Bed bugs bites are difficult to identify as they appear similar to other insect bites. However, this article will tell you more on bed bugs, signs and symptoms of their bites as well as infestation.
Bed bugs, are small, oval insects with reddish-brown bodies that feed on human blood. They are tiny enough to live in the crevices of walls and furniture. Therefore, bed bug infestation is very commonly found in many households. During the day, bed bugs stay hidden in their abodes and become active only at night when they bite human beings and suck their blood. Therefore, it is difficult to detect the presence of bed bugs at home until and unless any visible signs are noticed.
Bed Bug Bites
As mentioned above, it is difficult to distinguish bed bug bites from other insect bites. However, it is a sure bed bug sign if a person complains of being bitten at night or experiences irritation on skin. The other signs and symptoms include:
- Red spots
- Hard and slightly raised spots
- Itchiness
- Red spots can be found all over the body
- Spots are often in linear manner
If you observe any bed bug bites on your body, you should apply calamine or anti-inflammatory lotion on it to soothe the irritation. Although a bed bug bite can cause a lot of discomfort, it is not known to cause any serious harm. Bedbugs are not carriers of any infectious disease, nor they are known to transmit any such disease in human beings. However, persistent bed bug bite can result in allergies or an allergy like reaction on the body. Therefore, it is essential to get rid of bed bugs as early as possible.
Tips to Get Rid of Bed Bugs
Bed bugs multiply very quickly, making it difficult for people to get rid of them. The female bed bug lays 5 eggs every day and around 500 in her lifetime. Also, as the bugs live in smaller cracks in the walls, or crevices in the furniture; locating and killing them becomes a tedious task.
You should look for tiny blood spots that they trail with them on mattresses or near walls; or you can look for minute white spots which are actually their eggs. One should also note that bed bugs can be found on the bodies of pets and hence, pets should be washed and cleaned regularly. On the other hand, here are a few effective measures that help in getting rid of bed bugs at home.
- Using pesticides is the best method of getting rid of bed bugs from furniture and carpets. You should spray pesticides into the cracks of the walls and floors to kill bugs.
- Carpets should be cleaned with a steam cleaner as the hot steam kills the bugs as well as their eggs.
- If you find bed bugs in a clothes’ closet, take out all the clothes and wash them with hot water. It is also advisable to let the clothes dry in sunlight.
- In order to get rid of bed bugs from luggage, you need to keep the luggage in direct sunlight for a couple of hours.
- If you wish to prevent the bed bugs from reappearing, you should seal all the cracks in the walls and vacuum the carpets, mats and furniture regularly.
- Lastly, if none of these methods help, you can always ask help from specialists in pest control.
It is essential to identify bed bugs signs in order to soothe the irritation as well as treat their infestation. It is advisable to treat the problem without delay, before it gets out of control!