Five Signs Your Virginia Home May Have Bed Bugs

Bed bugs are horrible pests that can make life miserable, and the longer they're allowed to be in your home, the more miserable they can be. That's why we've put together this quick guide for detecting bed bugs. Here are five signs that your Virginia home has a bed bug infestation.

Sign 1: A Bed Bug Sighting

Bed bugs are tiny, but they're not so tiny that you can't see them. When bed bugs get into your home, you must recognize them. If you don't, you could allow an infestation to grow.

Adults — You are probably familiar with how to identify an adult bed bug. It is a flat, six-legged, oval-shaped insect with a rusty brown coloration. Right? Well, not always. A bed bug may not be flat if it has had a blood meal. A bloated bed bug will be more of a pill shape. It will also be redder. It has somewhat transparent skin. When it feeds, you can see the coloration of the blood through its abdomen. If it has not fed, the abdomen will have black blots of color. These blots of color are from the black feces in its abdomen. At full size, a bed bug will be around 4.5 mm long. That's pretty small but still big enough to see.

Nymphs — When a bed bug hatches from its egg, it becomes a nymph. Nymphs look like adults, but there are some distinct differences. A nymph may be pale white or tan, depending on its age. If it has had a blood meal, its abdomen may be bright red. It will also be smaller than an adult. A nymph may be as small as 1 mm.

Eggs — Bed bug eggs are about 1 mm long and pale white. Look for these eggs in tight or compressed spaces and dark hiding places.

Sign 2 - The Appearance Of Feces

When bed bugs get into your home, you can expect them to leave their excrement on sheets, bedding, and surfaces. This fecal matter is black. If left on a hard surface, it will look like specks. If left on cloth, it may soak in and cause a blotch or a black spot. Inspect beds, furniture, the edges of rugs, baseboards, wall outlets, duffel bags, pocketbooks, book bags, and sleeping bags.

Sing 3 - Bites

Once bed bugs have taken root, you're going to start seeing bites. These bites may be slight at first. A bed bug bite may be nothing more than a small red dot on your skin. Over time, and with subsequent bites, the wounds can become itchy welts surrounded by a rash. The most noteworthy characteristic of bed bug bites is that they typically follow a path across the skin. Because bed bugs feed in the same area, each area will feed more than one.

Sign 4 - Smells

Bed bugs communicate by releasing pheromones. These pheromones smell nice to bed bugs but aren't very pleasant to humans. You can compare it to the smell of a moist locker room towel sitting for a while. If you smell something a little "off," it might be a bed bug infestation.

Sign 5 - Skins

The skin of a bed bug is called a cuticle. This cuticle sheds off the bed bug as it grows through its five developmental stages. Each time it sheds its cuticle, you have an opportunity to detect them. Bed bugs will leave shed skins in tight spaces, cracks, gaps, crevices, and other places they prefer to hide. These skins may be pale or tan.

What To Do About Bed Bug Signs

If you find bed bug signs in your Virginia home, contact All Pest Control & Solutions as soon as possible. Bed bugs will not leave your home on their own. These are almost exclusively indoor insects. They're also notoriously difficult to exterminate. Let our experienced professionals eliminate those insect pests and prevent ongoing bed bug problems in your Virginia home. Connect with us today. We're here to help.