How Do Bugs Get in Your Bed?

Bed bugs are small, flat wingless insects that are reddish-brown and approximately one-quarter inch long, before feeding, they are about the size of a small apple seed. They come out at night, spending the day in mattress seams, box springs, bed frames, headboards, and in cracks and crevices of walls, floors, and furniture. They don’t fly, but they do crawl rapidly.

How They Enter Your Home

They can enter your home by coming from other infested areas, like used furniture, luggage, purses, backpacks, or other items that involve upholstered surfaces. In multi-unit buildings, like apartments and hotels, they can travel between rooms.

You can avoid bringing bed bugs into your home by placing your suitcase on a stand rather than on the floor or bed in a hotel. Also, inspect all used furniture before bringing it inside.

Bugs in My Bed?

We have information on the early signs of bed bugs and what you should do when you notice them.

  • Blood Marks on the Mattress: Not to worry. This is not a scene from God Father. These blood marks are so small, that you wouldn’t even notice them. Bed bugs are blood-sucking, but they are sloppy eaters, so you may see tiny traces of blood on the sheets.
  • Strange Smells: The blood stains on your bed may also be crushed bed bugs. The bed bugs alarm other bed bugs of threats against their well-being. Alarm pheromones may give off a strong scent, used to alert others of the threats in your home.
  • Bite Marks: It’s not necessarily a mosquito or a spider. It very well may be a bed bug. At first, they look very much like a mosquito bite, and they are painless. But they become itchy and should be taken as a sign of bigger problems.
  • Family Discomfort: If several members of your family experience the same problem, take it as a sign of a much bigger issue. Contact a professional before the problem gets worse.
  • Physical Signs: You can tell if there are enormous traces of eggs and shed exoskeletons. If there is a yellowish tint to their skin, and they are all left in the same location, that is a sign, which makes it easier for a professional exterminator to do their job.

Ridding your house and bed of bed bugs can be done, but it usually requires what is called an “integrated pest management” (IPM) approach. This combines techniques that pose the lowest risk to your health and the environment. Try these strategies:

Get rid of clutter, especially in your bedroom.

  • Move your bed away from walls or furniture.
  • Vacuum moulding, windows, and floor. Vacuum sides and seams of mattresses, box springs and furniture. Empty the vacuum or the bag immediately and dispose of it outside.
  • Wash sheets, pillowcases, blankets, and bed skirts and put them in a hot dryer for at least 30 minutes.
  • Consider using mattress and box spring covers –the kind used for dust-mite control–and put duct tape over the zippers.
  • Seal cracks and crevices and any openings where pipes or wires come into the home.

A better option is to simply call Seaside Pest Control.

Bed bugs

Seaside Pest Control

We want to eliminate your pest problem on time and on budget. If retreatment is needed, it will be at no cost to you. We know what kind of pests are common in this area, so we know what needs to be done. We offer services in Metro Vancouver, which includes Surrey, Vancouver, Delta, Abbotsford, Coquitlam, and Langley.