Key To Spotting Bed Bugs Problems In Your Jacksonville Home

It can be challenging to spot bed bugs when they get into your Jacksonville-area home. A full-grown bed bug is only about 4.5 mm long. That's really small. But its small size is only one of many reasons you're going to have a hard time spotting bed bugs. Here's what you need to know.

Baby Bed Bugs

When a bed bug first hatches, it is a mere one millimeter in length. That is more than one-fourth smaller than an adult bed bug. It also has transparent skin that can make it difficult to see. But a newly hatched nymph that has had a blood meal can be pretty noticeable because its abdomen will be bright red. If you see a pale-colored bug with six legs and a bright red abdomen attached to your skin, you're likely looking at a bed bug.

Photosensitivity

Bed bugs have an aversion to light. This aversion to light will have them hiding in dark places that can be difficult to see into, such as a pocketbook, duffel bag, or a void inside a piece of furniture. If you bring an item into your home that has bed bugs, you'll need to shine a light on the subject to catch those bugs. In some cases, you won't be able to see into the places they are hiding, and you'll have to rely on some other warning signs that bed bugs are present.

Bed bugs leave the following warning signs:

• Shed insect skin

• Black speckles

• Black patches

• Black streaks

• Dried bloodstains

• Fresh bloodstains

• Tiny white eggs

Thigmotaxis

If you're not familiar with this term, imagine it as being the opposite of claustrophobia. Bed bugs like to be squeezed into tight spaces. They'll squeeze in between a mattress and a box spring. They'll squeeze into recesses in a bed frame, nightstand, chair, or couch. They'll squeeze into the creases and seams of a bag or piece of luggage. If an object has a tight space, that is where bed bugs are likely to be. You can use this knowledge to your advantage. When examining items you suspect to have bed bugs, check the stitching, creases, folds, pockets, and other spots that a bed bug might squeeze into. That's where they're likely to be.

Think Outside The Bed

Out-of-the-box thinking is required for these bugs. We have touched on this point, but it bears greater focus. Bed bugs don't just live in beds. They can be found in a wide range of items, such as those listed above. They can also be found outside of transportable items.

Bed bugs can be found:

• Behind baseboards.

• Inside wall outlets.

• Under the edges of carpets.

• Behind crown molding.

• Within wall voids.

• In the cracks of wood floors.

The Secret To Bed Bug Detection

It is challenging to detect bed bugs before they come into your home. They can be carried into your home in many ways, and you won't be able to keep on top of inspecting every item that comes in, nor will you be able to inspect every item for these elusive pests adequately. Detection is best done within your home on a routine basis. Periodically overturn mattresses and check between the mattresses and the box spring. Inspect bed frames and the area around beds. Look for the warning signs listed above. Home inspections are far more manageable than inspecting objects as they enter your home. If you add some simple preventative steps with your inspection, you can reduce your chances of an infestation even more.

Bed Bug Prevention Tips

• Always do a bed bug inspection when you spend the night somewhere.

• Teach your kids to do a bed bug inspection when they do a sleepover.

• Store laundry items in a sealed plastic bag when you are staying somewhere away from home. Bed bugs are attracted to things that have been touching your skin.

• When you get home from a trip, run everything through a hot wash and at least 30 minutes in the dryer. This will kill bed bugs in all stages of development.

Bed Bug Elimination

If bed bugs get into your Jacksonville home, remember that the team at Lindsey Pest Services is standing by to assist you with your pest control needs. We can help you get rid of those bugs. Get started by chatting with our agent at the bottom right of this screen.