Bed bugs are certainly a visitor that you do not want anywhere near your bedroom as they're a nuisance.
They bite, and their bites can cause allergic reactions, and potentially secondary skin infections - and while more often than not their bites are fairly harmless, an infestation is not something you want in your home.
Bed bugs are really irritating, so it's important to deal with them as quickly as possible, as females can lay as many as 500 eggs in a two-month period. These eggs then hatch in about a week, which then leads to problems as you'll soon be overrun with the critters.
According to experts at Bed Kingdom, there are seven signs to look out for as well as various tips to help banish the pests.
Strange smell
Bed bugs give off an unusual smell, and the experts explained: "One of the early signs of bed bugs is a strange, musty scent lingering in your bedroom, despite there being no clear cause of it being there, such as a dirty pile of clothes.
"When bed bugs feel threatened, they emit what is called alarm pheromones which have a faint smell of raspberries, cilantro or alongs - and in severe bed bug cases, this smell will be mixed with the odour of dead bugs and shell casings which creates a rust scent."
Bites
If you wake up with "red, itchy bites", this could be a sign of bed bugs. They typically feed on blood throughout the night, and they'll bite arms, hands, and legs, and will often appear in clusters - but can sometimes show up as single bites.
According to the experts, they are not usually dangerous but some people can be allergic, so if you experience extreme swelling, seek help from a medical professional.
Eggs
Bed bug eggs can be hard to spot as they're tiny - just 1mm long - but they can be found by looking for anything that resembles small rice grains in the bed.
They can be loosely stuck to different types of surfaces, typically the mattress seams and joints or behind the headboard.
Shell casings
The experts shared: "Bed bugs shed several times during different lifecycle stages, meaning that their shell casings can come in different sizes - but you can spot them by their yellow, translucent appearance in the seams, folds and crevices of mattresses, or even other areas such as cracks in walls and furniture."
Blood stains
Once a bed bug is finished feeding, the blood can leak out if you squash them during your sleep by sudden movements like rolling over, so if you notice any marks, you may have bed bugs.
If there is no visible other cause, it's likely that the marks are from the pests.
Dark brown marks
Dark marks from bed bug droppings about the size of a pen tip can appear on mattresses, sheets, headboards, and even your walls, and they're a lot smaller than blood stains, so harder to spot.
They will also give off a faint, rusty smell that contributes to the gross odour.
Live bed bugs
Adult bed bugs are around 5mm long, and they tend to hide in various places from the bed to the areas next to it.
With a severe infestation, they can be spotted, and therefore you can get rid of them.
Have you got any cleaning tips to share? Email: danielle.wroe@reachplc.com
