How do you know if you've got bedbugs?

Answer 1

If you think you may have a bug problem in your bed where you live, because they only come out to feed off you at night when it is dark and usually when you are fast asleep, and because you will not feel anything when they are actually feeding off you, it is easiest to check for their presence in daylight, such as when you strip and make your bed.

you may or may not see little red marks or blisters on your body, as not everyone gets them but some get them very conspicuously with really large looking blisters all over their body. But whether you see red marks on you or not, You really need to inspect your mattress and turn it, if you think you may have been bitten during the night as the most likely place some will be hiding in the daytime is either on the underside or in the folds or crevices of the bed's mattress.

If you disturb them during the day, such as when you make your bed, you may see them rushing around to find somewhere dark because they do not like light. Also any cracks in the bed's structure or furniture very near the bed or under the carpet underneath or near the bed are all common hiding places.

Remember they are reddish brown in colour and usually look very flat about the size of a small ant, but the nymphs are much smaller than the adults but still very visible to the naked eye during daylight. Other signs are small blood spotsover your sheets or pillows or on your mattress, or perhaps on the walls near your bed or else discarded bedbug nymph skins on your sheets in the bed or nearby, and a rather unpleasant musty smell.

Be aware "YOU" yourself do not get bedbugs but "A BED" that you use may do. So in say a hotel bed, which three different people sleep in on three successive nights, each of those people will have a bedbug problem only while they are in that bedroom.

When they check out of the hotel in the morning in most cases they will leave the bedbug problem behind them, for the next occupant of that room will inherit it. But occasionally if you do have the misfortune to sleep in an infested bed when away from home and leave your luggage or clothing near the bed, it is possible one or more female bedbugs may lay their eggs in your luggage or clothing. A favourite place is in side a holdall where the eggs will get stuck to a hard surface inside and are not very easy to see. So you may then unwittingly carry the bedbug problem with you, and possibly the eggs may then hatch where you live after you get home, and then you have got a bedbug problem in your home which may not become apparent for weeks after the trip where you first got the problem.

Wherever the eggs hatch the nymphs will detect the CO2 of anybody nearby who is asleep and will instinctively make for the source, which means make for the bed and climb up to feed off whoever is sleeping in that bed and they then make their new home nearby, such as in the folds of the mattress.

Bedbugs set up their home very near to a bed because they need human blood as their food. They also have the ability to sense CO2 breathed out by a person who is asleep and the bedbugs are instinctively attracted to the source, that is you, if it happens to be the CO2 you are breathing out it detects when it wants food.

Answer 2

Bedbugs have a very distinctive smell, said to be that of rotting raspberries. In addition to the odor, a person may find odd and unexplained bites, as well as small stains left behind from the fecal matter of the bedbug.

Answer 3

The following are some basic suggestions of things to do or look for to help determine if there are bed bugs in your home.

1. Bites - One of the most common reasons people suspect bed bug infestations are the appearance of bug bites. Bed bugs will usually feed while people are sleeping, so check over your body in the mornings for any small red bites, or unexplainable marks. **Note that not all individuals will have a reaction to bed bug bites, some can go on being bitten for months and never know.
2. Waste - Bed bugs generally leave behind a sufficient amount of waste. Things to look for include dark spots on your mattress or box spring, skin castings and of course dead bugs.
3. Traps - There are numerous passive bed bug monitors and traps available on the market. Two of these that are carried by our store, ProFlyControl (available here) are ClimbUp Interceptors, and BDS's. Both of these items will trap bed bugs attempting to get onto or off of furniture, and will allow them to be identified. You can also make a somewhat effective trap by using double-sided tape (try carpet tape).
4. Hunting - Bed bugs are known to be most active around dawn. If you are searching for live bugs, this is the best time to look. An untrained eye is much more likely to find bugs at this time of day, with the assistance of a flashlight.
5. Know Where To Look - Bed bugs are excellent at hiding, so when attempting a game of bed bug hide-and-seek, you must know their favorite spots. The smaller the space, the better, be sure to search seams, folds, creases in all furniture in the room. Bed bugs are small and can hide in some very unlikely places.

Answer 4

Some companies have dogs that are trained to detect bedbugs.

Answer 5

Microbiological test