About this Recipe

They may be small, but they are one of the most feared bugs all over the world. Bedbugs or Cimex lectularius are mainly feared because of the terrible infestations and damage they can cause. Even though their bites are still pretty awful, they are small and much like mosquito bites and nothing to be too afraid of on their own. It's the fact that bed bug infestations are so quick and they take over within just mere days making bed bug removal tricky and painstaking.

These bugs feed on human blood at night and leave red bites with an itch. Since there are many other bugs that leave bites like this, if you see a bite that is similar on your body, it's good to check out the bug and make sure it's a bed bug before you get too worried about a bed bug infestation. They can also look like other bugs too, but there are a few characteristics of bed bugs that will make them distinguishable from the rest of the pests, so you know what you're dealing with. The tough thing is, bed bugs hide during the day making them harder to track down and get a good peek at. For the most part, bed bugs and eggs will be found in dark places and usually around the bed since this is where they feed at night. Check for bed bugs and eggs in your mattress, between the folds and the lining. Also, check your box spring for any holes where they can travel and check inside it in all of the crevices.

Make sure you check your bed frame as well especially in the corners where edges meet, and then behind your bed in the baseboards and all over the furniture surrounding your bed. So what are you looking for when you're looking for bed bugs and eggs? If you find a bed bug, it will be reddish-brown or light brown in color. They are fairly dark so could also appear black in some cases and in different lighting. Their shape is oval, and their bodies are flat if they haven't eaten. They are very tiny at only about 4 mm in diameter so you may also want to get out your magnifying glass if you want a closer look.

Count their legs; bed bugs have six legs and two antennae. They also look like they're striped, but these are tiny hairs on them. Baby bed bugs are translucent and look white, yellow, orange or brown. When they eat they turn red and then that fades to brown and black. If the bed bug is rounded, that means it just ate. Bed bugs shed their outer shell so keep an eye out for the shells laying around too. The shell will look like a bed bug, but there won't be anybody inside.

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Noticing the odor in your home could also be a detection of bed bugs. If you notice a musty smell like coriander, you may have bed bugs. If you have a bed bug infestation, the smell will be even stronger and like that of a stink bug. If the bed bugs are squished, the blood will seep out and cause a stain and an unpleasant odour so if you notice these types of reoccurring stains on your mattress that's another sign that you have bed bugs.

They also leave behind their excrement which is rust colored. As for their eggs, they look like tiny grains of rice and should be destroyed immediately. When you find one-bed bug there are usually likely to be more. As you're searching for them, you may notice they are congregated in groups of 10, 20, or more. You can look for bed bugs at night to make sure you find them, or you can set a trap and let them come to you. You can buy bed bug traps online or make your own. Using a mixture of sugar and yeast will do the trick since the activated yeast will produce the same effect as carbon dioxide which is what attracts the bugs. Then when you have a few bugs trapped, you can examine them further.