As a parent, you know what the greatest fears of your children are: monsters, the boogieman, whatever else may live in their closet and bedbugs. One of those actually exists. I hope you guessed right, it is bedbugs. You may not want to tell you kids just yet that they are real, though. The reality that one of their irrational fears is legitimate may frighten them even more. Or, if they find out what bed bugs actually do, they might be even more scared and then it’s the parents’ problem to put their children to sleep.

Bed bugs are small cockroach-like bugs that live solely off blood. Some breeds exist chiefly off animals, but the most concerning are obviously those that live off human blood. These critters typically bite once a week, but have the ability to survive for six months and sometimes even a year without a feeding. They usually nest in the bed (mattress, box springs, seams, etc) and sometimes linens, because that gives best access to their meals. They can be found just in the vicinity of the bed, though, such as a nightstand, bookshelf or any object within quick crawling distance of your bed. Bed bugs do not pose any serious life threatening or disease-imposing threat to you but they are annoying, huh?

Telltale signs that your home has been infiltrated are simple to recognize. You may find their shedding, eggs and the unfortunate dead ones in your sheets. You may also find stains of your blood on your sheets. Gross, I know. Lastly, you will find irritating red splotches on your skin or bites resembling those of mosquitoes, which is where you were bitten. You can also try to catch them in the act with two methods. The first, you try to catch them simply using a flashlight. Bed bugs have the habit, for whatever the reason may be, to come out for feeding around dawn. So, this is the time when you can surprise them. Also, the best way to tell if you have bed bugs not in your bed, but in the area surrounding it is by laying carpet tape. It is a double-sided tape that is safe for your carpet (won’t destroy it). You can either put it on your carpet or tape up the sides or legs of your bed to trap these critters as they make their way to your bed during the night for their feeding.

Once you are certain that you have bed bugs, the undoubted next step is to do away with them. There are several tactics you can take, but the quickest, easiest, safest and cheapest is a spray. You can control what areas are sprayed while still getting into every desired orifice. Do not fumigate, because it will merely cause the bugs to spread and will be toxic. Most sprays have no odor and are harmless to humans and animals, so there is no need to worry about your kids or pets.

Bed bugs are pesky vermin. And considering that they are quite a fear for your children, you probably want to keep them out of your home. So, for the benefit of you, your children and your pets, you may want to consider a bed bug spray.