It’s another beautiful day.

Until you look under the covers at your arms and legs—all over your skin, you notice small, red, insect bites.

Could they be from bed bugs?

The thought of a bug colony secretly living with you might make you shiver. But that’s the reality of a bed bug infestation. These vampiric creatures invite themselves into your living space and make themselves right at home. They hide under your mattress or in your couch and start families—hundreds of families. 

Anyone who’s dealt with bed bugs knows that these blood-sucking insects are a real pain to get rid of. To stop an infestation before it gets out of control, your best course of action is to identify them early. 

How do bed bugs get inside your home?

Whenever you travel or stay at a hotel, you’re at risk of taking bed bugs home with you. They can hitch a ride in your luggage and make their way inside your home. You can also get them from public places like buses or movie theatres. If you’re unlucky, there may be bed bugs in used furniture. Make sure to check the seams of second-hand couches and beds. If you live in a rental property, be sure to notify your landlord right away if you suspect there are bed bugs.

What do they look like?

An unfed bed bug has a small, flat body. They’re shaped like an oval, with bodies the size of a sunflower seed or apple seed. When they’re engorged with blood, they become swollen and rusty-coloured. Since these insects molt, you’ll find pale yellow carcasses of their old skin near their nests. 

Females lay eggs that are a white colour, and very small. Often, you’ll find them in wall cracks, spaces in the floor, or the seams of furniture. 

This next fact might gross you out a bit: females lay 1-5 eggs each day. At that rate, you can see how quickly an infestation gets out of control. 

How do I identify bed bug bites?

Have you ever woken up with red bumps on your body? They might have been itchy or inflamed. To tell if these bites are from bed bugs, look out for these signs:

One of the earliest warnings is blood on your sheets. There are a few reasons for this, the first being that their waste material is the colour of blood. When the bugs are crawling around your bed and looking for a bite, you’ll often roll on top of them in your sleep. Crushing their bodies when they are full of blood will leave you with stained sheets; it’s a sure-fire sign that bed bugs are sharing your mattress with you. You may even notice a strange odour, which is released from the insects when they die. 

They like to hide in protected places that are close to their victims. If you suspect that bed bugs are in your home, look under your mattress, in couch seams, and by your headboard. 

The bites can become irritated, itchy, and even result in an allergic reaction. Thankfully, there is no evidence to suggest that bed bugs carry disease. That being said, they still cause an inconvenience (and not to mention, they’re gross). 

The exterminators at Gilles Lambert Pest Control offer bed bug removal in Winnipeg. Don’t try to eradicate bed bugs on your own, or the problem might get even worse. Leave it to the professionals to send those parasites packing!