Bed bugs are a real nuisance to any household. These small, oval, brownish nocturnal creatures feed on our blood in the dead of night. If you wake up with a trail of bite marks and welts, it might be an indication that you have bed bugs in your house. For you to be sure, however, you need to find their safe place. And although it might be tempting to locate these creatures’ hideouts during the day, it is best to search at night. But we, as professionals, will often get asked “how do we find bed bugs during the day?”.
It is essential to remember that finding bed bugs during the day is not easy since the parasites are always hiding. Additionally, these little parasites are super-fast, and once they spot any light, they can crawl up to three to four feet in just one minute. Therefore, while finding them during the day is the ideal thing to do, it won’t be easy unless you know the steps to follow.
Signs That Indicate the Presence of Bed Bugs in Your House
Skin bites are not a definitive indicator of a bed bug infestation. Many other insects can inflict bug-like bites such as fleas, mosquitos, chiggers, or even hives. Therefore, you need to be sure that you are dealing with bed bugs before taking any action. There are a few signs that you can look for when cleaning or changing your beddings. These include:
- The presence of rusty or reddish stains on your mattress, bedsheets, and pillows. When bed bugs are crushed by mistake, they leave reddish-brown stains on your beddings.
- Dark spots on beddings, clothes, or mattresses. Bed bug excrement leaves small black spots on fabrics.
- Tiny white or off-white-yellow eggs and eggshells and pale yellow skins are shed by nymphs growing into the next stage. You can also know if you are dealing with bed bugs if you find their eggs.
- Finding a live bed bug crawling. This will be a clear indication that there may be a few others in your house.
Once you are sure that bed bugs are inside your home, you need to arm yourself with the appropriate tools to start the search. The most integral element you’ll need during your day search is an ample amount of light. It would help if you opened curtains and blinds to let in natural light. A flashlight and magnifying glass can come in handy when you’re looking through small openings and crevices. You could also contact a professional licensed company to help you with the next steps.
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Where Do Bed Bugs Hide During the Day?
Since you don’t want to scour every part of your house looking for bed bugs, it is crucial to have a plan of which sections of your home you should inspect first. And since you now understand the signs to look for, you can save time if you know where to look. Although it’s hard to find bed bugs more than eight feet from their host, it is still possible to find them inside nooks and crannies far from your bed. So, where are bed bugs likely to hide during the day?
The Bed
The bed is the first place you should inspect. Bed bugs like to stay near their host, so you should expect to find them in various places on your bed. It would be best if you inspected mattress covers and pillows first. Take out the pillow and mattress cover and check the corners since this is where the parasites hide. Performing an inspection, you’ll also find these creatures hiding on mattress seams. The fine stitches that join the fabrics offer a comfortable place for bugs to relax as they digest whatever they fed at night.
Another place you’ll find bed bugs shacking in dozens is on the bed’s footboards and headboards. These bed elements offer comfortable nooks and crannies where they can rest as they wait for darkness to set in so that they can start their adventures. Bed bugs can also conceal their presence by hiding in outlet covers.
Crevices on the Wall
You will also find bed bugs hiding on crevices and gaps on walls close to your bedroom. If you have furniture in your bedroom, you’ll likely find bed bugs hiding in there. Check out the hidden places on bedroom couches, chairs, dressers, cabinets, and nightstands.
Ceiling Wall Junctions
For households experiencing heavy bed bug infestation, you can find them in various places, including the ceiling and wall junctions. You may also find them hiding inside electrical fixtures, outlets, and receptacles. If you find bed bugs clustering around electrical outlets, you should seek help from a professional electrician to mitigate any risks of being electrocuted. Some bed bugs may also find harborage under your carpet.
Other Ways To Find Bed Bugs During The Day
Bed Bug Traps
Another way you can catch and find bed bugs is through traps. You can use either the passive trap or the active lures. A passive trap is set around the bed’s legs, and it contains water that drowns bed bugs once they fall in the trap. On the other hand, active lures attract bed bugs using carbon dioxide and warmth. The traps pretend to be a ghost and lure the parasites to get in. Once they are in, they cannot crawl out, and they can be drowned using water. Since it is highly unlikely to find bugs crawling during the day, you can overturn the mattress and set the traps during the day.
Bed Bug Sniffer Dog
If you are sure that there are bed bugs in your house, but you can’t find them, you can hire a bed bug sniffer dog to help you locate them. These dogs are specially trained to sniff out the parasites, and they work with a 90% accuracy. If you are afraid that searching the bed bugs will drive you crazy, hire a sniffer dog, and it can direct you to the exact location where the bugs are clustering. Unfortunately these dogs are only as good as the company behind them and are not often used or trained properly.
Final Verdict
While bed bug bites may be painless at first, they may end up forming some itchy welts. Therefore, if you discover that your house is infested with these creatures, it is crucial to know how to find them and the action you’ll take once you uncover their hideouts. Since it can be daunting to find them at night, you should try to find them during the day.
