little critters in your home. If you suspect you have bed bugs or are just taking precautions, there are a few places you should check out.
The most popular place for bed bugs to congregate is beneath your mattress since this keeps them hidden during the day and keeps them close to their food source at night. If you want to find them, this is the first place to start your search.
The best way to do this is to remove the sheets from your bed and place them into a plastic bag or right into your washing machine to avoid spreading those pests around your home. Check out the sides of your mattress for dead bugs, discarded shells, little bloodstains, or black spots of fecal matter.
Next, gently lift each side of your mattress, checking carefully around the piping along the edges and corners where the bugs like to hide. You can also lift the mattress completely to check the middle, though they prefer to stay on the edges. Do so carefully to avoid scattering the bugs. Check these areas for the same signs as on the sides of the mattress.
Mattresses are bed bugs a favorite place to hide, but there are other areas they will frequent. These are usually within six feet of your bed, which makes your other bedroom furniture fair game for these pests. This is especially true for anything made of wood since this material has small cracks and joints that these bugs can squeeze into.
To find them, check those little crevices on the furniture, in your walls, or even in your carpeting. You can also look in any drawers, both inside and underneath, as well as the gaps around them. They may even be hiding beneath the furniture in your bedroom.
Of course, if you haven’t found any bed bugs in your mattress, you likely won’t find any in your other bedroom furniture either since the mattress is always their first choice for a hiding spot.
If you have found some bed bugs or the signs they leave behind in your bedroom, you may want to check out the other furniture in your home. You may also want to peek into the furniture you bring into your home, especially if you’re buying used pieces.
The couch is a good place to start. Remove the cushions if possible, checking along with the piping or zippers as well as the rest of the cushion. You can even remove the cover and wash it to be extra safe. Check the areas around the cushions as well. Flip the couch over and look around the wood or metal frame for signs of bed bugs.
Even if you don’t find any, it’s a good idea to be cautious. Bed bug traps are great for your other furniture, as well as your bed. The ShieldFlex TruGuard X Bed Bug Interceptors are a great choice since they fit beneath couch legs as well as bed legs and have an extra-thick base for long-lasting protection.
Bed bugs can be hard to spot since they prefer to keep their activities hidden, only coming out at night to feed on their unsuspecting prey. This doesn’t mean that they are impossible to spot, especially if you make an effort to learn how to find bed bugs during the day. Knowing what they look like and the signs they leave behind are the first step to locating these little beasts.
Of course, once you find them, you likely want to remove them from your home as quickly as possible. You can use bed bug powder and bed bug heaters to kill these pests, but you do need to be careful that you don’t accidentally scatter them throughout the rest of your home. For the best results, professional help is the way to go.
