How To Tell If It’s Bed Bugs In Your El Centro Home

August 13, 2021 - Bed Bugs

bedbug on box spring

El Centro’s most notable attractions are its natural ones. It boasts of some pretty amazing areas to travel such as an eerie Crucifixion Thorn Natural Area, fossils left in dry lake beds, and mud pots bubbling along the road. One natural pest that is not on the natural attraction list is the bed bug. Whether you are visiting El Centro or relaxing at home, some bloodthirsty bed bugs may be lurking nearby.

How To Identify Bed Bugs In My El Centro Home

Bed bugs can be hard to see because they can be as small as the tip of a pen and sometimes have transparent skin. Once they mature to their adult size, bed bugs typically have a reddish-brown coloration and can be about the size of an apple seed. Because they resemble other insects, bed bugs can be hard to identify; their bite is commonly confused with bites from different pests. This causes infestations to be difficult to detect and allows populations to grow unnoticed.

Some of the insects that are often confused with bed bugs include carpet beetles, booklice, spider beetle, cockroach nymphs, ticks, and fleas. As with any infestation, knowledge is power. Identifying which species have infiltrated your home and the factors allowing them to thrive are key pieces of information needed to eliminate them.

What Do Bed Bugs Look Like?

Adult bed bugs are about a quarter-inch long with flat, reddish-brown oval-shaped bodies. They have six legs and two antennae. Their nymphs look similar to adults but are somewhat smaller (no bigger than a pinhead) and lighter in color. Bed bugs do not fly, but they are fast crawlers! They can move quickly over floors, walls, ceilings, and other surfaces. The female bed bug will lay her eggs in secluded areas. Her eggs are approximately 1mm in size; they are a tiny, shiny-whitish color, and are hard to see without a magnifying glass. Individual bed bug eggs are about the size of a speck of dust. For bed bugs to grow and become an adult, a blood meal is needed each time it molts or sheds its skin. Bed bugs can develop into adults in as little as a month and can produce three or more generations every year.

Places Bed Bugs Infest In El Centro Homes

Bed bugs are not just found in your bed. They can take up residence in all sorts of different and unique locations.

Some common areas infestations can be found are as follows:

  • Cracks and crevices in walls or wood

  • Behind baseboards

  • Around mattress buttons

  • Within bedding

  • Inside box springs

  • Inside appliances or other furniture

In some instances, bed bugs can come from inside electrical switch plates, picture frames, upholstery, or wallpaper. They can also be found inside homes, cars, buses, or any other shelter that looks inviting.

Signs Of Bed Bug Infestation

The most noticeable sign of a bed bug infestation is seeing small reddish-brown fecal spots on mattresses, upholstery, or walls. You may also see the shed skins of bed bugs, their eggs, or empty eggshells. All of these signs will be quite small, but visible to the human eye. Bites on the arms and legs are also a tell-tale sign of bed bugs. The bites are typically small but can swell and become quite itchy. Unlike other bites, bites from bed bugs tend to be found in lines or clusters. It can often take two to three days for bites to appear which allows the infestation to grow into a bigger problem.

Call Imperial County Pest Control Of El Centro For Bed Bug Removal

Bed bugs are tough! The nymph can survive for months without feeding, and the adults can hang on for more than a year. Just leaving the premises empty does not eradicate a bed bug infestation. If you spot signs of a bed bug infestation, call the El Centro home pest control and commercial exterminator professionals at Imperial County Pest Control to help you right away. At Imperial County Pest Control we offer free inspections and estimates to tackle “pesky” problems in your home. We are a small business that gets BIG results!

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