How you can tell if you are the victim of a Bed Bug infestation?

By now you are probably a bit creeped out and wondering how you can tell if you are the victim of a Bed Bug infestation. Most often suspicions are aroused when a person starts to wake up with bites on their body after a night’s sleep. These bites will primarily appear on the parts of the body that are uncovered while you sleep such as arms and lower legs. If you sleep in the nude the bites will appear all over with particular emphasis on the side of your body that was not in contact with the mattress.

After waking up for several nights in a row with bites you should do an inspection for Bed Bugs. They are most often found between the mattress and box spring of a bed or under the bottom bed sheet but they can also be found hiding in cracks and crevices, cabinets and drawers, picture frames, drapes and curtains, sofas and other furniture.

Take a flashlight and start your inspection. Look between the mattress and box spring and under your bottom sheet. Bed Bugs are quite efficient at quickly processing their meals and will litter the area they inhabit with their droppings. To the naked eye these droppings will look as if someone dusted the area with black pepper. You should also look for evidence of molt husks in their hiding places and you may find blood smears on your sheets from their bites.

In addition to their droppings blood smears and molt shells you should of course look for actual bed bugs. They will most often be found as close as possible to their victims in a dark area. Again their favorite hiding place will be between your mattress and box spring or under your bed sheets. They may also be living in the bedding of a pet or in a favorite chair or sofa. Take you flashlight and look slowly and carefully inspect any place you, your family or a household pet may have sat or slept. If you find any of the above evidence along with a colony of small, flat, reddish brown insects you have most likely been invaded by Bed Bugs.