Ask a Swampscott Pest Control Company: Bedbug Inspection

Are the Bed Bugs Biting? Here’s How to Check if You Have Them in Your Home

A customer recently called Richie the Bug Man thinking that he and his wife were experiencing bed bugs in their home. He noticed his wife had welts on her arm, but looked underneath the mattress and didn’t see anything.

Richie will come in and do a full inspection to determine what exactly the problem is, and he’ll do a treatment on the spot if necessary. But, so you are well aware if you have bed bugs in your home, we want to give you some ways you can check for them.

How to Know You Have Bed Bugs

1. Red, itchy bites on the skin typically on the arms or shoulders.
2. Look for them! Check along the seams of the mattresses, underneath and around your bed as well.
3. You will see tiny bloodstains on the sheet and mattress.
4. You’ll notice dark spots of insect waste where bedbugs might crawl into hiding places. This could be on your furniture, walls, or floors.

If you notice one or more of those things, and you want more confirmation, you can use these six steps to do so:

1. First, examine the bites. The bites you get from bedbugs will normally be in a straight row, rather than all over the place.
2. Then, visually inspect the bedding. In addition to dried blood and feces, look for shed skin, eggs, or dead bugs. Scour the top of your sheets, the edges of the mattress, and the box spring.
3. If you don’t see any direct evidence during a visual inspection, you may actually have to catch them while they are in action. This might mean setting an alarm and waking up about an hour before dawn and trying to see if they’re crawling around.
4. If you are having trouble waking up to catch them, try setting a trap. You should have the trap set for 2-4 weeks and check it every few days.
5. Installing a mattress and box spring encasement would be the last step. This would trap the bedbugs and starve them to death. It’s recommended that you leave the encasement on for at least a year to ensure they are gone for good!

If you are still unsure about whether or not you have bedbugs in your home, Richie the Bug Man will gladly go out and do an inspection. Call today!

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