The Key To Keeping The Bed Bugs Out Of Your Tampa Home

How To Identify Bed Bugs In Tampa

Where do bed bugs come from? They travel passively from one location to another. These insects don't come into your home from your yard. They're carried in. You pick them up and bring them home with you. Bed bug identification is essential if you hope to keep bed bugs from hitchhiking back to your home. If you and everyone in your home are able to identify bed bugs, you could be alerted to conditions that could lead to an infestation. What do bed bugs look like? Here are a few visual cues.

An adult bed bug can appear dark reddish-brown or black. It is about the size of an apple seed and is generally the same shape. It has six legs and horizontal lines on the abdomen. If it has had a recent blood meal, it will appear bloated. At only 4.5mm in length, a bed bug isn't much to look at. It may seem like nothing more than a dark speck.

Newly hatched bed bugs are only 1mm in length. They are pale in color but may look like little red bugs. Why? Because most of the body length is the abdomen. If the abdomen is filled with blood, these transparent insects will appear red.

As bed bugs grow from immature nymphs to adults, their appearance can vary. What do bed bugs look like as they pass through their five stages of development? They may appear black if they haven't fed. They may appear red if they have had a blood meal. They may be shaped like a seed or look more pill-shaped. They'll range in size from 1 mm to 4.5 mm. 

Keep a watchful eye for these insects in dark places. You can use the light on your cellphone to do a quick check. If you see one attached to your skin, don't brush it off and put it out of your mind. Take steps to keep those bugs from coming home with you. This is the best way we know how to prevent bed bugs from hitchhiking home with Tampa residents.

Now that you know how to identify bed bugs, there are a few tips that can help you take action and prevent an infestation. You'll need to know how to check for bed bugs and some simple methods to deal with bed bugs if you find evidence.

Step 1: How to check for bed bugs. Use a flashlight and a probing tool. Explore cracks, gaps, pockets, and other tight spaces. Check bags, luggage, clothing, and other items you carry. As you inspect your stuff, look for black fecal spotting or streaks.

Step 2: Treat the bed bugs. How do you treat bed bugs? Run your clothes through a 30-minute dryer cycle. This kills bed bugs in all stages of development. Put other items in your dryer that are dryer safe, such as duffel bags and pocketbooks. If an item can't go in your dryer, maybe it can go in your freezer. Bag the infested item(s) and put them in your freezer for three days.

Step 3: Vacuum your home thoroughly, including all beds. This could pick up bugs that have gotten out of your stuff and into your home.