have a used bed or other used furniture around the time the bites started. Other signs that you have bedbugs include:
– Bloodstains on your sheets or pillowcases
– Dark or rusty spots of bedbug excrement on sheets and mattresses, bedclothes, and walls
– Bedbug fecal spots, eggshells, or shed skins in areas where bedbugs hide
– Musty odor (that’s a sign of the bugs’ scent glands)
If you suspect an infestation, remove all bedding and check it carefully for signs of the bugs or their excrement. Remove the dust cover over the bottom of the box springs and examine the seams in the wood framing. Peel back the fabric where it is stapled to the wood frame.
Also, check the area around the bed, including inside books, telephones or radios, the edge of the carpet, and even in electrical outlets.
Check your closet, because bedbugs can attach to clothing. If you are uncertain about signs of bedbugs, call an exterminator, who will know what to look for.
But what if you end up getting bitten by a bed bug?
A bed bug bite affects each person differently. Bite responses can range from an absence of any physical signs of the bite to a small bite mark to a serious allergic reaction.
Bed bugs are not considered to be dangerous; however, an allergic reaction to several bites may need medical attention.
It is hard to tell if you’ve been bitten by a bed bug unless you find bed bugs or signs of infestation. When bed bugs bite, they inject an anesthetic and an anticoagulant that prevents a person from realizing they are being bitten.
Most people do not realize they have been bitten until bite marks appear anywhere from one to several days after the initial bite. The bite marks are similar to that of a mosquito or a flea — a slightly swollen and