If you wake up and find bites on your skin, bed bugs are one possible cause, although bites alone cannot confirm a bed bug infestation. Bed bugs are insects that feed on blood and commonly hide near places where people sleep or rest, including beds and couches. The idea of insects feeding while you sleep can be extremely upsetting. If you think you’re having a problem with bed bugs, you should contact a good Broken Arrow Exterminator to deal with it.

Let’s take a better look at bed bugs and how they work. Bed bugs can get into a home by hitchhiking on belongings such as clothing, backpacks, luggage, and other personal items. Places where many people and their belongings come and go can provide opportunities for bed bugs to be transported from one location to another.

Once bed bugs get into a house, they tend to hide close to areas where people spend long periods resting. They may hide in mattress seams, bed frames, furniture, cracks, and other protected spaces and come out to feed. Oklahoma State University Extension provides information about bed bug biology, identification, signs, and management.

The good news is that bed bugs are not known to transmit disease to people. However, their bites can cause itching and loss of sleep, and an infestation can cause significant stress and anxiety. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency describes bed bug appearance, life cycle, and common signs of an infestation.

If you think you’re having problems with bed bugs, start by inspecting your sleeping area. Small dark spots on sheets, mattresses, or nearby surfaces can be bed bug fecal spotting. Rusty or reddish stains can also occur when a recently fed bed bug is crushed. Bites can occur as well, but skin reactions vary and are not enough by themselves to identify bed bugs.

Strip the bed and carefully check mattress seams, tags, box springs, the bed frame, and nearby cracks and crevices. Adult bed bugs are generally reddish-brown, flat, and roughly the size of an apple seed. Their eggs are much smaller—about 1 millimeter—and are pearly white rather than rice-sized. Shed skins can also be another sign of an infestation.

If you’re finding live bed bugs, eggs, shed skins, fecal spots, or other strong signs around the bed or furniture, it’s time to contact a good Broken Arrow Exterminator. TermMax Pest Control can inspect and treat bed bug problems along with other pest-control issues. Contact us today if you think you’re having a problem with bed bugs or any other pests.