Do you know that sighting of even a single bug can mean there’s an infestation in your home?
Well, yes.
But the good news is that a few bed bugs might be accidental hitchhikers into your home.
They haven’t reproduced yet. And maybe your home is yet to face the onslaught of a full-blown bed bug infestation.
In this guide, you’ll learn the difference between sighting a random few bed bugs vs. infestation.
Knowing the difference will save you from a lot of anxiety and, of course, from the massive expenses of getting rid of bed bugs.
You’ll learn the procedures to follow on seeing those few bed bugs.
These procedures will ensure you eliminate the bed bugs before they become an infestation.
Let’s dive in.
Is It Possible To Have Only A Few Bed Bugs?
Yes, it is possible. But only for a short while.
A few bed bugs in the home are during the introduction of bed bugs.
It’s the time when the bed bugs have just hitchhiked in your home. And they haven’t reproduced yet.
However, things don’t remain like this forever.
The bed bugs will soon reproduce once they start having blood meals from you and your family members.
So, if you’ve noticed a few bed bugs in your home, your first reaction should be to kill them.
Use a bed bug spray on them. That’ll do the job.
If you don’t have a spray, take a pincer and put the bed bugs in a plastic bag. Put the plastic bag in a freezer for 48 hours.
The bed bugs will die.
Bed bugs can’t withstand extreme cold and heat.
That’s why you can also use a steam cleaner to clean your bed and carpets to get rid of bed bugs crawling and hiding in these places.
Now, your next step should be to inspect your home for a bed bug infestation.
Let’s find it out how you can do it.
How To Check For Low-Level Bed Bug Infestation
Bed bug infestation takes time to show up. During this period, the bed bug number is low.
The challenge is that it’s hard to notice these signs when the infestation hasn’t spiked up yet.
But if you’ve found a few bed bugs in your home, you must look for their infestation signs.
The best time to find bed bugs is during the day. Bed bugs are nocturnal, and during the daytime, bed bugs hide and don’t venture out.
Bed bugs only come out of their hiding places at night to feed unless they’ve been starving.
If they didn’t have their blood meals for more than 7-10 days, then they can bite during the day as well.
They remain idle in their hiding places.
The key to finding a bed bug infestation is to look for places where bed bugs can hide.
And they won’t hide more than 6-8 feet away from your bed or from the place where they can get their blood meals.
So, look out for more hidden bed bugs in the following places if you’ve found a few bed bugs –
- In the seams of your bed mattress.
- In the gaps and cracks of the headboard and behind it
- In the crevices and holes of the bed frame
- In the box springs
- Pillow and pillow cover
Also, check the couches, rugs, carpets, and cracks on nearby furniture.
If there’s a wooden floor, check the gaps of the floor beams.
In these places, you’ll notice signs if the infestation is starting. Again, these signs can be hard to detect during the initial stages.
So, it’ll be best if you’ve got a torchlight and magnifying glass with you to check them. It’s because when the infestation level is low, you’ll have to a bit patient and eagle-eyed to spot the signs.
Here are the signs of low-level bed bug infestation –
- Very few bed bug shells or cast skins
- Very few to no visible bed bug eggs
- No to very few bed bug fecal stains on the bed
- A few sightings of bloodstains on the bed
- A few adult bed bugs
- No bed bug bites
And if these signs are only visible in your bedroom and nowhere else in your home, then you have a low bed bug infestation.
You might have to check every bedroom in your home for these signs to confirm that.
You can either follow cheap DIY ways to eliminate bed bugs or call a pest controller for bed bug inspection on noticing these signs.
A bad bed bug infestation can quickly engulf your home if you don’t act fast to get rid of these bloodsuckers.
What If You Haven’t Spotted The Bed Bug In Your Bedroom?
Then there can be two possibilities if you haven’t spotted the bed bugs in your bedroom or on your bed.
First, there’s a massive bed bug infestation (which is unlikely at this stage), and second, the bed bugs have recently hitchhiked into your home.
Recall if you’ve brought anything into your home recently.
It can be a piece of secondhand furniture. Or you’ve just returned from travel. Bed bugs come from hitchhiking on furniture, luggage, and clothing too.
In that case, check the things that you’ve brought into your home for bed bugs. If you find any bed bugs, use a bed bug spray to eliminate them.
You can also spray a rubbing alcohol and water mixture on bed bugs. It kills them instantly.
But it isn’t that straight forward with bed bugs. Sightings of bed bugs in only one room can be a sign of bed bug infestation.
And the worse case scenario is finding bed bugs crawling on the wall. That can indicate that the number of bed bugs have increased and they’re looking for other places to hide.
But the thing to keep in mind is that anything that you bring inside your home from a bed bug-infested home can have bed bugs on them.
So, inspect your home thoroughly, especially the places where bed bugs hide, even if you didn’t spot them in your bedroom.
A Few Bed Bugs Vs. Infestation – The Difference
Now that you know that a few bed bugs can be or can’t be an infestation, it’s time to figure out the difference.
Bed bug infestation happens when your home supports the entire lifecycle of bed bugs.
In an infestation, you see not only adult bed bugs but also bed bug eggs, bed bug cast skins, bed bug nymphs, and even dead bed bugs in your home.
Sightings of a few bed bugs and no to minimal signs of bed bug infestation should give you some relief.
Also, some people confuse bed bugs with other bugs. It’s because many bugs look like bed bugs.
For example, you can confuse clover mites on your bed with bed bugs.
So, it’ll be best to know what bed bugs look like before your push your panic button.
Conclusion
A few bed bugs can only mean infestation if other signs of bed bug infestation in your home are evident.
Those other signs are bed bug fecal stains, bed bug shells, eggs, baby bed bugs, and blood spots on the bed.
If you notice only a couple of bed bugs with none of these signs, then you’re lucky.
But don’t let these bed bugs slip away. Find them and eliminate them.
Dr. Thomas Orbert, the Microbial Maestro, dances with the tiniest of creatures as an entomologist extraordinaire! With a PhD in entomology, his passion lies in unraveling the secret symphonies of insect-microbe interactions. From minuscule marvels to captivating complexities, Dr. Orbert unveils the hidden world of bugs, igniting curiosity one buzz at a time!