“Goodnight, sleep tight, don’t let the bed bugs bite.” This popular saying is probably one you have heard. However, unfortunately, you can’t keep the bed bugs from biting you if they’re in your home. You may be thinking, “I keep my home spotless. Bed bugs only go into dirty areas.” Believe it or not, that’s actually a myth. Bed bugs go wherever they can find food, and their food is blood. So, having crumbs on your bed isn’t exactly a good thing, but it won’t be the reason you get bed bugs. Bed bugs can be brought into the home in dozens of ways. Even if you just bought a used purse that came from an infested home, they can travel by hiding in the purse.
If you find yourself waking up with red and itchy bites after sleeping in your bed, you may have bed bugs and you should call an exterminator. A good New York exterminator will come in and inspect the home before just starting treatment due to the fact that it may not be bed bugs. The right treatment for the right cause is crucial to making sure you get your peace of mind back.
Related: The Most Effective Methods of Bed Bug Control in Bronx, NY
Looking for Bugs
When the exterminator comes into your home, they will start investigating. One of the first things that they do is to simply look for the bugs on your mattress. While these bugs are nocturnal and very good at hiding, it’s not uncommon to be able to spot one on the mattress if you know where to look. And where there is one bed bug, there are more. They also tend to leave behind little dots of blood once they are done feeding, so even if your exterminator doesn’t see an actual bed bug, they may see these red spots on the mattress.
Checking for Odor
You may not know this, but bed bugs actually emit a musky odor that can be quite noticeable. When they are in large quantities, they release pheromones into the air that are strong enough for a human nose to detect. The smell itself has been described as something similar to a wet towel. You may think that you would be able to smell it yourself, and indeed you might be able to. However, sometimes people can just become “used” to the scent and not really notice it as abnormal depending on how long the bed bugs have been in place.
UV Lighting
The most commonly talked about way for someone to find bed bugs is by shining a UV light over the area. Bed bugs, like many insects, have phosphors in their shells that show up when a UV or “Black Light” is used on them. This light will shine on your pillow, mattress, sheets, and even your box spring to see if any bed bugs are hiding inside of them. Even if they don’t see live bed bugs, they may see molted shells that have been left behind.
Related: How Does a Bed Bug Exterminator Get Rid of Bed Bugs in NYC Homes?