Bed bugs are becoming an increasingly common problem in the United States. If you think that you may have bed bugs, it is important to be able to identify their bites. In this blog post, we will discuss what bed bug bites look like, and what you need to do if you find them on your body!
First, think about what a mosquito bite looks like. Typically, even if there are a lot of them, they are isolated and scattered about the body. This is an important thing to notice, as this is not what you find with bed bug bites.
It is true that bed bug bites can vary in appearance, depending on the person and the severity of the infestation. Generally, bed bug bites appear as small, red bumps on your skin. They may be itchy or painful. But here is the real determiner; they often occur in clusters or lines. Bed bugs may feed multiple times on a single person during an infestation, so you may see multiple bites clustered together. In some cases, there may even be a small amount of blood present around the bite due to sucking up a bit of blood from the skin. See the picture above or below for what these bites may look like.
Notice that they are in a line. Typically, these bites happen closest to the side you were laying on, as they tend to be lazy bugs.
In addition to these general symptoms, people with more severe cases of bed bug infestations may experience hives or welts at the site of each bite. These reactions are typically caused by an allergic reaction to the saliva of a bed bug, and they may be accompanied by severe itching.
What To Do If You Spot Bed Bug Bites?
It is also important to inspect your home for signs of bed bugs if you think that you may have been bitten. Signs of bed bugs include fecal spots, shed exoskeletons, and live insects in mattresses and furniture. But they are not always so easy to spot. Though they are considered “lazy hiders” they can still be very difficult to spot, because they may not be infesting your bed, as you may anticipate. Because of this, it is essential that you have a professional with K9 inspect your home.
A properly trained inspection dog can actually smell these little critters, which is important, as you may miss the signs of a bed bug with the naked eye.
What to Expect From Bed Bug Treatment?
Bed bug treatment usually involves heat treatments, chemical treatments, or a combination of both. Heat treatments involve using temperatures that are too hot for bed bugs to survive. Chemical treatments involve the use of approved insecticides to treat areas where bed bugs have been found. Generally, when using chemical treatments, multiple visits are required in order to effectively kill off all stages of the bed bug life cycle and ensure that the infestation is completely eradicated.
Here at Sleep Tight Bed Bug Control, we use K9 units to locate the pests, and then use a targeted heat treatment to exterminate the bed bugs, all in one treatment, guaranteed. Not only do we do this, but we also use a special, safe, chemical to prevent bed bugs from returning to your home.
If you think you may have bed bugs, it is important to contact a professional exterminator right away. Bed bugs can spread quickly and can be disgusting, so the sooner you get your problem under control, the better! Sleep Tight Bed Bug Control provides comprehensive inspections and treatments for all types of bed bug infestations. Contact us today to learn more about our services!