Five Signs Your Alexandria Home May Have A Bed Bug Problem

January 15, 2021 - Bed Bugs

Multiple bed bugs crawling on white fabric

Some people can sleep on concrete with noisy trains causing their whole home to shake every 30 minutes; others need complete silence, 500 thread count sheets, and a freshly washed nightgown to get to sleep. No matter where you fall between these two extremes, we can assume you don’t want to share your sleeping area with blood-feeding bed bugs. But how do you know if your home is infested with these pests? Here are five signs to use to find out if your Alexandria home has a bed bug problem.

Why Bed Bugs Are Hard To Identify

With most pests in Alexandria, all you have to do to identify them is catch one, take a closer look and type what you see into the internet. Identifying bed bugs is a bit more difficult, partially because of how challenging it is to catch one. Now, bed bugs aren’t fast, nor are they able to fly or jump.

The thing that makes bed bugs so elusive is their adept hiding abilities. When you are awake, bed bugs hide; when you are fast asleep, bed bugs come out to feed. It is as simple as that. Still, bed bug infestations are not impossible to identify as long as you know these signs.

Blood Stains

Bed bugs are sloppy eaters and often overindulge when feeding. This overindulgence often results in dribbled blood. Open cuts, scrapes, wounds, or blood spots appearing around your sleeping area is a good indication bed bugs are around.

Fecal Matter

After a bed bug finishes processing blood, it excretes reddish-black fecal matter from its body. This excrement is found around infested homes, along baseboards, around outlets, near cracks and crevices, and close to other areas bed bugs commonly hide.

Egg Castings

Bed bugs lay eggs around areas they hide. These eggs are pearl-white and are usually found inside cracks and crevices throughout infested homes. Specifically, check for eggs within the creases of your mattress and boxspring.

Bites

Bed bugs rarely bite just once but rather multiple times, taking a short break between feedings. To identify bed bug bites, look for raised red welts on your skin that run in a straight line or zig-zag pattern. We should mention that not everyone reacts to bed bug bites in the same way; over half of the people bitten have no visible reaction.

Live Bed Bugs

Finding a live bed bug inside your home is the clearest sign of an infestation. Although elusive, these small pests are not invisible. Identify a bed bug by its reddish-brown, oval-shaped, 3/16 to ¼ inch long body. When engorged with a blood meal, a bed bug takes on a redder appearance and can grow five times its normal size.

One thing you should know is that bed bugs do not just infest bedrooms, but rather entier homes. When inspecting your home for bed bugs, make sure to check every room thoroughly.

How To Eliminate Bed Bugs

If you suspect your home is infested with these pests, there is only one guaranteed solution to get bed bugs out fast, professional home pest control. At Matar Termite & Pest Control, we take pest prevention and elimination seriously.

This is why we only offer the most advanced treatments and hire highly trained and competent technicians. With all of our services, we make sure the job gets done right.