When Does Bed Bugs Appear?
The first question that you need to ask yourself is when does bedbugs appear. Bedbugs are nocturnal and prefer to feed during the night. Consequently, they will be more active when the lights are off and the temperatures are higher. However, they will also come out when the lights are turned on and feed during the daytime when you are not sleeping.
When the bedbugs are first seen, they are still small and hard to spot. They may be tiny, about the size of a poppy seed, but they grow to be about 0.25 inches long. They have a flat, oval abdomen and a pair of black beady eyes. The adults are usually reddish-brown in color and stick to soft furnishings and dark areas. They will feed and lay up to 500 eggs in their lifetime, so it is crucial to act quickly if you suspect a bedbug infestation.
While the bites of bedbugs are the most obvious sign of a bedbug infestation, you should also look for bedbug eggs. The eggs look like tiny pale poppy seeds. You may also notice signs of bedbug activity under loose wallpaper near beds or in corners of desks, in drawers, and laundry.
It is important to avoid moving or packing to another room if you suspect bedbugs. The bugs can move to neighboring rooms in search of a meal, so you should avoid moving the furniture around as much as possible. Furthermore, if you find bedbugs, you should preserve their samples in a small container. For example, you can place them in a pill bottle or a zippered plastic bag with rubbing alcohol, or even tape them onto white paper.