ARE THESE BED BUGS IN MY AIKEN HOME?

It can be tough to tell if bed bugs have infested your home. They're pretty sneaky. Today, we're going to discuss a few of the ways these mysterious insects can make it difficult for you to tell that you have a bed bug problem. And, as always, we're going to give you some tips to help you in your pest battle.

Is This A Bed Bug?

You're probably aware that bed bugs are rust-colored insects with some black coloration. A simple image search can reveal this. It may be easy to identify bed bugs when you find them. 

But here are a few ways bed bugs can make it difficult:

• Adult bed bugs can look almost black. If you see a bed bug in certain light conditions, you might mistake it for some other tiny, black insect.
• Bed bugs are small. When you see a bed bug, it won't be easy to identify because it will be between 1 and 5 mm long. That's incredibly tiny. You can fit several bed bugs on your thumbnail.
• Nymphs aren't a rusty brown color. They begin life with a pale coloration, turn tan, and eventually a reddish-brown. If you see a young bed bug, you might mistake it for another kind of pale or tannish insect.

Where Are Those Bugs?

When bed bugs get into your home, you're likely to start seeing bites before you see the bugs. What's worse is that you can go looking for bed bugs and still not see them. They're so difficult to detect that it has led many Aiken residents to assume that bed bugs are microscopic bugs, like dust mites. But, as we already discussed, bed bugs range between 1 to 5 mm in length. While certainly small, they're not microscopic. So, why are they so hard to find?

• Bed bugs prefer to be in tight spaces. If you inspect your mattress and box spring, you could find nothing, even though there are dozens of bed bugs in your bed. They can be in the mattress or boxspring seams. If you perform an inspection, we recommend using a debit card or butter knife to bring bed bugs to the surface.
• Bed bugs don't like the light. If you uncover them, they're likely to head quickly for the cover of darkness. So, as you inspect a bed, a bed bug could be running from you and keep out of sight. This desire for darkness also leads bed bugs to hide in dark voids, such as inside mattresses and box springs, or in other furniture, electronics, and in the voids of your home.

Is This A Bed Bug Bite?

When bed bugs get into your home, they'll start leaving bites on your skin. But there are many bugs that can bite you. This, and other factors, can make it difficult to know if you have a bed bug infestation. 

If bed bugs are hiding in your home and you're finding bites on your skin, here are a few facts to consider:

• You can think that you're getting bites from an outdoor insect when bed bugs start to bite. This is because it can take hours, and even a few days, for bed bug bites to develop a rash and a swollen bump. You can wake up with several bites and not know it until you come home from work or school
• Bed bug bites tend to be on skin that is exposed during the night. This is another way you can be misled to think you're being bitten by outdoor bugs.
• Bed bug bites have a unique pattern. If one bug bites you, you're likely to have three bites in a row. If more than one bug bites you, you should see patterns of three bites concentrated in one area. This should look like the bites are following a path across your skin. These "paths" develop because bed bugs feed together in the same area.
• Bed bug bites can be mild if you are a senior. This is due to a higher tolerance to the anticoagulant in the saliva of bed bugs. You can get several bites and hardly notice them.

Okay. I Have Bed Bugs.

If you determine that you have bed bugs in your Aiken home, what is the next step? We hope you'll choose to let a licensed pest professional address those bugs. They aren't just difficult to detect; they're also difficult to control. For assistance with bed bugs in Aiken, contact Aiken Pest Control. Our friendly and experienced pest management professionals used advanced technologies and field-tested methods to locate and eliminate bed bugs. 

You won't have to wonder if the bugs are gone after our team is done. It is easy to get relief from bed bugs in Aiken. Reach out to us today. We're here to help.