Plus Other Questions Inquiring Minds
Want Answered About These Buggers

Vacation season used to mean getting away from it all. Now it means you might inadvertently bring back some unwanted freeloaders. That neat row of itchy bites on your arms or legs that appeared mysteriously overnight might mean you’ve had a close encounter with them in your hotel bed. And there’s no getting away from that.

Know what we’re talking about? Why bed bugs of course. And more and more returning vacationers are horrified to find that these pesky intruders have hitched a ride home. To their home. Your home too perhaps if you’re not careful. If that happens you’ll rue the day you unintentionally invited them in.

So it’s better to pull the welcome mat for these nasty biting crawlers by learning some facts about bed bugs FAQs. Which might include how to check for bed bugs, to what they look like, to the signs to look for that would suggest they’ve landed.

Fact #1:
Now before embarking on your quest, do you know what you are looking for exactly? And can you even see bed bugs to begin with?

Yes, you can see bed bugs alright. If you look closely. They aren’t microscopic like dust mites. Adult bed bugs are just about1/4 inch long and the tiny eggs come in around 1mm long. The eggs are white, and rice grain-like so they will easily blend in with the color of your mattress without any effort.

The thing is bed bugs are so good at hiding that before you could turn on the lights to check for them on your bed sheets they’re probably already gone. They have probably found a nook or cranny to hide in to remain undetected. Which is part of the frustration of finding them.

What color are bed bugs? The adult bugs appear flat and brown in color when they still haven’t fed. But after a full blood meal, their bodies turn into reddish brown and become plump. The newly hatched nymphs are more translucent. And they become darker and darker as they grow and get close to becoming adults. These translucent baby bugs also turn bright red in color after a meal.

Fact#2:
Next you need to know how to check for bed bugs. If you suspect you have them you want to leave no stone unturned as it were.

Still without knowing the appropriate places where the bed bugs are hiding, it would be impossible for you to detect them because these bugs have mastered the art of hiding in plain sight. Well almost. Therefore you must create a checklist of things to do to make sure you leave no potential bed bug hiding place uninspected.

First, check the bed. After all, the bed serves as the bed bug’s buffet table with you as the entrée. Strip off the bed sheet and check the mattress. Go over every section of it including the seams, buttons, creases, or even the plastic around the edges as well as the mattress tag. You’d be surprise they can be found there too. Next, lift the mattress and inspect the bed frame and especially the box springs. The bugs could well be hiding there in the box springs too. Check the headboard and the baseboard.

The bed isn’t the only thing to be inspected here because they may also hide elsewhere. With your bed as the focal point, move a little further afield to inspect other potential bed bug hot spots. Check the table beside the bed. They might be somewhere hidden in the drawers of the nightstand or clinging to the underside of the lamp. Bed bugs could also be found hiding behind picture frames and your alarm clock. Inspect even the tiniest cracks and crevices. There may be bugs behind loose wall outlets or behind a peeled bit of paint or loose wall paper. Inspect around the door, window frames, and between curtain folds.

Now if you still can’t find these cunning creatures, you may have to hire the services of a K9 bug sniffing team. (Yes it’s come to that for real.) A capable bed bug sniffing dog may just be the one you need for detecting bed bugs but make sure you choose a credible and experienced company because they don’t come cheap. But at least you know for sure that they know how to check for bed bugs.

Fact#3:
So what are the signs of bed bugs? Guess what? In most cases, you won’t be conscious about any bed bug activity until you notice those bed bug bites. These itchy bites could be the first sign telling you that there could be bed bugs.

But this should not be your sole basis to conclude you’re in the middle of a bed bug infestation since there are also other insects that can produce similar bite patterns. So you need to look for more evident bed bugs signs.

Check on the mattress, bed sheets, or pillow cases for tiny red spots. These are blood stains as a result of the bed bugs being squished whenever you turn over to another position while they’re still feeding. This also explains the breakfast, lunch, and dinner pattern of bed bug bites because they stop when they get disturbed such as when their victim turns so they would have to inject another part of the skin again to continue feeding. Other signs of bed bugs are fecal stains, egg shells, and shed skins. If the bed bug infestation is already big then you may notice a distinct sweet and musty odor. But there is no other sign better to confirm bed bug activity than by catching the bed bugs themselves.

Fact #4:
At the top we talked about how vacationers bring them home with them from a trip. Other than when traveling, how do you get bed bugs?

Whoa, let’s back up a step. Because the most common cause of bed bug infestation is international travel. Bed bugs don’t mind riding your luggage so if you happen to stay in a bed bug infested hotel room then you’re more likely to carry the bed bugs with you.

But there are sources beyond international travel. Because you may still harbor them if you travel to highly bed bug infested cities in the United States like New York, Philadelphia, and Detroit.

Another instance how you can get bed bugs is if you bring an infested furniture or clothing inside your house. So be careful with purchasing second hand sofa and other pieces of furniture. It’s also possible that you sleep over your friend’s house which is crawling with bedbugs and the bugs happen to hitch a ride on your clothing.

Or that if you live in an apartment building, bed bugs are most likely to spread easily because they can just crawl from one room to another and from one building to another.

Fact #5:
For those wanting to know where do bed bugs come from?, well, bed bugs have been around for thousands of years. Used to be they were something you just lived with. No doubt your great grandparents had their fair share of dealings with these nasty bugs. That’s just how it was.

A better question may be where have they been?

In the United States, bed bug infestation were widespread until the early 1940s especially when the pesticide DDT was introduced. But for safety concerns, the use of the said pesticides was banned and so bed bug infestation is on the rise once more. Bed bugs come from just about anywhere – hotels, office buildings, motels, apartment complexes, dormitories, movie houses, prisons, cruise ship cabins, restaurants, and everywhere else.

Fact #6
The one saving grace is these critters are land bound. So if you were wondering do bed bugs fly? the answer would be no. Bed bugs do not fly. They do not have hind wings and the wings on the front are only vestigial so they are robbed of the ability to fly. Which is good news otherwise it would be way more difficult for us to control them. Bed bugs do not jump either. But if there’s anything they’re adept in, it would be crawling up and down any surface they could find.

Bed bugs do not need any invitation. They will enter your home as long as they know they can have a great feast out of you and everyone else in the family – without any consent. So keep all your eyes open and be sure they don’t get anywhere near you. Especially if you’re heading off for a dream vacation. Don’t let the return of the bedbugs turn it into a nightmare.