Bed bugs are small, oval brownish insects that live on the blood of humans or pets. Adult bed bugs have flat bodies about the size of an apple seed but swell to twice that size after a feeding. Bed bugs may enter your home undetected through luggage, clothings, used beds and couches, and other items. If this happens to you bed bug treatment in Seattle can help. Their flattened bodies make it possible for them to fit into small spaces about the width of a credit card. Bed bugs do not have nests like ants or bees but tend to live in groups in hiding places. Their initial hiding places are usually in mattresses, box springs, bed frames, and headboards where they have easy access to bite people at night.
Bed bugs are active mainly at night and usually bite people while they are sleeping. They feed by piercing the skin and drawing in blood from elongated beaks. The bugs feed for three to ten minutes and then crawl away unnoticed. Most bed bug bites are painless at first, but later turn into itchy welts. Unlike flea bites that are primarily around the ankles, bedbug bites can be anywhere skin is exposed. If you wake up with itchy areas you didn’t have when you went to sleep you may have bedbugs. Other signs of infestation include:
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Blood stains on your sheets or pillowcases
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Dark or rusty spots of bug excrement on sheets, mattresses, walls, or bed clothes
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Egg shells or shed skin in areas where they hide
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An offensive, musty odor from the bug’s glands
Bed bugs can be a serious problem that you cannot ignore. Start checking your home today!