Bedbugs an enter your home through luggage, clothing, used beds, furniture and many other ways, and while they do not nest, they can be difficult to detect, hiding in small places such as mattresses, bed frames and more.
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Feasting on the blood of animals and humans, the small insects can leave a painful, itchy bite, often on exposed areas.
Detecting bedbugs
Signs of bedbugs can be hard to identify however there are some things to look out for including:
- Bites - which often appear in exposed areas when sleeping
- Blood marks on furniture or bedding, either from a bite or from squashing a bedbug.
- Brown marks on bedding or furniture (bed bug faeces)
- An offensive, musty smell from the bugs' scent glands
While bedbugs do not fly or "nest" female bedbugs may lay hundreds of eggs, each of which is about the size of a speck of dust.
Getting rid of bedbugs
It can be a difficult task removing bed bugs once they have infested as they can be resistant to some insecticides.
In order to remove bed bugs: Clean bedding, linens, curtains, and clothing in hot water and dry them on the highest dryer setting (at least a 60 degree wash)
Use a stiff brush to scrub mattress seams to remove bedbugs and their eggs.
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Hoover your bed and surrounding area frequently.
Encase mattress and box springs with a tightly woven, zippered cover to keep bedbugs from entering or escaping. Bedbugs may live up to a year without feeding, so keep the cover on your mattress for at least a year to make sure all bugs in the mattress are dead.
Repair cracks in plaster and glue down peeling wallpaper to get rid of places bedbugs can hide.
Remove clutter from around the bed.
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