HOW TO SPOT BEDBUGS IN THE HOUSE {SECOND POST}

The question in the first place here should be, "how did I get bedbugs?".

Bedbugs use an operational mode which I term, "While Men Slept". This is not as the case of an enemy coming in the middle of the night to sow tares among seeds. It is the case of enemies coming in when you're awake, fully conscious, right before your eyes, but there's very little you can do, and they pass right under your nose, and you'll even say welcome.

Bedbugs may be found in all types of housing, but are more common in short-term accommodation such as hotels or hostels. Bedbugs comes mostly hidden or stuck to luggages, probably from friends or relatives on visiting.

Bedbugs in the rooms aren't difficult to spot, because they don't really have special hideouts. There are some basic signs with which you can easily detect where bedbugs reside in your home, and where they lay their eggs.

These signs include:

#1: An unusual cluster of black dots/spots around a corner, on your mattress, cushion chairs or a part of the wall in the room. Black spots are usually found near their feeding sites and near their hideouts. These spots are partially digested defecated blood that have turned dark over time.

#2: There is the presence of cast skins. These are mottled shells that bedbugs may have shed during their growth stages.

#3: Unusual blood spots on your bedsheets. This is the case where you may have probably rolled over and squashed a bug after it had fed on your blood.

#4: Crevices of the room, joints of your mattress and furniture are some of the best hiding places for bedbugs. They should be your number one suspected areas.

#5: Bedbugs have a unique kind of smell. Most people describe this smell as similar to that of raspberries or corianders. The smell may even be worse as in the case of large infestation. Adult bedbugs also produce this odour with their scent glands when disturbed.

NOTE: In the first post of this series, it was mentioned that, on the average, it takes around seven weeks before bedbugs are discovered in a room of a property. They're very good at hiding, so you too have to be very good at observing.

Also, if you find bed bugs in your home, it’s best to leave whatever area of the house it is the way it is, pending the time you find a good solution. Don't remove your bedsheet, clothes or move your furniture somewhere else. Trying to disrupt their hideout without a permanent solution at hand can lead to them spreading elsewhere, and could bring bedbugs to initially uninfested areas.

HOW DO YOU STAY SAFE?. . .

This post is the second of the series DEALING WITH BEDBUGS. More posts still to come. Do stick around.

Hey, not like bedbugs. *Winks*