Discovering a few bed bugs in your home is a reason to be concerned, but not alarmed. Unfortunately, way too many people in similar situations become confused, wondering why their home has been targeted by bed bugs. This is only normal, so do not think you are in this alone. Are you concerned about a full-blown infestation with only a handful of bed bugs?
A handful of bed bugs or a single bed bug does not matter. What matters is your home is being invaded by bed bugs. Some homeowners will shrug the sighting off while others immediately think the worst.
One bed bug is enough to draw concern because it may be a sign of things to come. Now, this sighting does not necessarily mean your home is infested with bed bugs even though it appears that way. No, it just means there is a bed bug invading your home. It could also mean there is a colony of bed bugs in your home, with only the one making an appearance. The others may be hiding away in your bed linen, furniture, closets, mattress, box springs, and pillows.
If you are concerned about a full-blown bed bug infestation, do not hesitate to contact our San Diego office. We are one of San Diego’s top bed bug experts. Our company is locally owned and operated, allowing up to know the community like the back of our hands.
Why A Few Bed Bugs Are Concerning
A few bed bugs living in a residential area is reason to be concerned. Why is this the case? Generally, where there is a single bed bug, there is an entire colony of bed bugs in many cases. Bed bugs generally live and survive as a colony, which can have hundreds if not thousands of bed bugs. Since bed bugs tend to live in colonies, a bed bug generally equals more bed bugs.
Unlike some insects, bed bugs are not known to live alone. As previously mentioned, these insects live in small-, medium-, and large-sized colonies.
Even of greater concern is if the bed bug turns out to be female. Of course, there will be no way to determine the sex of the bed bug without professional assistance. If the bed bug is female, within the next few weeks, she will probably lay her first batch of eggs in your home. Boy, aren’t you the lucky one?
An adult female bed bug can lay up 7 eggs daily and 500 eggs over a lifetime. A bed bug colony can have hundreds of adult females laying eggs daily. While it would be easy to shrug off one adult female bed bug, it is easy to see why it could cause some people great stress. One female bed bug laying 7 eggs a day would result in a colony of bed bugs in no time flat.
If a single bed bug is detected in your home, you should not delay contacting our local San Diego office. Our exterminators are trained to detect and eradicate bed bug infestations of all sizes. Bed bugs generally do not grow larger than 7 millimeters in length, making them extremely difficult to detect.
Detecting Bed Bugs – Why Is It So Difficult?
There are many reasons why bed bugs are difficult to detect. Their bodies are slender until gorged with blood from human and animal hosts. The body structure is similar to that of an apple seed, with a mixture of red and brown coloring, which can easily blend in with dark-colored furniture, flooring, and baseboards.
A bed bug sighting is enough to make the hair stand up on your arms. Like this is not enough, they feed on your blood at night while you are asleep. Generally, people do not wake up when they are bitten by a bed bug. In fact, the bite is so minor that it would probably not stir anyone from their sleep. Each human body reacts differently to bed bug bites. Some people will experience a mild allergic reaction while others may go unscathed.
How To Know It Is A Bed Bug?
Since it is so difficult to spot bed bugs with the naked eye, accurate identification may not be possible. Everyone, even the most pessimistic person, should be familiar with bed bug characteristics, like size (10 millimeters), divided antenna, and six tiny legs.
The bed bug’s unique characteristics make it very easy to identify if only they could be detected. However, some people who are not familiar with these insects will mistake them for cockroach nymphs, fleas, ticks, carpet beetles, and other insects.
Bed Bugs – What Are The Most Common Signs?
The signs of a bed bug infestation include the following:
- Blood Spots – Tiny spots of blood on bed linen, clothes, and mattresses
- Dark Spots – Tiny dark spots on bed linen and mattresses are bed bug exoskeletons
- Pinpoint Egg Casings – Bed bug egg casings are extremely tiny, making them extremely difficult to detect.
- Fecal Material – Appears on bed linen, pillows, mattresses, and box springs
- Tiny Red Spots On Body – Bed bug bites can appear anywhere on the body. The red, raised spots are the result of an allergic reaction to the enzyme bed bugs utilize to numb your skin before biting
- Sweet, Musty Odor – A foul odor generated by a gland
Where To Look For Bed Bugs In A Residential Setting?
When a single bed bug is detected in a home, it warrants a full-blown visual inspection. You can conduct the inspection or hire us to do it. Either way, it should always begin in the bedroom. Since bed bugs tend to live near their hosts for easy night time feeding, starting in the bedroom only makes sense.
Inspect the entire bed, removing the linen and flipping the mattress and box springs if necessary. Look for any of the aforementioned signs. It is also a good idea to turn your pillowcases inside out because bed bugs will utilize them as a form of shelter and hiding place.
From the bed, you should start inspecting the carpet, baseboards, upholstery furniture, clothing, loose paneling and wallpaper, electrical receptacles (outlets), electronic devices, and stuffed animals. Utilize a makeshift scraper to look for eggs, egg casings, fecal material, and exoskeletons along walls, bedding, carpet, and baseboards.
When To Contact The Bed Bug Experts?
It is never too early or too late to contact us, your San Diego bed bug experts. While you are waiting for our exterminator to arrive at your home, there are a few things you can do to prepare. Remove your bed linen, stuffed animals, and clothing, place them in a plastic bag, and transport them to the laundry room.
Once the visual inspection is complete, you should have enough evidence to make the determination of whether or not your home is infested with bed bugs. If you have not contacted our office yet, now is the perfect time to do so. We will help you customize a bed bug treatment plan that will guarantee success with a single or no more than three applications. Our goal is to help you eradicate the bed bug infestation safely and quickly, so you and your family can return to normal.
FAQs
It is not safe to say a bed bug is the sign of an infestation. But, it is a sign of things to come, especially if the bed bug’s gender is female. A full-blown infestation can start as a single bed bug. Within weeks, it will be obvious you have a bed bug problem. While not yet an infestation, treatment will slow the progression of your bed bug problem.
The best course of action is to remain calm. If your concerns continue to grow, we recommend contacting our local San Diego office for expert advice. We will gladly pair you with a licensed bed bug exterminator. Even if you are not concerned about the sighting, it is crucial to not delay action. This is a very common mistake that homeowners make when dealing with bed bugs.
A handful of bed bugs is not always a sign of a full-blown infestation. An in-home inspection will help determine if your home is infested with bed bugs. And, do not forget, a single adult female bed bug can lay up to 500 eggs (7 eggs per day) in her lifetime.
