Bedbugs: How to Find Them in Mattresses
Where do bedbugs live? Bedbugs are insects that prefer to live in places where people sleep or lie down. Therefore, if you think you have bedbugs in the house, the first furniture to check will be the bed or couch.
How will you know if you have bedbugs? The first manifestation of bedbugs is their bite marks. If you find bite marks in the morning, check if these are from bedbugs.
If your bite marks are raised or flat welts that are pinkish to red, you may suspect these to be caused by bedbugs. Also, it is very typical of bedbug bites to form a linear pattern. You may see 3 bites in a row. Whenever the host moves, the bedbug is disrupted and changes its feeding position. Bedbugs eat the blood of warm-blooded animals which include humans.
Although bedbug bites do not cause any disease, these can bring discomfort due to itching and burning. Treat the marks with topical corticosteroids to relieve the itching and burning.
When you feel itchy, refrain from scratching because this will only cause scars. You can also use antihistamines or systemic corticosteroids. But these medicines cannot make the bite marks disappear.
Now that you are sure that the bite marks are from bedbugs, the next step is to find the area of infestation. Start inspecting the mattress. Look for cracks or holes and spots that are red or brown. The brown spots are the fecal matter of bedbugs. And the red spots are the blood from crushed bedbugs.
The mattress is the usual place that bedbugs live. If the mattress has bedbugs check anything that is close to it like the bed frame, walls, floors, and others. If it is just your mattress that has the bedbugs, you can buy bedbug insecticides to spray or dust onto your mattress.
Then use a mattress cover. This has a zipper that seals your mattress. This way, no bedbugs will come out of the mattress to bite you. They cannot feed. And in at least 6 months, the bedbugs will die.
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