Bed bugs feed on human and animal blood and come from the genus ‘Cimex’. These insects have been around humans for more than three thousand years. The bed bites reside in places like residences, hotels, schools, public transportation, and retail stores.
These bugs can quickly spread as they can travel long distances and latch onto things like suitcases, clothes, and linens. They mostly bite humans at night as these insects become fully active at night and suck your blood. These insects can bite various parts of your body, especially the face, neck, arms, and hands.
Where are Bed Bugs Found Inside the House?
The bed bugs usually are found in most places around your house, such as on the backside of the walls, baseboards, wallpaper, upholstery, and picture frames. Along with this, they also reside within the mattresses along with furniture such as couches. In addition, you can also spot them in various parts of the bed that include mattresses, box springs, and folded areas.
Symptoms of Bug Bites
The bed bugs usually release an aesthetic inside your body before biting humans, making it impossible for you to sense the bite. You will only start to notice the bug bite after some days because of the aesthetic. After a few days, you’ll notice the red and swollen bites that can get quite itchy. Moreover, these bites appear in a line or sometimes in clusters over a small part of the body. If you itch these bug bites, then it can even turn into an infection. Following are the basic symptoms of bug bites.
- Fluid Filled Blisters
- Itchiness
- Bites in Clusters
- Dark Spots
Identification of Bed Bugs
Most people often confuse these bugs with other insects and pests, making it difficult to identify them. These are reddish-brown, have an oval-shaped flat body, and are as long as one to seven millimeters. Moreover, these insects rely on humans and animals for transportation because they don’t have any wings. Once these bugs feed on human blood, they become bigger and redder as a result.
These have six legs and two antennae along with small wing pads but can’t fly. You can identify the adult bed bugs due to their large size in places like mattress seams and box springs. In contrast, the bed bug nymphs are difficult to identify due to their small size and faded colour. Here are signs that indicate an infestation of bed bugs inside your house.
- Blood Marks on Pillows and Sheets
- Dark, Rusty Bed Bug Excrement Spots
- Fecal Spots, Eggshells, or Shed Skins Musty Odor
- Signs of Bed Bug Infestation
You can also identify the bed bug infestation if you find small reddish-brown faecal on the mattress, upholstery, and the walls. Along with this, most skins, eggs, and empty eggshells of these bed bugs indicate their infestation, especially the bugs. So even if these are pale in colour as you can easily see them with a naked eye. Therefore you must get rid of them immediately because they tend to trigger an allergic reaction.
Guide to Find Bed Bugs in a Sofa
Bed bug bites are the first indication that you might be having bed bugs residing within your couch. These bites are like welts, and you suffer from various allergic reactions such as itching or burning sensation. However, to confirm the presence of these bed bugs, you need to conduct thorough inspections.
Materials
Following are the tools that you need for affirming the presence of these insects inside the sofa.
- Rubber Gloves
- Flashlight
- Magnifying Glass
- Double-Sided Tape
- Thin Piece of Plastic
Steps
- First of all, take a thin piece of plastic such as an old credit card and cover it with double-sided tape, which allows you to reach narrow spaces such as seams. In other words, it will help you confirm your doubts about bed bugs living within your sofa.
- However, if you have a cover on your sofa, you will have to remove that first for a proper inspection. You must place the cover within a plastic bag because if you don’t, then the bed bugs can quickly spread in the entire house. After you have taken off the slipcover, check each pillow on the sofa thoroughly. Now take your flashlight and use the credit card for examining the seam, edge, and zipper. If the bed bugs are residing within the pillows, you must seal them into a bag immediately.
- At last, inspect the crevices of the sofa as the bed bugs often inhabit them and bite you when you’re sitting on the couch. In addition, check beneath the sofa as these insects reside within dark places.
Ways to Get Rid of Bed Bugs From Your Sofa
There are various methods that you can use to get rid of bed bugs on the sofa. These include physical means and chemical treatments.
1. Physical Treatment
- Laundry
The physical treatment involves washing the parts of your sofa, such as smaller cushions, couch cushions, and fabric. Before you do laundry, make sure you place them inside a bag. However, place these items inside the bag to prevent the insects from spreading in other places. After putting them in a bag, set the laundry machine either at high or regular heat and let it spin for half an hour.
- Vacuuming
Then clean the sofa’s frame while your pillows are drying and place them back on the couch after they have dried. You can clean it by using a vacuum cleaner that features a HEPA filter for effective results. Make sure that you dispose of the residue by emptying the cup into a plastic bag. Also, vacuum all the cushions and pillows to get rid of bed bugs. However, if bed bugs aren’t killed, you can seal the cushions and the pillows inside a plastic bag and place them under direct sunlight at 120 degrees.
- Freezing
Another way that you can kill the bedbugs is the freezing method which is quite simple. The bug bugs can’t survive at a temperature lower than thirty-two degrees Fahrenheit. All you have to do is freeze the fabric in a frigid environment. Such a method is beneficial if you live in colder regions. However, you won’t be able to clean the frame using the freezing technique.
- Steaming
You can also use steamers to kill the bed bugs living within the frame of your sofa. A steamer works by generating a steaming temperature as high as 120 degrees Fahrenheit. It consists of water containers that can hold steam for long durations.
Spray the sofa using a nozzle tip covered with microfiber cloth held by rubber bands which enhances dissipation pressure and temperature. The steaming method kills eggs, gets rid of excrement stains, and disinfects the fabric. Finally, let the fabric dry by taking advantage of the fan as it gives better air circulation.
2. Chemical Method
After cleaning the couch and getting rid of bed bugs, spray your house using a residual spray, especially carpets, curtains, and wallpaper seams. These types of spray provide excellent protection against these insects and prevent them from coming back. Therefore the chemical method is quite an effective technique when it comes to killing these insects.
How to Protect Sofa From Bed Bugs?
Following are the precautions that you can take to protect your sofa from bed bugs. These include covering them with sheets and using beg bug traps. Now you won’t have to deal with the bed bugs ever again after washing the couches.
1. Covering Sheets
After cleaning the sofa, you can cover it with a covering sheet that prevents the bed bugs from entering the couch again. For instance, the Utopia Bedding is a high-quality cover that consists of 100% of polyester with excellent water-resistant properties. In addition, it’s durable and comes with a ziplock, making it perfect for sofas.
2. Bed Bug Traps
There are three types of bed bug traps you can use to kill the bed bugs and protect your sofa. These include bed bug lures, bed bug interceptors, and glue traps. They are easily available and quite effective at getting rid of bed bugs.
- Bed Bug Lure Trap: Such types of traps contain chemicals or substances that can lure the bed bugs towards them. For instance, some of the bed bug lure traps have carbon dioxide to draw them closer.
- Bed Bug Interceptors: The bed bug interceptors consist of plastic cups that usually are wrapped around the sofa’s legs. These work by preventing the bed bugs from climbing the couch due to their high-quality coating. Plus, these come at an affordable price, and you can easily find them in online stores.
- Glue Bed Bug Trap: These traps are like the beg bug interceptors, except it has a layer glue rather than a slick coating. Such traps work by trapping the bed bugs on the sticky layer and preventing them from entering the sofa.
Wrapping it Up
Having bed bugs can be very dangerous because these insects can trigger an allergic reaction and suck your blood. There are various types of methods that you can use for killing the bed bugs residing within the sofa. In addition, you can use the cover sheets, and bed bug traps to prevent them from coming back.
You can also learn about how to place a rug under a sectional sofa here!
