Identifying Bed Bugs in Your Roanoke Home

Bed bugs have made a name for themselves as a pest no one wants to deal with. Just the idea of having bed bugs in your home can stress you out. When it comes to a bed bug infestation, the worse it gets, the harder it will be to get rid of. And although it is commonly believed that bed bugs only happen to "dirty" homes, this is false. Bed bugs can happen to anyone and any home because they are often carried inside by accident.

To keep a bed bug infestation from happening in your home, you should know the signs and how to identify this pest correctly. If you live in Roanoke, Virginia, you should keep reading to make sure you understand the signs of best bugs and what to do if you have an infestation in your home.

Identifying Bed Bugs

It is a common misconception that bed bugs are too small to see. The real reason they are difficult to see is that they are nocturnal and can go a month without taking a meal. However, you should still know what bed bugs look like so you can distinguish them from other pests.

Bed bugs are the shape and size of an apple seed at ¼ of an inch long. They are flat, oval, and are reddish-brown. Once a bed bug has fed, it will swell and become even redder. They can live between 2 and 4 months.

Bed bug eggs are approximately 1mm, white, and usually clustered together. Around a cluster, there will also be eggshells. They take 6-10 days to hatch.

Bed bug nymphs look similar to adults but are a lot smaller. They are yellowish or translucent until they take their first blood meal but will be bright red after the meal. Nymphs will start to look for a meal once they hatch. As they mature, nymphs will shed their skin, which the human eye can see.

Although identifying bed bugs is essential, you also need to know the signs of an infestation because bed bugs can be hard to see themselves.

Signs Of Bed Bugs

Because you might not see the bugs themselves right away, you need to be able to identify the other signs of an infestation. Bed bugs don't exclusively infest beds and surrounding areas; they tend to be found in these areas because it is easier for them to feed at night if they are closer to where people are sleeping. Because of this, bites are often the first signs of this pest. These bites can be identified by:

• Clusters or lines of small red bumps, usually around the face, neck, hands, shoulders, and arms
• Painful burning
• Reddish-brown stringing on your sheets and clothing

Since bed bugs can be found all over a house, you should also look for:

• Fecal staining on sheets
• Nymphs and eggshells
• A musty smell that is secreted by the bugs

Now that you know the signs of a bed bug infestation, what do you do to get rid of them? The answer to this question is, seek professional assistance.

If you spot signs of bed bugs in your Roanoke home, you should call the professionals at Star City Pest Control & Wildlife right away. When it comes to bed bugs, you can't let them fester in your home, or else the infestation will get a lot worse. Let the Star City Pest Control & Wildlife experts clear your home of bed bugs quickly and effectively. Contact us today!