How To Tell If Your Southern California Home Has A Bed Bug Problem
On a cold January day in Southern California, sometimes the warmth of the bedroom is preferable to anywhere else in the house. However, SoCal residents aren’t the only people who agree – bed bugs are also trying to find their way into bedrooms like yours. Bed bugs are some of the most common home infestations in the world, including right here in Southern California. Let’s explore what these pests look like and how to tell if you have a bed bug problem.
Bed Bug Identification Tips
Usually, people don’t know they have a bed bug infestation right away. Rather, Southern California homeowners wake up with small, itchy welts on their legs and forearms. What do these pesky biters look like?
Bed bugs are reddish-brown and only grow about ⅕ of an inch. They have a small head on top of a wider, apple seed-shaped body, supported by six legs, and often hide in the cracks and crevices of your furniture, coming out to feed during the night.
That’s why bed bugs most prefer your home – they need blood to survive. These pests can go over a month without feeding, but eventually, they’ll need a steady supply of blood to survive and reproduce, which your household and its occupants abundantly provide.
These pests can happen to anyone and may have already happened to you. If that’s the case, you might be wondering if bed bugs are dangerous, and in short, they can be.
The Dangers Of Bed Bugs
The good news is, bed bugs don’t pose an immediate danger to your health, but the bad news? These pests can still cause profound damage over a long time. The longer you wait to deal with an infestation, the worse it can get.
Bed bugs pose the following concerns to Southern California residents:
- Insomnia: bed bugs around the house make people lose sleep, as it’s stressful knowing that you’re sleeping with bloodsucking insects.
- Anemia: if bed bugs stick around long enough, the blood loss caused by these pests results in anemia.
- Psychological distress: a lack of sleep and the stress of constantly scratching your bites can make you stressed and anxious.
- Secondary infections: bed bugs do not transmit disease, but if you scratch their bites long enough, you might open your wounds and let other diseases in.
How To Tell If You Have Bed Bugs
If you don’t see bed bugs, you’ll see the signs of their presence. Most frequently, you know you have bed bugs because you keep waking up with bug bites. However, you can also spot the signs of bed bugs in your sheets or furniture: bed bugs leave tiny droppings, discarded skins, and reddish-brown stains. Over time, they can also leave behind a musty odor, often described as a wet towel.
Though bed bugs can go undetected, you’ll start to notice them before long. If these pests end up in your home, don’t fret – bed bugs happen to everyone, and they’re just as hard to prevent as they are to get rid of. When bed bugs get inside your Southern California property, contact the bed bug control professionals at Excel Pest Management. We’ll remove these pests for you!
Tags: bed bug control | bed bug management | bed bug health dangers |
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