Bed bugs have become a major problem in the last couple of years with growing evidence of infestations across the country, including Hawaii. Since I love both travel and helping others, I decided to combine my passion for travel with my new found knowledge about bed bugs and how to prevent them. Partnering with PreventBugs.com, I have written a guide to bed bug infestation in houses complete with pictures and advice on how to deal with the problem. Bed bugs have been known to infest in houses, apartments, hotels and even public transportation like buses, trams and subway cars. Their bites are not only an annoyance but a serious health risk that contains several transmitted diseases. There are ways for us to identify if we have bed bugs in the house and eliminate them as soon as possible to prevent further spread.

Bed Bug Infestation In House

Don’t Concentrate on the Bites, They Mean Nothing

While bed bug bites are common, they should not be the focus of your efforts. Bed bugs are opportunistic feeders and will feed on any exposed skin in their environment. They normally bite for about 5 minutes at a time before returning to their hiding spots, which can be anywhere from your mattress to bookshelves or even inside electrical sockets. Bed bug bites do not look like mosquito bites; they tend to appear in lines or clusters and may take up to 14 days before appearing as raised red welts. While some people react strongly to the bites while others may show no reaction at all, itching is rarely reported when bitten by bed bugs.

Bed Bugs Aren’t Nocturnal

One misconception about bed bugs is that they are nocturnal. This means they only bite or feed at night, but this isn’t true. Bed bugs can bite any time of day, even if you are sleeping during the day. If you are sleeping during the day, it doesn’t matter to them if it is light outside or not.

Small Spots of Blood on your Linen and Clothes are a Sign

Bed bugs are tiny insects that live in the crevices of your bed or other furniture. Their bites can cause itchy welts on your skin, resembling mosquito or flea bites. While many people have encountered bed bugs without knowing what they were, others may be suffering from a more serious infestation that requires professional treatment by a pest control company. Here are some ways to tell if you have been bitten by a bed bug:

• Bites occur mainly on exposed areas of the body, such as arms and legs
• Small spots of blood on your linen and clothes are another sign that you’ve been bitten (though not everyone has this symptom)
• It takes about 10 minutes for itching to occur after being bitten

Bed Bugs Will Leave Behind Exoskeletons

Bed bugs are a distressing pest to have in your house, but you can take steps to get rid of them. The first step is to identify if you have an infestation and then figure out where the problem started. An easy way to do this is by finding bed bug exoskeletons as they shed their skin as they grow.

Exoskeletons are small, brown and oval shaped with six legs attached on the underside of their body. You can find these little guys when you’re cleaning up or around your furniture. If you see some exoskeletons sitting around, it’s likely that there are other bed bugs hiding somewhere too! When searching for signs of bed bug activity look around baseboards, crevices within wall/ceiling joints and mattress seams (especially along the box spring).

Bed Bugs Leave a Smell

Bed bugs leave a smell. This smell is very noticeable in your house, especially if you are living with bed bugs. You will be able to smell it when you walk into your home because they emit a strong scent that can give you headaches and make you feel nauseous.

The reason why they smell so bad is because they feed on blood, which causes their bodies to break down and then releases its odor when they shed their exoskeleton or after being disturbed by movement. If there are many bedbugs in your home and they are roaming around freely then the chances of them causing an infestation increase significantly as well as causing more damage to furniture items like wooden chairs and tables, mattresses etcetera..

Look for Evidence in Furniture and Cracks Around the House

Now that you know what to look for, it’s time to start checking for evidence.

Bedbugs are notoriously hard to find and detect, so it’s important that you take your time when inspecting your home. Because bedbugs often hide in furniture and cracks around the house, you should inspect all of these areas. You can use a flashlight to shine light into crevices if necessary—a method that works best if you’re looking for evidence of bedbugs (small spots of blood) on sheets or clothes.

The best way to know if you have a bed bug infestation is by finding evidence in furniture.

It’s not always easy to spot bed bugs, but here are some places to look for evidence of a possible infestation:

• Mattresses (especially seams)
• Cracks in furniture and walls
• Crevices of the floor
• Cracks of baseboards