Can You See Bed Bugs?
You've heard all about the bed bug epidemic that is sweeping across the United States, but you've always wondered whether you can see. Americans thought they had seen the end of bed bugs with the advent of DDT, an extremely powerful pesticide that initially wiped out the American bed bug population. Unfortunately, DDT turned out to be extremely dangerous for the environment and had to be outlawed. This ban, in combination with international bed bugs' increasing ability to develop resistances to every pesticide known to man, has resulted in the return of bed bugs to the United States. They're everywhere from your local department store to your neighbor's bed. They are so widespread that you are in a panic about getting them in your home and you're beginning to wonder if you already have them.
If you haven't seen any bed bugs, relax. You can definitely see them if you have them. They are about the same size as a lentil and they are either yellowish or reddish-brown in color, depending upon whether they have fed recently. They kind of look like tiny, yellow cockroaches. They also multiply extremely quickly, so chances are that if you have them you would have seen one. Bedbugs are nocturnal and will hide if it is light out, even if that light is artificial. If you are absolutely sure that you have bed bugs but haven't seen any, Lift your mattress very quickly and look in the crevices of your sheets. Bed bugs like to hide right in your bed during the day.
If you haven't seen or found any bed bugs, there are other signs you can look for that indicate you have them. If you are getting red, itchy bug bites, often several in a straight row, it could be bed bugs. You should also check your sheets for tiny black flecks, which are bed bug waste. Finally, you can look in your sheets and mattress for bed bug eggs, which are yellow and about the size of a pin head.
