Discovering you have bed bugs in your home is always distressing and often leads us to rush out to the store to get something to fix the problem as soon as possible. While this is natural and can relieve the problem, a DIY home bed bug treatment isn’t often 100% effective. If you’re worried some of the bed bugs or their eggs have survived, here’s what you need to look out for.
I had bed bugs and treated my home using DIY methods. How do I know if the bed bugs have stuck around?
Here are five signs to look out for if you’re concerned that residual bed bug eggs are still hiding in your home:
- The first thing to look out for is the eggs, which look like tiny grains of rice about a millimeter long. They’re usually white or gray with an elongated oval shape. At one end of each bed bug egg lies a hinged cap that opens up when a bed bug nymph hatches. Many people who have experienced an infestation only find eggshells with holes in them after the nymph has already hatched. Look for eggs in the nooks and crannies around your home, though be aware that they may have laid them in areas you can’t see, such as inside your mattress or couch.
- As unpleasant as it sounds, the next thing you need to search for is droppings. Look out for tiny black droppings along a wall, around hidden areas of your bed frame, or anywhere else that’s out of sight. Bed bug droppings are sticky and leave behind a dark stain, so it’s definitely worth seeking them out before they wreak havoc on your bedsheets, curtains, blankets, and furniture.
- As bed bugs age, they shed their skins, which are also known as cuticles. These skins are common in high volumes in areas of severe infestation, so look out for those if you’re worried about a reinfestation.
- Unfortunately, droppings and skins aren’t necessarily the worst thing you might have to be on the lookout for. Bloodstains are another giveaway of the presence of bed bugs. Since they feed on human blood, their bodies are filled with it after a feed. If you roll over in bed and unknowingly squash a bed bug, it will burst, creating a bloodstain on your bedsheets. This can also be caused by the bites in your skin or even if their droppings get wet.
- The final thing to search for is black streaks or patches. These may be found on upholstered furniture, blankets, outlet plugs, baseboards, and electronics. Black patches are also a sign of an accumulation of fecal matter, so if you find these, it’s important to begin the termination process as soon as possible.
If you believe you have bed bugs and you live in Arizona, we’re here to help. We can come and assess the problem and recommend the best treatment. In most cases, this will be a heat treatment, which we can do for you or you can DIY your heat treatment with one of our rental units. We also offer K-9 detection, which can be done before or after treatment for confirmation of a problem or the eradication of it. To find out more information about our bed bug services, click here.
