Bed Bug Identification: How To Identify A Bed Bug Infestation

Bed bugs are parasitic insects that feed on human blood and on other domestic animals and pets. Many people never realize they have them at home until the population becomes an established infestation.

A bed bug infestation is characterized by:

1. a pungent smell

An unpleasant odor described as a cloying smell of moldy shoes is associated with an established infestation, so it’s not the best sign of a recent infestation.

2. Physical evidence

The best sign of a bed bug infestation is physical evidence of the bugs. The annoying insect is very distinctive and can be seen with the naked eye. It is a small wingless insect about the size of an apple seed. The insect is reddish-brown in color and has a flat-oval structure.

Adult is 1/4 to 3/8 inch long when unfed. The upper surface of its body has a fragile, wrinkled accordion appearance. After feeding, its body swells and elongates and the color changes to bright red.

As the insect digests its food over a few days, its body flattens out and becomes darker in color. A nymph is like the adult except for its size and color. The newly hatched nymph is translucent in color, changing to a darker color after feeding.

Eggs are white in color and about 1/3 inch long. Eggs have a sticky coating that allows them to stick to the surface they are laid on. The eggs are tiny and about the size of a few grains of salt and are not visible to the naked eye.

discard the skins

Each bed bug goes through 5 immature stages (instars). This means that the insect has to shed its exoskeleton 5 times before it becomes a fertile adult. The nymphs have to consume a blood meal in order to moult and grow to the next life stage. During molding, the nymph sheds its outer skin (exoskeleton).

In an established infestation, there are hundreds of discarded skins where the insects aggregate. The exoskeleton has the same shape as the bed bug. There will be different sizes depending on the life stage of the molded nymph.

Discarded skins are found in areas where pests aggregate in groups. They are usually found in the mattress seam, behind the headboards, at ceiling wall junctions, along skirting boards, in personal belongings and other shelters.

the shelter

A bed bug harborage is characterized by dark fecal stains, usually found along the mattress seam and tag, on the wooden frame of the box spring, along the headboard, along the top the baseboard, the edge of the carpet, behind tapestries and ceiling and wall joints, in electrical outlets and in curtain seams.

The shelter contains adult and juvenile bed bugs, shed skins, eggs, eggshells, and droppings. German cockroach droppings are similar to bed bug droppings, so be careful during inspection.

The only way to tell the difference is to look for additional evidence (eg nymphs and eggs) in the area. Another way to tell them apart is to touch the fecal stains. Bed bug droppings have a smooth feel (dry liquid food) while German cockroach droppings have a granular feel because they contain solid waste.

Look for additions along the mattress seam, in tufts and under mattress tags, behind the headboard, inside screw holes, wood folds in the box spring or bed frame, where the bed frame fabric stapled to wood frame, behind loose wallpaper and peeling paint, under base of air conditioner, behind baseboards, along inside frame of cabinet doors, inside heaters from baseboards, on personal items, books, stuffed animals, picture frames, other wall hangings, and many other places.

Blood stains found on the sheets and pillowcases are helpful signs. It can be very difficult to prevent an infestation because the pests can be carried around quite easily.

3. Symptoms of bite

Symptoms can be good indicators that bed bugs have bitten you, but they do not guarantee that you have an infestation. People react differently to bites, and sometimes there is a delayed reaction to bites.

Let’s imagine you stayed in a hotel and you were bitten by the plague and the symptoms appeared after you returned home. This does not mean that you have an infestation at home.

Conversely, you may have a bed bug infestation at home, but only discovered the infestation after it became established. One of the reasons for this is that you don’t react to the bites.

Bite symptoms do not always mean that you have been bitten by bed bugs because bites from mosquitoes and other insects are sometimes mistaken for bed bug bites. There are key differences to distinguish the two.

A. Discoloration of the skin at the onset of the bite (mosquitoes, yes; bedbugs, no).

b. The bites appear in groups of 3 (mosquitoes, no; bedbugs, yes).

against Raised wheal at the beginning of the bite (mosquitoes, yes; bedbugs, no).

d. Rash from the bite (mosquitoes, yes; insects, no).

my. Itching at the beginning of the bite (mosquitoes, yes; bedbugs, no).

F. Bites take hours or days to appear (mosquitoes, no; bedbugs, yes).

gram. Most bites appear on the upper torso (mosquitoes, no; bedbugs, yes).

The mosquito bite is surrounded by redness with a raised white center. The diameter of a mosquito bite can be very large compared to bed bug bites. Bed bug bites don’t always itch because people’s immune systems react differently to the proteins in the insect’s saliva.

If you keep waking up with bite marks that weren’t there the night before you went to sleep, it may indicate that you have an infestation. Although bites do not guarantee that you have bed bugs in your home, symptoms of bites are the first clues that suggest an infestation.

Because a person’s reaction to bites varies and bites may not be caused by the target pest, you should look for other signs such as droppings, shed skins, eggs, eggshells, and live bed bugs.

Bed bug infestations are quite common. There are infestation corridors at airports, suggesting a link between travel and the spread of pests. If you are exposed, you can bring them home and have a problem. Be proactive. Don’t wait until you have an infestation to take action. Act now.