Bed bugs are a menace because of how small and easy-to-miss they are, making them easily go unnoticed as they grow and spread throughout our homes. Because of the way we travel and our exposure to the outside world, tracking bed bugs into the house is quite common, which poses problems if left unattended. These ticks feed on human blood and reproduce extremely fast, which is why you must act fast and be vigilant when you notice any bites and blood on your sheets. 

What Do These Bed Bugs Look Like?

Adult bed bugs are quite tiny at around five millimetres long and are oval-shaped and flat at the top, provided they still have not fed on your blood. Their colours vary from red, orange, and brown depending on whether or not they have had their blood meal, and how much they have eaten. They are quite reminiscent of an apple seed with six legs, so they are easy to spot if you have light covered sheets or furniture. 

Just like fleas and ticks—their blood-feeding cousins—bed bugs require a constant supply of blood to live. However, they are not harbingers of disease and are quite harmless asides from the itchiness caused by their bites and the distress they cause. You can find these pests on beddings, around the seams of mattresses, curtains, on family pets, and even your own clothing. 

What Exactly Are Bed Bugs?

Bed bugs are insects that come from the Cimex family, meaning they have six legs. They feed on human blood but will make exceptions for animal blood if needed to survive. Since they have legs, they are able to crawl anywhere they want to go, making them difficult to spot at times. You will only often be able to notice bed bugs if you experience itchy bites often and discover blood spots on your beddings and mattress, indicating they have been feeding. 

Fortunately, bed bugs cannot fly like mosquitos. They also can’t jump as fleas can, which means crawling is their only means of movement. Because their bodies can be flattened, they can squeeze into cracks quite easily, making them hidden from plain sight, in which they then come out at night to feed. They reproduce extremely quickly, with a female bed bug being able to reproduce 38 million bed bugs in a span of a year. 

How Do You Get Bed Bugs In Your Home?

Bed bugs are known to be excellent hitchhikers, meaning they latch on to you while you are out and make their way to wherever you go. These pests are found all over, and they enjoy fabrics meaning that they will latch onto your luggage and clothes when you are out. They can survive aerial travel, which has contributed to their easy spread all over the world. 

There is a chance that if your hotel abroad is not sanitized properly, any bed bugs they have had will have likely made their way home with you. Any hotel can be a carrier of bed bugs because of high guest turnovers and all the exploring people do while travelling. When a female bug is able to find its way into your suitcase through whatever means, you’ve already got the start of a problem.

Another way is buying second-hand furniture, as you are unaware of its history or the habits of the previous owner when it comes to sanitation. Since these furniture pieces have fabric and crevices, this makes it the perfect avenue for them to latch onto and hide. 

Conclusion

When it comes to bed bugs, they are definitely an irritating pest to have in your home. They spread extremely quickly and can deliver some nasty bites that can be very itchy and annoying. Bed bugs are best remedied by calling your local pest control company for deep and thorough cleaning of your home and to ensure that nothing gets left behind. 

Clean And Green Pest is the best pest control company in Australia, as we know the dangers and implications of Australia’s wildlife better than everyone else. Specializing in deadly insects and rodents, we can cleanse your home from these irritating pests that pose a threat to you and your family. Contact us to know more.