You might assume that bed bugs are a pest that you could notice right away. Because, even though people know that bed bugs are quite small, their infestations are often presented in the media and in general as being quite noticeable. However, bed bugs are actually one of the hardest pests to identify and are sometimes mistaken for other species.
Read on to learn more about identifying bed bugs and removing infestations as quickly as possible in your Bryan home.
What Other Pests Are Bed Bugs Mistaken For?
Bed bugs are parasitic pests, and they are sometimes misidentified as ticks or fleas. However, while ticks use humans and animals as hosts, both bed bugs and fleas do not. Fleas only live on animal hosts, but they do bite humans. Bed bugs, on the other hand, aren’t as likely to bite animals but prefer to feed on humans. They will bite us while we sleep, but they don’t actually live on our bodies or attach to our skin.
What Bed Bugs Look Like
Bed bugs look differently depending on their stage in the life cycle. The nymphs and adults are similar in shape as they have long, oval bodies. However, the adults are slightly bigger and around the size of an apple seed. The adults are also a reddish-brown color, while the nymphs are off-white.
The bed bug eggs are even smaller. They are about one millimeter long, so they can be a bit difficult to detect. The bed bug eggs are creamy white, but after they hatch, the eggshells will turn brown over time.
Five More Signs Of Bed Bugs In Bryan Homes
While it’s good to know what bed bugs look like, there are other signs of their presence that you might notice first before seeing the actual bugs themselves. If you know what to look out for, you can pick up on an infestation earlier before it has become more widespread.
It’s also important to realize that bed bugs don’t just live on beds and around sleeping areas. They can be found on other furniture, curtains, in electrical outlets, holes in walls, and even in and around appliances. So, while bed bugs are more common in homes and other residential areas, they can even be found in other places that don’t have beds, such as all kinds of businesses and companies.
Here are five of the signs that bed bugs are around:
- Brown staining on any upholstered items or walls
- Bloodstains on mattresses, sheets, blankets, and pillows
- A strange musty odor
- Discarded bed bug eggs around baseboards or furniture
- Discarded bed bug skins around the floors or furniture
Signs Of Bed Bugs? What Now?
If you’ve seen any of the signs of bed bugs in your Bryan home, the best thing to do is contact the pest professionals at EnviroGuard right away. Bed bugs reproduce quickly, and because they are so small and mostly come out at night, they are tricky to catch early on before they spread.
Luckily, the bed bug control experts at EnviroGuard are here to help. Learn more about our comprehensive options by giving us a call today. You can also set up an appointment.