Bed bugs are tiny and freakishly flat. They can easily hide and nest in the vicinity of resting areas — beds and sofas are among their favorite haunts. These give them easy access to an idle and unwitting host they can feast on for hours. They can also travel unnoticed, often hitching a ride on belongings like luggage or used furniture acquired from a local garage sale.
As simple as a bed bug’s means of transportation might be, there are also a few simple and hard-to-miss signs they’ve chosen your mattress as a permanent bed and breakfast.
Itchy Red Bites
Waking up with red welts on your skin may not be the best indicator of a bed bug infestation. However, it is one of the most obvious and noticeable signs of their presence and should not be taken lightly. Although bed bugs are not known to be transmitters or carriers of disease, their bites (which are irritating) can lead to infection when scratched repeatedly.
Musty Odour
Unpleasant smells are often a harbinger of bad news. It’s the same with bed bugs. They excrete pheromones with a musty scent (others describe it as “sweet” or “similar to coriander”). However, during an infestation, this smell is magnified into a highly unpleasant odour comparable to that of mouldy, unwashed laundry.
Blood Stains and Fecal Spots
After they’ve fed, bed bugs can leave rust-colored blood stains on your bedsheet. Brown to black marks that resemble blotches left by a marker or a pen are fecal stains. These are found in close proximity to the black blobs of bed bug droppings.
Eggs and Cast Skins
A thorough search of hidden nooks and crannies may lead you to nests filled with eggs and shed skins.The eggs look like tiny white beads covered in a sticky substance, giving them a glossy appearance.
Also, bed bugs undergo a molting phase, casting off skin several times as they mature. They leave brown oval exoskeletons you might find lying around the nest area.
If you discover any of these signs in your home, bed bugs have taken permanent residence in your abode. Don’t start throwing out all your furniture just yet. Have them evicted by the experts at Pro-Pest (416) 487-4179 today.
