If you even vaguely suspect that you are sharing your home or office with bed bugs, please do not ignore it. In this article, we highlight the five main tell-tale signs, to give you a fighting chance to detect them. Failing that, a near 100%-accurate detection solution is on hand in the Lower Mainland and it will not cost you as half as much as you may think.
Warning sign number one: strange bites
Lots of bugs, insects and various other critters like to bite humans. They do this not because they are sadistic little (insert your own expletive) swines, but because our blood is a rich source of food. Many bites look identical and therefore, it is not always obvious that a bite is from a bed bug, a mite, a spider, a mosquito, or any other number of blood-thirsty suckers.
However, don’t fall into the trap many people make of dismissing them and waiting for them to stop itching and clear up. Bed bug bites are small but very itchy. Once bitten, a bite can sometimes lay dormant and take a few days to show up; indeed, some people have no reaction at all. Bed bug bites tend to stick around for a week or two longer than most other insect bites.
In terms of what to look out for, they are generally very small and often manifest in groupings of three or more. They look like small bumps that itch and swell if scratched.
Warning sign number two: tiny red dots on your bed sheets
When a bed bug bites you are unaware, blissfully asleep as it takes a midnight snack on your body. Your minuscule open wound will seep blood on your bed sheet. Think of your bedding as an oversized napkin. Sometimes you may roll over before the bed bug has finished dining, leaving a larger reddish or brown stain on your sheet. However, you won’t notice it if you don’t actively look for it.
Warning sign number three: An odd new smell
Although not always noticeable, and usually only due to a large infestation, bed bugs do let-off their own uniquely nasty smell. It can best be described as a musty, sometimes-sweet odor. Some people think they smell like berries. Much like stink bugs, bed bugs give off different smells to different people, some have even said that like stink bugs, they detect a smell of cilantro.
Warning sign number four: discarded shells and poop
Like some crustaceans such as crabs, bed bugs shed their exoskeletons. They can do so up to five times during their lifetime. When they do, the old, discarded casing will be yellowy/brownish. However, not content with exfoliating themselves on your bed and other soft furnishings, they think nothing of going to the bathroom there too. While their poop is unsurprisingly tiny, if you look close enough, sometimes you will see very small dark brown stains the size of pinheads.
Warning sign number five: discoloured electrical sockets and wall cavities
Bed bugs don’t always live in beds and soft furnishings. Sometimes, they will hide away in wall cavities, electrical sockets, and old electrical devices.
It is not always obvious to the naked eye, sometimes their presence in such places can be detected if you know what you are looking for. For example, discoloured brown-stained cavities and sockets may be a telltale sign that bed bugs are present.
If you suspect, seek an expert opinion…man’s best friend
Whilst the above five early warning signs serve to educate and arm you with information to help determine the presence of bed bugs, each alone, or sadly, even combined, are no guarantee that you have a bed bug infestation.
The only sure-fire way to determine whether you are sharing your home or office with bed bugs is to employ a professional pest controller to undertake a bed bug inspection. By far the most accurate assessment will come from a K9 bed bug detection service provider.
A highly sensitive canine nose which has been specially-trained to detect bed bug presence offers by far the most accurate and reliable reading. When it comes to K9 bed bug detection in the Lower Mainland, Spot On K9 Detection is the premier contractor as our owner Marcos Michelet was the first pest controller in western Canada to train and utilize bed bug sniffer dogs way back at the turn of the century.
To book for a canine bed bug inspection, simply call Marcos in the Lower Mainland 778-855-6768 or send him a message.
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