How Did I Get Bed Bugs?

Bed Bugs At A Glance

Bed bugs, as you may or may not know aren’t just relegated to living in the bed. You can actually find them in a variety of soft spaces, including chairs and couches. If you’re wondering how, they got there, these pesky critters can find their way into your home in a variety of ways. How did I get bed bugs in my couch? You might be wondering, well Scott’s Turf and Pest Services, pest control in Durham, NC, are here to help.

These insects travel easily on luggage, used furniture, moving boxes, backpacks, and clothing piles. While they probably won’t just hitch a ride on the outfit that you’re wearing, they are known to high out in piles of clothes when you’re moving, which is why they can also be found in boxes and luggage.

Because bed bugs are nocturnal, they become active after dark. If you relax on your couch in the evening or bring bags from room to room, it’s simple for them to migrate from one area of your home to another. Items like backpacks or purses can also unintentionally move them from the bedroom to the sofa.

How Do I Treat My Couch For Bed Bugs?

If you think that you may have bed bugs in your couch, do a check around the cushions. Lift each section and inspect the corners for signs of these pests. If bed bugs are present, you’ll see thin black streaks, molted skins, small blood stains, or the bugs themselves.

DIY treatments rarely eliminate entire infestations. You may spend a lot of money without solving the issue, especially because bed bugs can be hard to accurately identify without professional pest specialists.

What Are The Signs Of Bed Bugs?

Bed bugs are small and tend to be good at hiding. Here are some of the signs you can look for  that may indicate a bed bug problem:

• Rusty stains on your sheets: Even if their host is unaware of their presence, bed bugs don’t always get away unscathed. If you shift around in your sleep, you can crush a bed bug that has just fed, leaving a rust-colored stain on your sheet. If you see something that might be a bloodstain on your sheets, check to make sure you didn’t accidentally bleed on them from a cut that might be the cause. If you can’t find another explanation, start looking for other signs.
• Bites: This is many people’s first indication that something might be off, bed bugs prefer to feed off us when we sleep, thus bites can appear on skin that is exposed at night. In order to better understand the bites, you must keep in mind that everyone reacts differently. Most people tend to get small, flat, itchy, reddish welts, while others may react more severely. In extreme cases, some people can get large welts from bites, but this is rare. Most people don’t react at all.
• Eggs: Pregnant females lay 1-7 eggs per day. Eggs are about 1mm long, pearl white, and ovular. They resemble tiny grains of rice around the size of a pinhead. According to the EPA, they can be marked by an eye spot if more than five days old. Eggs are usually loosely stuck in crevices of fabric or wood, though they can really be anywhere. Females wander once pregnant, which can sometimes spread the infestation to neighboring apartments. Since they are so small, they are easy to miss. Still, a cluster of white ovals with eye spots stuck to the underside of your bed frame is a likely indication of a serious bed bug problem.

Where Do Bed Bugs Come From?

Most bed bug infestations originate from outside your home and are brought in by an unsuspecting person or pet. Travelling tends to increase the risk or run-ins with bed bugs.

Have A Bed Bug Problem? Contact Scott’s Turf And Pest Services For Help!

Has your home been invaded? A trained pest control team in Durham, like Scott’s Turf and Pest Services, can provide effective bed bug inspection, removal, and treatment to help you regain control of your home.