The thought of bed bugs causes most people to cringe, regardless of whether they have personally ever dealt with them or even seen them, and rightly so. If you live in Katy, TX and suspect that you may have bed bugs, your first reaction may be to perform an internet search to find the answer to “What do bed bugs look like?” However, even if you can’t be sure whether what you’re seeing is, in fact, bed bugs, you can contact a pest control company to resolve the issue.

What Do Bed Bugs Look Like?

It’s important that you know how to identify them so that you can move forward and take the necessary steps to eradicate them altogether. The answer to “What do bed bugs look like?” isn’t always cut and dry.

The problem with bed bugs is that many bugs look similar, so before you undergo any kind of treatment plan, it’s important that you hire a reputable company with experienced technicians who can confirm or deny what you see truly are bed bugs and then take steps to eliminate them from your home for good.

How To Identify Bed Bugs

Bed bugs are very small and typically no larger than the size of a lemon seed. They have flat bodies and are most commonly brownish in color. However, bed bugs can also appear red, but this typically only happens after they have bitten and ingested human blood. They do not fly but may have wings and three primary segments, a four-part antenna, and an oval-shaped body that swells and elongates after eating.

Identifying the Impostors

It’s important to note that there are many different bugs that are often mistaken for bed bugs. These include carpet beetles, fleas, ticks, book lice, and even cockroach nymphs.

A quality pest control company can accurately evaluate the bug that you think is a bed bug and confirm or deny whether you have an infestation. Experts deal with bed bugs on a regular basis and not only know what the bugs themselves look like but also know the most common signs of an infestation and how to address it and eradicate it for good.

Signs of a Bed Bug Infestation

There are some accompanying signs that indicate you have a bed bug infestation. Bed bugs give off a musty odor, which becomes noticeable in areas they inhabit. They also can leave blood stains on pillowcases and sheets after biting.

Another sign of a bed bug infestation is dark, rust-colored excrement spots. These excrement spots may appear on the mattress, sheets, walls, and even beneath the bed. Bed bugs also shed skin that becomes visible with an infestation, as do their egg shells.

What Causes a Bed Bug Infestation?

Many factors can contribute to a bed bug infestation in Katy, TX. One of the most common reasons people get bed bugs in their homes is because they’ve recently traveled to a location with an infestation, and those bed bugs get transported back to their homes in luggage.

College dorms, hotels, and even homes are often unknowingly infested with bed bugs, and if you visit any of these locations, they can easily follow you back to your home to create a new home. An infestation can begin with one fertile female bed bug who can lay up to 500 healthy eggs.

Identifying Bed Bug Bites

Another helpful way to identify bed bugs is to know how to identify bed bug bites. Bed bugs feed on blood, but unlike fleas and ticks, they don’t typically bite pets. Bed bugs typically bite the arms and legs, although they may bite the neck and torso as well. Bed bugs do not burrow into human skin; they bite and return home.

However, bites may become infected, and if that’s the case, it’s important that you visit your primary care provider as you may require a prescription cream to ensure complete healing. If you suspect that you have bed bugs in your home and have the bites to confirm that your suspicion is a reality, it’s important that you contact pest control to address the concerns so that you can live bed bug-free and bite-free.

Treating a Bed Bug Infestation in Katy, TX

At Life After Bugs, we understand the importance of living in a bug-free environment. If you think you may have a bed bug infestation, the first step is to contact the experts at our pest control company to begin the treatment process. One of our experts will come to your home and examine the area of concern to confirm whether your issue is, in fact, bed bugs.

If you’re dealing with an imposter bug, we will create an extermination plan to address those bugs, so you no longer have to deal with them. If you do have bed bugs, we will begin our bed bug extermination treatment protocol to eliminate them from your home.

The Pest Control Company Treatment Protocol

If you want to help speed the treatment process, there are some steps you can take to prepare the area before your technician arrives. We typically recommend that customers remove any clutter from the area to allow easy access to the infestation site so the technician can treat it as needed. Once on-site, our technician will treat the area of concern and begin by taking the bed apart to ensure that all of the bed bugs are eliminated.

The technician will remove the mattress and lean it against a wall to effectively eliminate the bed bugs. All bedding, sheets, and affected bedclothes must be removed from the bed and contained in garbage bags until they can be washed. The entire area affected by bed bugs will require thorough cleaning and vacuuming, after which the vacuum bag or contents must be discarded to prevent the bugs from escaping and infesting a different area of the home.

Preventing Bed Bugs After Treatment

After treating and eliminating an infestation, there are some steps you can take to prevent re-infestation. Regularly washing sheets and bedding with hot water can help prevent bed bugs. Additionally, performing bed bug checks when traveling can help prevent them from returning in your luggage and infesting your home. Hiring a contractor to seal and caulk baseboards and any cracks in or around your bed and furniture can prevent hiding spaces for bed bugs.

Before booking accommodations, read reviews and if you read anything about bed bugs in those reviews, avoid staying at that establishment. Additionally, keeping your home clean and regularly vacuuming can help prevent an infestation. Always empty the vacuum after cleaning to avoid displacing bed bugs and inviting an infestation somewhere else in the house.

If you suspect that you have bed bugs, there’s no need to panic. Our experts in Katy, TX, will evaluate the situation and take the necessary steps to eliminate the bed bugs. We will provide you with the right options and move forward with the treatment process so that you can feel confident in the cleanliness and safety of your home. Contact Life After Bugs today to find out more about the treatment process and to schedule your service appointment.