Lots Of Bugs Bite, How Do You Tell What Bug It Is?
When bed bugs strike, they often go misdiagnosed as another kind of bug. That’s because there are a lot of bugs that like to bite us. If you’ve been out camping recently, those may be mosquitoes bites. If you’ve been working in the garden a lot, they may be chigger bites. If you have a dog or a cat that goes in and out of your home, they may be flea bites. The list goes on and on. Sometimes you can find bumps on your skin that you think are bug bites and they aren’t. There are some bugs, like the larvae of carpet beetles, that can cause an allergic reaction. And some rashes look like bites. So, how on Earth are you to figure out if you’re being bitten by bed bugs? Here’s what you need to know.
Bed Bug Bite Identification
When a bed bug infestation begins in your home it will usually start as a batch of eggs. When those eggs hatch, you’ll have immature bed bugs looking for a blood meal. Bites from baby bed bugs are not as severe as bites from the adults, so they can go undetected at first. Once you start to get larger lumps, that is when you’re going to start asking questions. Follow these steps.
- Look at the bites and see if you can determine a pattern or path. A single bed bug will feed multiple times, often in threes. This makes bed bug bites appear more purposeful than other bugs that only bite once. If you have a dozen mosquito bites, not only will they be puffy, they’ll appear randomly on your skin. If you have chigger bites, not only will they usually be on your belt line or on an area of thinner skin, they will look like you’ve been hit with a paint splatter. Bed bug bites look like more like a path.
- Since bed bug bites can be small, with no rash, or large welts with a significant rash, there is really no way to fully identify these bites by looking at them. They will also appear different for people with different skin types and ages. The elderly are actually much more resistant to developing painful welts and often go for long periods without doing anything about a bed bug infestation. For these reasons it is necessary to look for signs of bed bugs when you see these bites. Signs include blood stains and black streaks on sheets and pillowcases. Black patches, dried blood stains, shed insect skins, and tiny white eggs in the seams of mattresses and box springs. You’ll also need to check sockets in your bed frame and your backboard, and examine baseboards, outlet covers, and the stitching on upholstered furniture for these signs.
- Get to know what bed bugs look like so that you’re able to recognize one when you see it. Bed bugs begin life as a tiny pale insect that is slightly transparent. When it feeds, its abdomen will become bright red. These are the bed bugs you’re most likely to catch feeding on you in the day. As they grow older, they become tan and then a rusty-brown color. Keep a lookout for these bugs.
Steps To Arrest A Bed Bug Infestation
Okay. You have bed bugs. Now what do you do? Exterminating bed bugs is extremely difficult. DIY bed bug infestation usually leads to prolonged torment from these blood-eating pests. For this reason, we only recommend two steps:
Step 1
Call a pest control company that is QualityPro Certified by the National Pest Management Association. This third-party seal of excellence is only given to pest control companies that meet a high standard of service.
Step 2
Follow the checklist given by your pest control provider so they are able to fully eradicate all the bugs from your home.
In this modern day of internet information, there are lots of websites that want to give you tips and solutions. Don’t believe everything you read. These are miserable bugs. Get ’em the first time, with pest control you can trust.
If you’re in our South Carolina service area, let the QualityPro-Certified team here at Spencer Pest Services take care of the problem. Contact us to solve your bed bug problem today.