How to Identify Bed Bugs

Bed bugs are like parasites which feed on their hosts blood. They can make your nights hell and can even cause you many infections. Even if your house gets one female bed bug, beware, because a single female is capable of laying 300 eggs at a single time, which means your house is in great danger. These tiny but dangerous creatures belong to the family Cimicidae. They are known as beg bugs because of the fact that they are mostly found in the beds, sofas, pillows, cushions, etc. Well these are the probable places of finding them, the question here is how will you identify bed bugs. Well it's not difficult but yes it is not that easy either. Let's find out easy steps to their identification and the ways to get rid of them.

How to Identify Bed Bugs?

Many people wonder how to tell if you have bed bugs? Bed bugs look very similar to a small cockroach or a tick. They are oval in shape and are flat till they are not fed. As soon as they get their meal they increase in size approximately by 30%. Their appearance also depends upon their life cycle. Bed bugs have a life cycle of 6 stages. The last stage or the 6th stage is the adulthood. When the bed bugs take birth they are as big as 1/16th of an inch and have a color that resembles light straw. As they grow older they get darker in color and finally reach a reddish brown color. There are 92 species of bed bugs in the world. They may differ in the species but they are all nearly similar in appearance.

How to Spot Bed Bugs?

From the above given description about the appearance of the bed bugs, it will at least help you in identifying bed bugs. But the problem with them is that they remain hidden in the daytime and only come out at night. They are wingless but can travel to a distance of 100 feet. This makes it more difficult to find them. The following are some of the tips on how to spot bed bugs. Just have a look.

• The foremost thing that comes into notice is the bed bug bite. They insert their pointed mount in the skin of their host and then start sucking their blood. Meanwhile they secrete an anticoagulant which stops the blood from thickening. While the bed bug sucks the blood, it may spread infections and many diseases. You can notice these bites as red itchy bumps which may get worse if not taken care in time.
• Once you notice the spots on the skin, check for bed bugs in the mattress, sofas, cushions and even in the corners of every furniture and furnishing. You may notice red or brown blood smears, spots and pale colored fecal spots on the bed sheets, mattress, pillow covers etc. This is one of the prominent bed bug signs.
• Bed bugs may even give out some odor. This may not be the case every time but some bedbugs may possess a distinct smell which is somewhat like coriander.
• Look for bed bug eggs with the help of a magnifying glass and a flash light. The female bed bug lays eggs mostly in the corners of the mattress and beddings which are stuck to the edges.
• You can even find the bed bugs in other hidden areas. If you find even a single bed bug, search for the rest of them so as to avoid any serious infestation or health conditions.

Best bed bugs treatment is to keep your house clean. Wash all your furnishings in warm water, clean the furniture and keep them under the sun. This will kill the bed bugs and will help you to get rid of them.