Bedbugs are small, oval, brown insects that feed on the blood of animals and humans. Adult bedbugs have flat bodies about the size of an apple seed. After feeding, though, they swell and turn a reddish color. Their flattened bodies make it possible for them to fit into tiny spaces.
Female bedbugs may lay hundreds of eggs, each about the size of a speck of dust, over a lifetime. Immature bedbugs, called nymphs, shed their skins five times before reaching maturity. They require a meal of blood before each shedding. Under favorable conditions, the bugs can develop fully in as little as a month and produce three or more generations per year. They can live from about 10 months to a year long.
The first sign ofe, bedbug bites;
You might also notice:
- Blood spots on your sheets or mattress
- Bedbug poop, black dots about the size of a period
- The bedbugs’ shed skin, which looks a lot like the bugs themselves
- White, oval eggs that are about as big as an apple seed
- A sweet, musty odor around your bed
- Actual bedbugs in your bed
To get rid of bedbugs, you can start by taking some steps at home:
- Wash your bedding, curtains, and clothing in hotwater and dry them on the highest dryer setting. Put stuffed animals, shoes, and other items that can’t be washed in the dryer and run it on high for 30 minutes or more.
- Use a stiff brush to scrub mattress seams to remove bedbugs and their eggs before vacuuming.
- Vacuum your bed and the area around it every day, including windows and molding. Afterward, immediately put the vacuum cleaner bag in a plastic bag and place it in the garbage can outdoors.
- Put a tightly woven, zippered cover on your mattress and box spring to keep bedbugs from entering or escaping. Bedbugs can live several months without feeding. So keep the cover on your mattress for at least a year.
- Repair cracks in plaster and glue down peeling wallpaper to get rid of places bedbugs can hide.
- Get rid of clutter around your bed, and move your bed away from your walls and other furniture.
While these techniques can help to control bedbugs, getting rid of them completely often requires chemical treatment. Make sure you use only pesticides that are approved by the Environmental Protection Agency and whose labels say they’re meant to control bedbugs. Don’t treat mattresses and bedding unless the label specifically says you can use them on bedding. Never apply them to your body.
It’s usually best to hire a professional exterminator FUMSBORN SOLUTIONS who has experience with bedbugs.