How To Know If There Are Bed Bugs On My Bed?

Bed bugs are small parasites that hide in your mattress, waiting for the right opportunity to suck your blood. If you wake up in the morning with some bites from bugs, then possibly, your bed is infested. But, if you want to get sure about their presence on your bed, then follow the below given steps.

Carefully examine the bites – this is the first sign that suggests you possibly could have bed bugs. Their bites are generally itchy and red, and usually you will find them on your shoulders and/or arms. This is a characteristic common to most bug bites, but bed bugs have their distinctive pattern. They tend to bite in a straight row, and not all over the place.

Inspect your bedding – if, in the morning, you wake up and find dark spots or red stains on your sheets, then this signifies their presence. The dark spots could be various things, including, feces, dried blood, shed skin, dead bugs, or eggs. Do not only examine the top of your bed sheets, but also carefully inspect along the edges of your mattress piping, and the area where you fit the sheets around the mattress. In case you find nothing, remove the mattress and examine the box spring. Pay attention to every corner, and also make sure to examine the headboard and the area behind it. Do not leave even any joints unexamined, as bed bugs are sneaky and can rest in such areas.

You need to inspect other areas as well – even though you want to get sure if your bed is infected by bed bugs, you need to search for them in other areas as well. They might reach your bed when they need to feed on your blood, but they can stay hidden in other places in your room. So make sure you check areas like, around and inside your nightstand, in the crevices of your lampshades, lamps, and alarm clocks. They can also hide inside electrical sockets, behind picture frames, in the crack of walls or on your curtains. These are just few areas, and you actually need to inspect every place possible.

Be alert during their hunting time – if you have not found them during daytime, you might as well get to see them during their hunting hours. This might sound weird, but you need to do this if you want to find out if your bed is infected. The best time to know if they are around is to look for them an hour before dawn. Before going to sleep, make sure you set your alarm clock and keep a flashlight ready next to you. Turn on the light and carefully see if there are any movements in your sheets. Make sure you do not move, or else they will quickly hide. You may have to do this at least a few nights before catching one. This is because if there is no huge infection, then the bed bugs will come out only once in a week to feed on your blood. So, if you do not find them at a go, it does not mean they are not there.

Trap them – if you find it difficult to wake up so early to catch a glimpse, you might instead set a trap. You can get an inspection device from the market that is made to sense low-level infection of bed bugs. You need to place the device adjacent to or under the legs of your bed. if the bugs move, they will be trapped. You can also opt for the double-sided tape trick. All you need to do is lay out strips of the carpet tape under your bed and at the side of your mattress. Allow these tracks to stay in place for at least 2 to 4 weeks. But make sure you check them on a regular basis.

If the pattern of the bite you have experienced is in a straight line, then chances are bright that you have bed bugs on your bed. If a bed bug infection is suspected, you should follow the above given steps to confirm their presence. Just remember, you have to patient, as they will eventually come out, to play or to eat.