How to Know When to Look For Bed Bugs
WouterThe first step in determining if your room is infested with bedbugs is to smell it. The insects emit a sweet and musty odor that they release as they are threatened. This is called pheromones, which they use to alert their fellow bedbugs to their presence. Female bedbugs can lay seven eggs a day and nearly 100 eggs in their lifetime. The eggs of bedbugs smell like poppy seeds and are small enough to be easily detected.
The next step is to examine the furniture. The easiest way to check for bedbugs is to lift up the mattress and look underneath for rusty, dark spots. If you can’t find any spots, you can use a flashlight to check the creases of your furniture. If you suspect your room is infested, it’s time to move to another location.
The bites of bedbugs can appear as clusters of three or more in a row, giving you the classic “1-2-3-breakfast, lunch, dinner” pattern. However, you might also notice a single bedbug bite here and there. This isn’t enough to rule out an infestation, however.
You can also check furniture for shell casings, which are the translucent shell casings of juvenile bedbugs. Shell casings are often easier to find than bedbugs themselves, and can be found in holes in wooden furniture and upholstered furniture.
