Bed bug bites are very similar in shape, size, and appearance to many other types of insect bites—including fleas and mosquitoes. Unfortunately, there is nothing that doctors and pest control professionals can do to determine whether bites were definitely caused by bed bugs as opposed to another insect. The only hint that may be useful in identifying whether bites are from a bed bug infestation is a straight or triangular bite pattern. However, this pattern may be indiscernible when there are too many or too few bites. When bites occur frequently at night, homeowners should consider bed bugs as a possible cause so that monitoring stations can be set up to identify a bed bug infestation.
The biggest obstacle in identifying a bed bug infestation is that most people don't believe that they could have bed bugs. It is a common misconception that homes must be dirty or unkempt to harbor bed bugs. The reality is that bed bugs can travel into any home and survive for a long period of time despite the cleanliness of the home. Unkempt homes simply provide bed bugs with more places to hide.
While widely believed, these myths are simply not true. Bed bug can be seen with the naked eye and can be found hiding in places such as mattress seems, cracks in wall paper, carpet seems, etc. Since you are generally asleep when you receive bed bug bites and they are often not very painful, you usually are unaware that you've been bitten until you see the actual bite. Dryer sheets do not kill bed bugs. Only professional heat or chemical treatments can truly solve your bed bug problems.
It's best to have professionals handle bed bug control in New England, as they know the best ways to detect bed bugs and eliminate infestations. DIY bed bug control is often ineffective and may even be hazardous to home residents. Common mistakes made with bed bug treatments that can cause infestations to worsen include moving infested furniture to another room or placing bug bombs in infested rooms. Both of these methods will drive bed bugs into the rest of the home. Aggressively bug bombing or sprinkling over-the-counter pesticides may also pose a threat to the health of home residents.