Bed Bug Shells?
What in the World?
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Bed bugs shed their outer skin during growth stages known as molting which produces shells aka casings. The presence of these casings indicates that bed bugs are active in your home. From the time they hatch, bed bugs experience growth through molting which causes their shells to enlarge progressively. Bed bugs discard their exoskeleton five times during their growth period and stop molting once they become adults which means casings indicate only immature bed bugs that are still growing.
If you start to think about bed bugs, you think of the actual pest. They can make people itch with just the mention of their name. But if someone mentioned a bed bug shell, would it give you the same feeling? Do you even know what they are?
Expanding your knowledge of bed bugs and bed bug shells will help you be able to identify them quickly. Quick identification can help stop an infestation from spreading throughout your home. Let’s take a look at what bed bug shells are and what to do if you notice them.
What are Bed Bugs?
Bed bugs are tiny—so tiny that they go unnoticed most of the time. They attach to almost anything and most of the time you bring them home in your luggage from a trip. Like all insects, bed bugs go through the same life cycle from egg, nymph, and adult and end with the female reproducing eggs daily. Bed bugs need blood to survive and will live off of animal and human hosts. Not only do they feed on blood, but they also feed on dead skin cells, which means you are more likely to find them in your bed.
Have you heard the saying, “Sleep tight; don’t let the bed bugs bite”? It’s true. Bed bugs do bite. They bite and leave tiny red marks along your body that itch. Bed bugs gather in bedding for a guaranteed meal, either from your blood or skin cells. They are also very hard to get rid of.
What are Bed Bug Shells?
Bed bug shells are also known as their casings. This is the exoskeleton that bed bugs have to shed in order to grow. This is called molting.
So, when you find a shell or casing around your home, this is the result of the bedbugs shedding to grow. Bed bugs first start to shed after they hatch from an egg, and the shells will continually get bigger as the bed bugs get bigger. They will shed when they complete a blood feeding at each of the first five stages of their lives. A bed bug will shed its exoskeleton only until it has reached adulthood; after that, it will no longer be shed.
Bed bug shells really do look very similar to a bed bug themselves. But they are transparent. They may have a tinge of brown on them, but they are actually stains from feeding on human blood. Bed bug shells are like little ghost bed bugs, and if you see them collecting in your home, you have a big issue on your hands.
Where are Bed Bug Shells Found?
Where are you likely to find bed bug shells? Are they going to be just lying around everywhere? Can you see them with the naked eye? These are answers people need to know!
Well, the worse the bedbug problem, the more shells you will find. They do like to stay grouped together, so you will find the casings grouped together as well.
Bed bugs tend to stay where their host (unfortunately, that’s YOU) sleeps. So, you are more likely to find more shells around the seams of your mattress and around your bed. You can also find the casings in other areas that bed bugs like to frequent, like baseboards, couches, curtains, and small crevices. If you begin to notice them in one place, it will be best to check all the other places as well since they are constantly laying eggs.
Sometimes, it may be hard to find them, but if you are getting bites and you suspect bed bugs, using a flashlight may be handy to help you spot them.
What to Do When You Find Them?
If you do find yourself discovering bed bug shells in your home, what’s next? Obviously, bed bug shells equal bed bugs. Remember, those bed bugs shed every single time they grow, so every one of those casings means a growing bed bug. Let that sink in. And trust us, bed bugs aren’t a pest you can just hope will get the message you want them to leave. They have a nice, steady food source.
Acting quickly to rid yourself of a bed bug infestation will save you a lot of stress. There are many ways you can begin this process on your own to get rid of bed bugs and it is important to know that heat will be your friend. Extreme heat is a bed bug’s worst nightmare and a solution to get rid of them on your own. It takes a lot of time and work, but it can be done. Washing bedding and clothing requires super hot water, and drying on the highest temperature is enough to kill them. Taking a steam cleaner to a mattress and furniture will eliminate any left-overs and eggs. Vacuuming will help get rid of any in carpets along with bed bug shells. If you don’t have those options available, you could put any loose items in a black trash bag and set it outside on a hot sunny day. Bed bugs also do not like the cold, so keeping your house cool, especially at night, will hinder them from feeding on you.
Call us for Help
If you are starting to get some serious bites when you are at home or notice bed bug shells, give Kapture a call, and we can take care of your bed bug problem for you. They are one of those pests where there is usually more hiding around your home than most people realize. Their rapid rates of reproduction make it difficult to be sure you are getting them all. Professional pest control services can take out bed bugs once and for all without the hassle of trying to do it yourself. Pest control professionals have dedicated treatments just for bed bugs. Let us take the hassle so you don’t have to!
And if you have any questions about bed bugs or any pests that may be bugging you, we always offer free phone consultations.