A flea or bed bug infestation in the home can be hard to identify, especially because both fleas and bed bugs are hard to see by the naked eye. Fleas and bed bugs get into the home by luck, finding a host to latch onto or getting inside via clothing or luggage.
Likely, the first suspicion you'll have of a flea or bed bug infestation is finding bites or sores on your body or your family members. Treating bed bugs and fleas requires professional care to fully eradicate your home of the problem. Learn more about whether you have fleas or bed bugs in your home and how to get rid of them.
Types of Bites
Are the bites your family has random and red, covering all parts of your body? Or are the bites more uniform in design and located only on the lower extremities? Bed bugs thrive in mattresses and bedding and are known to bite anywhere. Fleas are more predictable in their bite patterns and typically only attack the lower legs and ankles.
Both bed bugs and flea bites are hard, red, irritated, and itchy. Bed bug bites often don't cause pain at first but can become problematic later, while flea bites cause immediate pain and irritation. If you or your family members are allergic, the bite areas will be hard, swollen, and hot to the touch. Bites can also cause nausea or other serious symptoms.
Bug Identification
You can tell the difference between a bed bug and a flea by the way they look. Bed bugs are oval in shape and flat in composition. Bed bugs are usually brown or reddish-brown. Fleas are long and thin with long legs. They are also brown or red in appearance.
You are more likely to see a flea than you are to see a bed bug. Fleas are usually found crawling along a pet or human body or burrowing into furniture to hide. Bed bugs are harder to see but can be identified by the black or dark brown spots they leave on bedding and mattresses.
Extermination of Fleas or Bed Bugs
A flea infestation is often easier to get rid of than a bed bug invasion. A flea infestation should be professionally treated by a pest control expert. A pest control specialist will treat your home and yard to eradicate existing fleas, then return to treat your home again a few weeks later to ensure any flea eggs that have hatched since the last treatment are gone. You can keep fleas at bay by having your pets treated against fleas and by washing pet bedding and furnishings regularly.
Bed bugs require a thorough cleaning approach to fully eradicate them. Your commercial pest control specialist will treat bedding, curtains, furniture, carpeting, and other areas where bed bugs may thrive. You will also want to get rid of mattresses and bedding that were affected by bed bugs and vacuum frequently after professional bed bug control treatments to get rid of dander, carcasses, droppings, and leftover eggs from the bed bug infestation.
Both a bed bug and flea infestation can re-occur without proper maintenance. If your family is exposed to fleas or bed bugs in another home, have your residence treated by a pest control specialist to be on the safe side, even if no apparent signs of an invasion are present. The sooner a bed bug or flea infestation is treated, the more manageable the invasion is. Your pest control specialist will identify what type of parasite is invading your home and show you ways you can keep the creatures from returning in the future.
For all your bed bug and flea control needs, trust the Newberry pest control experts who specialize in flea or bed bug removal to treat your home. Our experts at The Original Bugman Pest Elimination, Inc., will treat your home for any rodent or insect invasion; contact us today!
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