Anyone who’s ever had a bed bug infestation can agree that these stubborn little critters are the absolute worst! Not only are they notoriously challenging to get rid of, but they also like to bite and feed on people during the wee hours of the night. Talk about a restless sleep! If you’re currently residing with bed bugs that won’t stop nibbling on you, here’s how you can relieve and cure those pesky bites.
Correctly Identify the Bed Bug Bite
Before you hastily head out the door and to your nearest drug store, you have to first properly identify that the irritation and inflammation you’re experiencing is, in fact, from a bed bug bite. Bed bug bites can appear anywhere on the body, but they are most commonly found on areas that are exposed during sleep, such as your arms, legs, shoulders, hands, neck, and face.
Common symptoms associated with bed bug bites include discomfort, itchiness, inflammation, a burning sensation, noticeably red and swollen bumps, and multiple bites that cluster in one area of your body or form a line. The severity of symptoms depends on the person, but in most cases, the symptoms aren’t noticeable until a few days afterward, and they go away on their own after a week or so.
Another good way to determine if the bites on your body are from bed bugs is to check your home for signs of an infestation. To do this, you need to know what bed bugs look like and telltale signs that they’ve been in your residence. Start at the scene of the crime and check if your bedsheets have little red spots on them. Peel off your sheets, grab a microscope, and keep an eye out for oval-shaped bugs, the size of an apple seed, and reddish-brown in colour on your mattress. Bed bugs also like to hide behind baseboards, in cracks and crevices, and in the folds of furniture, so make sure you give all those places a good inspection too!
Treat the Bed Bug Bite
Once you’ve determined that the bumps on your body were indeed caused by bed bugs, its time to treat them. To relieve minor symptoms that come from itchy bites, purchase calamine lotion, over-the-counter hydrocortisone or anti-itch creams and apply them to affected areas according to instructions on the label. If you prefer taking medications orally, you can also opt to use an oral antihistamine or an over-the-counter pain reliever.
In more severe cases, bed bug bites can cause extreme swelling, inflammation, and/or itchiness. If these symptoms are persistent, it’s best to consult a medical professional. If you’re allergic to bed bugs, you’ll likely experience a dramatic immune response, at which point an antihistamine, injectable corticosteroid, or epinephrine medication may need to be administered. Some individuals may experience further complications and develop an infection known as cellulitis. To reduce the risk of developing an infection, try not to scratch your bites and wash them with soap and water frequently.
Get Rid of Them for Good
To stop the bites from happening for good, you need to nip the problem in the bud and rid your home of bed bugs. Steps you can take to control your bed bug problem and prevent it from getting worse include:
- Filling cracks and crevices with caulking.
- Regularly cleaning your bedding and clothing.
- Using high heat when washing and drying your bedding.
- Consistently and thoroughly vacuuming your upholstered furniture.
- Using a hand steamer to kill bed bugs and their eggs on upholstered furniture or in luggage.
- Purchasing furniture that is made of plastic, plaster, metal or high-weave textiles, all of which don’t typically contain seams, cracks or crevices.
If these preventative methods still don’t rid you of your bed bug problem, it’s time to call in the professionals. The only sure-fire way to get rid of bed bugs for good is with a professional heat treatment, and at Bed Bug Exterminator Pro, we have the most advanced and safest bed bug heat treatment method in Canada. Our bed bug heat treatment doesn’t use any insecticides or chemicals, making it completely safe for children and pets. The superior treatment method we use also gets rid of all bed bugs in just one visit, and you don’t have to remove any clothes or furniture from your residence for it to work. Contact us today, and your bed bugs (and bites) will be gone in no time!
