Bed bugs may be tiny, wingless creatures, but they can become a real nuisance if they start infesting your home. While they don’t necessarily bring about any diseases or infections, their bites can cause itchiness and discomfort. Bed bugs spread into infestations very quickly, so make sure to be aware.
Because they’re about the size of an apple seed, it can sometimes be hard to tell when bed bugs are present. In many cases, their bites can get mistaken for mosquito bites. But, like mosquitoes, bed bugs feed on blood, so there’s always the likelihood that these creatures have snuck their way into your home.
Before you have an infestation, it pays to know how to stop these bed bugs from spreading. The first step to prevention is to understand how bed bugs spread and identify the signs that they’re in your home.
How Bed Bugs Spread
Unlike lice, bed bugs don’t directly travel from one person to the next. However, these creatures can hitchhike on your clothes, cushions, furniture, luggage, etc. They can also crawl in from tiny crevices and openings on walls, floors, pipes, and even electrical outlets.
Warm, semi-dark areas are perfect places for bed bugs to thrive. But their favorite spots are beds, mattresses, box springs, bedding, and bed frames, hence the name. By staying in these areas, they have prime access to the warmth they need and the blood that sustains them.
Signs of Bed Bugs
As mentioned, bed bug bites can be mistaken for mosquito bites so this isn’t entirely a reliable factor when trying to identify signs of bed bugs. Instead, look out for the following:
The actual presence of bed bugs. They’re flat, oval-shaped creatures that are about a fourth of an inch long. Most are brown to reddish-brown, but younger bed bugs or eggs can have a translucent or milky-white color.
Reddish stains or dark spots on your pillows, sheets, or mattress. These can either be crushed bed bugs or their excrement.
Small yellow skins, which are the exoskeletons bed bugs shed as they mature.
A musty odor, which you will typically notice when there’s a major infestation.
A messy home filled with clutter gives bed bugs numerous hiding spots. To prevent them from breeding, make it a point to keep your home as clean and clutter-free as possible. It’s especially important to keep clothes, bedsheets, towels, and other fabrics clean and properly organized in your closet. Place your laundry hampers in an area that’s dry and cold, if possible.
Avoid Secondhand Furniture or Clothes
Since bed bugs spread from infested items, be cautious and meticulous about buying secondhand furniture or clothes. If you can, avoid buying from antique or thrift shops because they’re susceptible to carrying bed bugs, which can latch on to your clothes.
Regular Washing and Heat-Drying
If you’re getting or purchasing secondhand clothes or furniture, be sure to wash and heat-dry them to kill bed bugs they might possibly carry. Similarly, regularly wash and heat-dry your own clothes to avoid an infestation.
Call Professionals if Necessary
What makes bed bugs that spread really problematic is that not all types of treatment can get rid of them. Additionally, chemical sprays can cause allergic or adverse respiratory reactions. Instead of trying chemical sprays yourself, it might be better to call professionals to get the job done safely.
Bug Off
Any bed bugs that spread can cause huge problems. Prevent an or eradicate an existing one by calling Bed Bug BBQ! Visit our website or call (216) 221-1227 today!
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