Everyone has heard the horror stories in recent years about beds at hotel rooms, colleges, and at thousands of private residents being overwhelmed by bed bug infestations. Understanding these pests and what they are capable of is the first step in prevention. There are several simple things that you can do to keep your home free.
About the size of a grain of rice, bed bugs can easily disappear within the crevices of a mattress, beneath the sheets, or inside pillowcases. They can’t be easily starved, like some other parasites can, and they travel easily in suitcases, bedding, clothing, or even hair. It is important to understand their habits, their appearance, and the signs of their existence if you hope to prevent a full-fledged infestation, worthy of professional bed bug control services.
What they Look Like 
Fully matured bed bugs, as stated above, are about the size of a grain of rice or an apple seed. They are reddish-brown with six small legs.
How They Get In Your Home
Did you buy a used mattress? Have you stayed at a hotel room, a friend’s house, or in any other bed recently? All it takes is one night in an infested space and you are very likely to find that your home winds up in the same condition.
Where to Look for Them
Bed bugs, as their name suggests, will generally stow-away within the bedding of the house. Search along the edges of the bedding, between the mattress and box spring, and all along the headboard. You should also search dresser drawers, bedside tables, and other similar areas within your bedroom if you are suspect. After ‘feasting’ the bugs will generally leave behind blood and fecal stains. Look for these as well. Bed bugs do live in colonies, so if you see one, then there are likely tens or even hundreds of others that you don’t see. They breed rapidly, so that number can grow very quickly. Thus, it is important to call in bed bug control specialists right away.
Do They Leave a Mark?
Almost everyone realizes that bed bugs are a form of parasite. Because they don’t like daylight, they will typically lie in dark crevices until nighttime and then come out to ‘feed on’ you, your family members, and your pets. The bites will often welt as mosquito or flea bites would, but there is no discerning look about them otherwise. Sometimes they appear in groups, other times they will be individual bites. Sometimes they swell to be quite large, but on other people they can be barely discernible.
If someone in your family is waking up with bug bites that weren’t there the evening before, then there is good reason to start investigating. A few can spell a huge amount of trouble, so do not hesitate, call Slug-A-Bug your Brevard County bed bug control service for a bed bug inspection right away to address the issue.