When not addressed quickly, bed bugs can be a terrible problem in any home. This is especially true for Singapore homeowners who simply want the luxury of sleeping and relaxing in their own bed after a hard day in the city. Unfortunately, having bed bugs usually means problematic sleeping patterns. Even worse, bed bugs are not just confined to the bed anymore. Some of them reach as far as the living room, the home office, or basically any other location in the house where there is a soft warm spot for them to breed.
The good news is that you can address the issue of bed bugs by knowing exactly where they like to hang out. By attacking these bed bugs where they multiply, you have a much better chance of winning the war against these invaders. Here are the top 9 common areas where bed bugs breed in your home:
1. Box Spring –
if your bed is the box spring type, there is a very good chance that the bed bugs are hiding underneath it. Try to flip the bed over to confirm this suspicion.
2. Bed Frame or Head Board –
just under the headboard or along the slits of the headboard. Shine the flashlight through and watch for any physical signs of droppings or even movement.
3. Sofa or Chair –
the seams of the sofa are the most likely places where these bed bugs may hide. Try to fit your hand in between the seams and feel any unnatural texture of the cloth. Make sure you wash your hands afterward.
4. Pet Bed –
if you have a pet, there is a hundred percent chance that some of those bed bugs are making their home in your dog or cat’s sleeping spot. If your dog also loves to sleep in a specific part of the house – with or without a bed – there is a good chance that nearby furniture is home to the parasite.
5. Mattress –
under the mattress or the place where your mattress meets the structure of the bed are also likely places for these parasites. Try to lift your mattress a little higher to see if there are signs of infestations.
6. Dressers or Nightstands –
essentially, anything near the bed is a likely sight for bed bug breeding. Check beneath the nightstands as well as the back of the furniture. The small gaps in between the drawers are also hotspot places. Start moving things around and keep your eyes open for minuscule items that could indicate bed bug infestation.
7. Clothing –
when was the last time you cleaned your closet? If it has been a long time, you should probably start taking out all the clothes and check to see if there are any signs of bed bug infestation in your closet. If so, make sure that all your clothes are properly washed to prevent allergies. More often than not, bed bug excrements are abundant in closets.
8. Furniture and Home Junctions –
check out the junctions where floor and ceilings meet to see if there are any blackish materials that do not belong there. You can also try moving furniture around to see if there are any signs of bed bugs in between the linings where the furniture meets the wall.
9. Curtains –
curtains are also a likely place for bed bugs to be hiding in, especially if it has been a long time since you last cleaned the windows. Check in between the folds of curtains as well as the niches or small cracks in windows likely hiding the bugs.
Of course, those are just 9 of the most common bed bug breeding places in your home. Keep in mind that if there are bed bugs in your bed, it is safe to assume that they have spread to other places inside the bedroom. As much as possible, solve the problem as soon as it becomes apparent since a widespread bed bug infestation will require professional help.
Identifying the Bed Bugs
So how can you confirm that there are indeed bed bugs on the locations specified above? Here are some of the signs that bed bugs are definitely using the place as breeding ground:
• Reddish or rust-colored stains on sheets and cloth materials
• Black bed bug excrements that tend to embed itself onto cloth
• Eggshells or eggs that are yellow in color and just roughly 1mm in size
• Presence of live bed bugs definitely mean that they are breeding in different locations in your home
Note that bed bugs feed on blood and although they may prefer human, dog and cat blood are equally fine. Egg to egg life cycle usually takes a month to complete with female bed bugs laying hundreds of eggs at a time.
Getting Rid of Bed Bugs
A small infestation of bed bugs is easy enough to handle if you have the right tools for the job. Singapore shops currently offer several DIY products that you can spray in your home to help kill and prevent future bed bug infestation. Typically, these bed bugs are active even during low temperatures such as 46 degrees Fahrenheit. They are however, unable to tolerate heat at 113 degrees Fahrenheit. Hence, if you heat up the room or a certain area where bed bugs reside, there’s a good chance that the problem can be solved.
Note that the problem of bed bugs isn’t a one-time issue. There are instances when they might come back – hence the need for a sustained prevention process. For large infestations however, it’s strongly advised to seek professional help and only use DIY methods when dealing with small batches.
When to Call In the Experts
The fact is that not everyone is equipped to handle a bed bug pandemic. If the bugs have spread all over the house and you’re having a hard time controlling the problem, it might be best to call reinforcements. Don’t wait until the bed bugs start to invade your bathroom or the kitchen – these are places where they don’t usually go – but will not hesitate if all the good hiding places are already gone. When you start seeing these bed bugs often or in unlikely places, it’s time to call in for help.