No one wants to think that tiny little bugs are crawling around their clothing and mattress. It’s a living hell to most people. Unfortunately, according to pest reports by CTVnews.ca, pest controllers have noticed a 20 percent spike in bed bug prevalence across major Canadian cities the past few years. Bed bugs are found in every single city, flocking to urban areas where humans are in closer contact with one another. And once you have a bed bug infestation, it’s not easy to remedy it without professional support.
If you’re afraid you have bed bugs, don’t wonder for the next year. Here are 6 common signs that bed bugs are living with you right now:
1. Bed Bug Feces
Bed bugs like to feed on blood, nipping at people’s skin while they sleep the night away. However, after they get their blood meal, they almost immediately defecate. One of the easiest ways to check for bed bugs is to look for feces trails. Their feces leaves dark stains that resemble a felt tip market stain, bleeding into the fabric.
2. Blood Smears
In case poop stains weren’t bad enough, these nasty pests leave a trail of blood smears as well. These stains are a result of engorged bed bugs being crushed, which happens if you roll over on one while they are feeding. Look at your sheets and pillowcases for these types of stains.
3. Bed Bug Skins
As bed bugs continue to feed, they shed their skin over time. Bed bugs can shed their skin as many as 5 times before reaching maturity. Their skins are lighter colored empty shells or casing. You are more likely to find them around their hideouts, as opposed to out in the open.
If bed bugs are really enjoying their time at your home, then they have a growing colony of eggshells that are detectable if you look for them. They are about 1mm in length, but still visible to your naked eye. They look like dried out casings of live bed bug eggs, with a somewhat flattened appearance.
Before a bed bug is a bed bug, they are what we call nymphs. Smaller and lighter colored than adults, they are almost clear in color, with a pinkish tint if they’ve fed on blood. Nymphs feed more frequently than adults, making them actually easier to detect than bed bugs.
6. Bed Bug Odor
Bed bugs are a very distinctive smell, resembling almonds, raspberries, or coriander according to some. It’s a pungent, sickeningly sweet smell that can smell like rotting fruit. The smell becomes more potent as the infestation worsens.
If you’ve detected even one of these six things in your home, it’s worth calling in professional support to determine if you have a bed bug infestation or not. With our DM Extermination team, we provide you step-by-step information regarding the bed bug infestation removal. Call us at 514 331-3515