How to get rid of bed bugs and what do they look like? – Metro

Bed bugs feed on blood of humans (Picture: DeAgostini/Getty)

Sleep tight -Dont let the bed bugs bite.

Bed bugs are a seriously disgusting and harmful infestation to have in your mattress.

They are small, brown, oval-shaped insects that feed off the blood of animals and humans.

Adult bed bugs are about the size of an apple seed, they have flat bodies meaning they can get into incredibly small spaces.

Once a bed bug has fed, their bodies swell and have a reddish colour.

Over their lifetime, female bed bugs lay hundreds of eggs, which are the size of a spec of dust.

It is believed that bed bugs are a sign of dirtiness but because they feed on blood it doesnt matter to them if the room is immaculately clean or absolutely filthy, its your blood they are after.

They are most likely found in your mattress, bed frame, box springs, or head board any place where they can get a good blood meal while the person is sleeping at night.

Bed bugs feed by piercing the skin and sucking blood out of the person or animal through an elongated beak.

It takes them three to 10 minutes to feel engorged and they then crawl away satisfied.

Bed bug bites, the area of skin they pierce, turn into itchy welts, although without a red spot in the centre like flea bites.

They can appear on any part of the skin that was exposed while sleeping.

In order to confirm you have a bed bug infestation you must find the bugs themselves and identify them.

How to spot bed bugs

There are some tell tale signs that you have a bed bug infestation.

If you think you have bed bugs you should remove all bedding and check carefully everywhere they might hide: seams in wooden framing, under bottom of box springs, under the dust cover, areas around the bed, inside books, edges of carpet, electrical outlets.

How to treat bed bugs

To get rid of those pesky blood suckers, you need to clean all the bedding, linen, curtains and clothing in hot water and dry them on the highest temperature setting.

For items that you cant wash such as some shoes, and stuffed animals, you should put them in the dryer on high for 30 minutes.

Using a stiff brush you should scrub your mattress seams, then vacuum your bed and the surrounding area.

When you are finished, take the vacuum bag and place it in an outdoor bin immediately.

You should put your mattress into a tightly woven zipper cover to prevent the bedbugs from getting in or out if they are still lurking in the box springs.

Unfortunately bed bugs can live for up to one year without feeding so that cover will have to stay on for one year to make sure the bed bugs are dead and gone.

Get rid of places where bedbugs could hide: in clutter around the bed and cracks in plaster.

It would be worthwhile to consider getting a new mattress, but take care to make sure that all bed bugs are gone from your room before you put a new mattress in.

If this all sounds too much you can hire an experienced pest control professional to carry out an extermination.

MORE: Woman, 96, dies after being badly bitten by bed bugs

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