How To Tell If Your Bradenton Home Has A Bed Bug Problem

Bed bugs are tiny. Really tiny. But they're not so tiny that you can't see them. When a bed bug hatches, it is about 1mm long. That's about the size of an apple seed. At full size, it will be about 4.5 mm long. If you uncover a location where bed bugs are breeding, you will see these insects. They're likely to be grouped together in a space that is the size of your thumbnail. In this space, you'll see bed bugs in several stages of development, from tiny nymphs to adults. You should also find shed skins, tiny white eggs, black fecal stains, and brown blood stains. Breeding sites can be found between your mattress and boxspring, or under the cushion of a couch. But it is rare to find bed bugs this way. Here's what you need to know about bed bug detection in Bradenton.

Bed Bugs Prefer Tight Spaces

bed bug in home

The compressed area between a mattress and a boxspring may not be enough for bed bugs. They may choose to get into the tight crease in the seam around a mattress. In this tight, hidden location, it can be very difficult to detect bed bugs or the other evidence listed above. We recommend dragging a credit card along seams and cracks. This can bring bugs, eggs, and skins to the surface.

Bed Bugs Prefer Darkness

If you hope to see a bed bug, you need to look in dark places. A bed bug might come out of a tight crease or crevice on the inside of a piece of luggage, stored in a dark closet. When you open a closet door and open a piece of luggage, you could see bed bugs run for cover. But you'll have more success at night with a flashlight.

Bed Bugs Love Beds

While your bed is far from the only place bed bugs will hide, it is a good place to inspect first. As you inspect your bed, be aware that these insects won't make your task easy. You can inspect all your bedding, sheets, pillowcases, mattress seams, box spring seams, and the compressed space between your mattress and box spring, and not find a single sign of bed bugs, yet have bed bugs hiding in the frame of your bed. Check every inch of your frame and inspect crevices with a tool that can bring them out of hiding.

Bed Bug Warning Signs

When bed bugs feed, they do a couple of things that are gross to think about, but important to understand. Bed bugs push out excrement and blood. The excrement of a bed bug is black. It may appear as specks, or soak into fabrics and look like a blotch. Blood stains may accompany black fecal stains or be by themselves. Keep in mind that the blood stains are likely to be brown by the time you see them. Inspecting your bedding, sheets, pillowcase, and furniture fabrics can uncover these warning signs and alert you to bed bugs hiding in your home.

Bed Bug Bites

If bed bugs are feeding on you or someone else in your home, it is important that you recognize the bites early. Here are a few characteristics to help you tell bed bug bites from other bites:

  • A bed bug will feed multiple times. Most of the time, three is the magic number.

  • Bites from one bed bug will be in a row or slight zig-zag.

  • Bites from several bed bugs will be isolated to one area because bed bugs feed together.

  • A bed bug bite can be a small, itchy bump, or a big, painful welt.

  • A rash is associated with bed bug bites, but is not always present.

  • Bites will usually occur on skin that is exposed during the night.

  • Bites tend to be toward the head because bed bugs are attracted to carbon dioxide emissions.

I have bed bugs, now what?

If you find bed bugs, contact Keller's Pest Control for assistance in Bradenton. These insects are difficult to exterminate, and ineffective pest control treatments can make your problem worse. Our licensed pest professionals use advanced methods and products to ensure complete eradication of these insects. Reach out to us for immediate assistance.