Bed Bugs May Already be Living in Your Home. Here Are the Signs to Look For.



Posted: Monday, April 27, 2009

by Mark Hester

"Night, night.

Sleep tight.

Don't let the bedbugs bite."



This is easier said than done since the tiny six-legged insects, hide during the day and feast on your blood at night.

What Exactly is a Bed Bug?

Although most people believe that the bed bug is tiny (like a flea) the common bedbug is actually quite easy to see with the naked eye. The adult is usually about 0.2 inches long and has a reddish-brown color.

Most people, even those who have an infestation in their home, have never seen a bedbug -- not because they are too small, but because they generally are only active during the wee hours of the morning. The rest of the time they hide down in the mattress or box springs.

Bedbugs also inject an anticoagulant to keep your blood flowing as they feed. This along includes a numbing agent which is why their bites do not wake you.

How Can You Tell if You Have a Bed Bug Problem?

Usually the first sign is on you. You will start to see signs of bites. These appear frequently as small itchy red bumps. Often you will find the lesions in a linear or clustered fashion, indicating that a single bug fed repeatedly at one time.

Because the bites look similar to those of other insects, like fleas and body lice, or even some other skin problems, like scabies it is often difficult to tell that you have a problem with bedbugs.

Other Signs to Look For

Small patches or drops of blood on sheets.

Blood stains and specks on the wall near the bed, where the beds left them as they hid for the day.

Insect droppings at the entry to hiding places in furniture crevices and cracks in walls

Some people even report an sickly, sweet odor in the room -- which is caused by bedbugs' oil secretions in heavy infestations.

If you notice any of these signs or think you have a bedbug problem for any other reason, seek help to get rid of them.

If you would like to learn more signs to look for and ways to rid your house of Bedbugs, Best Home Courses offers a Free 30 Page Ebook about bed bugs. Learn exactly what detox means to your body, what it can do for you and some of the best at-home solutions you can follow.

It's totally free to download. No purchase required. Just click and get.

Find out if you have these pests -- then wipe them out! Grab your Free Copy of Bed Bugs .

James London-DeVasher
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