How Can You Tell if You Have Bed Bugs?

Bed bugs have experienced a dramatic resurgence since they developed a newfound resistance against regular bug sprays. They are part of the colossal explorers of the world where they are promptly transported from one house or hotel to another through baggage, garments, bedding, and furniture. This may include that new bedding you bought.

If you wake up in the morning covered with bites, this might be the first clue you have a bed bug infestation. But what other basic equipment and tools can one use to spot them and, more important, get rid of them?

Experts suggest you make use of:

  • Magnifying glass to help identify them as they are minute
  • A probe in the form of a credit card that you can cut into a long triangular shape to use for inspecting narrow spaces.
  • Compact compressor for blowing these critters out of their hiding spots in crevices and cracks.
  • Plastic zipper bags once you found one or more and place them inside, to properly identify them by a pest-control expert.
  • Baby wipes to be used as confirmation that the stains you notice are in fact bed bug droppings.

Now that you are armed with these tools, the next step would be finding out if your bedroom is riddled with bed bugs.

Read on to find out how to confirm the presence of bed bugs and discover easy ways to get rid of them.

How do you know you have bed bugs?

The best way to identify a bed bug infestation is to examine your bedding by looking for:

  • Reddish or rusty stain marks on your sheets or the mattress itself, which usually happens from squashing them while sleeping.
  • Dark spots that shows the presence of their excrement.
  • Yellowish Eggshells and eggs that are roughly 0.04 inches in size.
  • Actual bed bugs, about the size of a dry lentil.

Maybe you are not entirely sure how to determine if you are dealing with bed bugs or not.

Often people attribute the itching they experience to mosquitoes. To confirm that you are indeed dealing with critters, you need to find the bugs and eradicate them.

The best method is to get a powerful electric lamp. Next, you would have to get down to eye level and gradually go over every last bit of your mattress.

You've determined you have bed bugs. What now?

Once you know you are dealing with these critters, strip all your bedding and place it in black plastic garbage bags. Then, put the bags directly in the sun.  Be sure to do this when the temperatures range between 80 to 100 degrees Fahrenheit. All you have to do is keep the bags in the sun all day long and collect it again when night time arrives. The heat will kill off any living bed bugs in your bedding.

Keeping your bedroom free from bed bugs

Now that you have a bug-free home, keep it that way. Get yourself some preventative bed bug devices. All-natural repellent products and traps, when combined, can be very effective. Ensure you use both of these for at least a couple of weeks.

Doing so will execute any stragglers that might still be lurking around.

Even if your home is clean and sealed off, bugs can easily hide in the tiniest of cracks. Once they make a nest or discover a hidden source of food and water, they multiply anywhere, which includes your outlets and wiring.

No doubt, you want to know why bugs would be inside the outlets, how they get there, and why they go there?

Why bugs go inside electrical outlets

Bed bugs love hiding in the dark, out-of-sight places for which your electrical outlet is ideal. The bugs would have a blood meal first before moving towards the outlets where they can feel pressure on all sides of their fattened body, making them feel secure.

What problems can insects cause inside outlets?

Bedbugs and roaches are drawn to electronics and outlets as they love smaller spaces that are dark, tight, and warm. Besides being disgusting, they will leave behind their carcasses, and tracked-in residue. By doing so, they do a good job of corroding your circuit boards.

Just imagine the frustration when you notice that your automated electrical appliances, used to lull you to sleep, are malfunctioning, and you discover down the line that the bed bugs in your electrical outlets are to blame for this?

How to safely get rid of bed bugs in your outlets

The best way to eradicate a bed bug infestation is to think carefully about the kind of various methods you will use to successfully eradicate them.

To take care of a minor infestation, you could use boric acid dust and apply it on the outlet cover.

A severe infestation will require the services of professional pest control to remove the bugs and prevent them from making a come back.

Resources— WebMD, EPA, AIG Programs

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