These ancient bugs are essentially hitch hikers that grab onto bags, purses, suitcases, and clothes. They can be found in any place where humans congregate, including houses, hotels, restaurants, schools, and retail stores.

These bugs spread quickly because merely one bug needs to crawl into a shopper’s purse before it is taken home, crawls into the bed, and multiplies rapidly. These nuisances are tiny, oval bugs that are brown and flat before they feed on the blood of their host. Once the bugs have fed, their appearance is red and swollen.

If you know what to look for, you can spot them hiding in the seams of a mattress or a box spring, and you can also spot other signs of infestation. These nasty pests leave small spots that are red-brown on the mattress, sheets, and walls, which are a tell-tale sign of infestation. You can also look for molted skins, empty egg shells, and eggs on the mattress. While these things are all small, they can be identified if one knows what to look for.

One of these bugs needs blood in order to survive, and find an easy and ready meal in the occupants of the bed that they call home. Once the bed bugs have begun to feast upon their host, it often takes a while before they realize what is biting them.

It can be very difficult to differentiate between bed bug bites and the bites of other pests. This makes it hard to determine what is biting the host. Learning to identify bed bug bites is important and can help you to avoid a long and bitter battle with the pest of the night.

Bed bug bites usually show up in a cluster or group of three. There is no pain occurring with the bite, however, most people will develop an allergic reaction to the bed bug’s saliva. This allergic reaction makes the bites red, swollen, and incredibly itchy.

Knowing where bed bugs come from can help to prevent the spread of them. These pests tend to be everywhere that humans are, making it easy to pick them up when you’re traveling or on the go. Keep an eye out for signs of bed bugs when you are out, especially if you are in a hotel, using public transportation, or in a public sitting area.

If you are staying in a hotel you will want to check the bed for signs of these pests before you unpack and get comfortable. Pull the sheet back and look for reddish-brown spots, mottled skin, or eggshells. It’s also good practice to make sure your bags stay off the ground and away from the bed in order to prevent a bed bug from crawling in and hitching a ride back to your house.

Understanding these pests will help you to identify an infestation and can even help you prevent one in the first place. Know how to keep a bed bug from entering your bags, your home, and your bed. If the unfortunate happens and you start to notice red, itchy, clusters of bumps, you want to be able to look for other signs to determine if you have an infestation, check the mattress, sheets, walls, and upholstery.

If you discover an infestation, or if you think that you may have one, you will want to call Foundations Pest Control right away for our state of the art bed bug treatment. The experienced team of exterminators can confirm an infestation and take all the necessary measures to clear your home of these pests.