Every criminal leaves sign behind. Bed bugs are little criminals in our houses which bite and disturb us. Sometimes you want to be sure if you have bed bugs and can’t see them around. But there will be signs those bugs left behind. So, what do bed bugs leave behind? What are bed bug signs?
CAN YOU SEE BED BUGS?
This is because they’re not enough small to become invisible and they need to walk around to reach anywhere.
WHY DO YOU NEED SIGNS?
As I told before, you can see them with naked eyes. So, you can ask this question: If I can see them, then why should I go after signs?
There are 2 main reasons for this:
- Bed bugs prefer to feed at night
- They secrete a chemical while biting you which doesn’t let you feel the pain
Because of this in most cases, when you get up in the morning, you have a lot of red itchy bite points on your body which you have no idea about where they came from. This is time to search for its reason.
BED BUG SIGNS
As in many cases, it’s not true to limit signs of any possible bugs at home. They can occur in many ways. But these are common signs of bed bugs:
- Black feces everywhere
- Blood stains around
- Shed skins
- Smell of them
- Tiny eggs
- Bites on your body
I know some of these signs aren’t so clear, but let me take a close look at these signs.
BED BUG FECES
Do bed bugs have feces? Yes, they do just like other bugs. After a bed bug fed enough, it will drop feces around.
This bed bug feces will become a partially digested blood. When bed bugs drop feces, it will be red and after a while it will get darker.
Feces will usually be near to their nest. You test those feces you found by spraying hydrogen peroxide on it or even water and if it turns a rust red color, that means it’s feces.
BED BUG BLOOD STAINS
Because bed bugs feed by sucking blood, it’s very normal too see blood stains around. But how are those blood stains?
Blood stains that bed bugs leave behind are small and a lot of those stains will usually be together. If bed bugs feed on you while you are sleeping, then you will see blood stains on your mattress or pillow.
BED BUG SHED SKINS
Bedbugs do shed their exoskeleton. Their shed skins will be almost the same as a live bed bug. Of course, this shed body will be empty and it can’t move around.
Bed bugs will molt until they become an adult. Before they become adults, they have 2 other stages in their lives: Egg and nymph.
Once a bed bug becomes an adult, then it won’t molt anymore. This means that if you find shed bed bug skins around, you might have a bed bug infestation in your house.
BED BUG SMELL
However, bed bugs have a specific smell, most people define that smell different from each other. People define it like irony, musty, woody or something else.
BED BUG EGGS
Bed bugs multiply by laying. Bed bug eggs are yellow white. They stand together and glued to the surface, usually in cracks. The most distinguishing feature of those eggs from the other bug eggs is “glue”:
BED BUG BITES
Natural result of having bed bugs is to be bitten by them. Because bed bugs are blood-fed creatures and they will be after you for feeding by sucking your blood.
Bed bug bites will not hurt you just while you’re bitten because of a chemical they secrete to your blood:
So, when you get up in the morning and realize some red itchy bites on your body, that will be the biggest sing that you have.
BED BUG SIGNS FACT
You must remember that when you once have bed bugs at home and have a treatment, even if you can’t see any signs of them and you will still be paranoid about their existence.
Because in some cases, bed bugs will be still there even if they don’t move anywhere but their nest. They are tough creatures and they can prefer to keep hiding until they have to feed again.
Here are some comments about bed bugs signs made by real people on social media so, you can understand better how to approach this issue:
“Everytime I lay in my bed, I get bitten. No signs of bb. I have sprayed, bombed, boric acid, used vinegar, and exterminated. I am still getting bitten. Any suggestions as to what it could be? Remedies?”
“I am super paranoid and think I am still getting bit. They disappear faster than bb bites though. I haven’t seen anything in over a month and I do look.”
“We had an inspector come out and tell us he sees no signs of bugs…. I have 5 new bites that popped up after we threw our headboard out and washed everything. And some black markings on bedding that weren’t there before. He said we could move forward with treatment if we want to.”
“My last treatment was 3 weeks ago. We did a DIY chemical treatment 3 times for safe measure. There has been no signs for any bed bugs on the beds or furniture. There have been no more bites to anyone. We added interceptors to the beds. Nothing in them. What else should I do to keep monitoring for signs?”
“I did everything i was told, no signs of anything but for some reason i itch or feel like something is crawling on me but when im not home i feel nothing. I was think it might be that d earth stuff but ive cleaned up most of it. So why am i feeling tickle spots or itches?”
Conclusion
Not a single sign will make you sure about bed bugs. All those signs should be considered all together to get a result.
For example, when you see blood stains around, maybe it’s not a certain evidence to have bed bugs. But if you find some eggs in addition, you can say that you have them in your house.
The most important thing about bed bug signs is that you must take every single of them serious. When you come across a little sign, you should keep your eyes open and start to search bed bugs.
