Bed Bugs
Do you have bed bugs hiding around your place? It can be hard to tell because they’re pretty shy and are typically nocturnal. These apple-seed sized pests are a reddish color, and will become darker after a blood meal. Bed bugs will hide in cracks and crevices around your furniture and clothing. They can go up to 3 months without eating, but will become more active when they have babies to feed. You will be able to spot if they have attacked you. Those little nibbles often appear as red and itchy bumps, typically in a line or small clusters. Some people in Midland & Odessa even experience hives or blistering at the bite site. You need to control bed bugs quickly because they can spread to different rooms and even vehicles as they hitch a ride on human clothing or bedding. Killing bed bugs yourself can be difficult, but at Fox Pest Control, we know what to do to eliminate your bed bug problem.
Signs of an Bed Bug Infestation
You might already know you have a bed bug infestation, but here are a few of the most common signs bed bug exterminators look for in Midland & Odessa.
Bite Marks: Hives and blisters may be seen at the bite sites.
Fecal Spots: Small dark droppings in patches around and beneath nesting areas.
Blood Smears: Smears of blood on bedsheets, pillow cases, chairs fabric.
Shells of Exoskeleton: Molted exoskeleton around texting areas.
Odor: Bed bugs have a rotting raspberries smell.
What to do about Bed Bugs
- Bed bugs are most active while you sleep.
- Bed bugs can also quickly spread to different rooms and even vehicles as they hitch a ride on a human host, clothing, or bedding.
- Adult bed bugs are light brown to reddish-brown, flattened, oval-shaped and have no hind wings.
- Bed bugs have segmented abdomens with microscopic hairs that give them a banded appearance.
- Adults grow to 4–5 mm in length (just over 3/16 inch) and 1.5–3 mm wide.
- Newly hatched nymphs are translucent, lighter in color and become browner as they molt and reach maturity.
- A bed bug of any age that has just consumed a blood meal will appear to have a bright red translucent abdomen; this color will fade to brown over the next several hours and within two days will become opaque and black as the insect digests its meal.
- Bed bugs may be mistaken for other insects, such as ticks, booklice, small cockroaches, or carpet beetles, however when warm and active, their movements are more ant-like, and they emit a characteristically disagreeable odor when crushed.