Before committing to a new apartment, always check for signs of bed bugs. These insects are such an inconvenience to have and very difficult to get rid of bed bugs. The manifestations of their presence can also be unnoticeable at first so the prospective owner of the apartment should be astute enough to notice them or actively search for them to make sure that the place is clear. Here are some tips on how to check for bed bugs. Know What to Look For
When looking for something, the best way to go about it is to know what to look for and where to look for it. Bed bugs are minute parasites that leave just as minute evidence of their presence. The best way to look for evidence is to be familiar with the appearance of the bugs themselves as well as their feces and eggs. Check online to see what the bugs look like and what else to look for when inspecting. Aside from being familiar with how bed bugs and their excretions look like, it is also a good idea to know where to look for them. The bed is the prime area where these parasites may be. Check the mattress (fabric folds, corners and box spring), bed sheets, bed frame (especially corners and joints) and pillows for signs of their presence. Bed bugs often frequent other places aside from the bed. Examples of such places include, but are not limited to:
- creases and folds on sofas and other furniture
- inside closets and drawers near the bed or furniture
- in between cracks on the wall
- crevices of light fixtures and on the lampshade folds
- on curtains, especially on creases and edges
Get Help
If there are some suspicious signs, it may be a good idea to get a canine bed bug sniffer to bring light to whether there are bugs in the apartment or not. Some apartments may have already been cleared from bugs but not thoroughly cleaned. Signs of the bugs may still be present although the bugs themselves are already gone. The dogs are trained to look for live bed bugs to confirm their presence in a specific room or area. Hiring a bug sniffing dog can be costly but the cost is nothing compared to the inconvenience of moving into an apartment and finding out later that it is infested with bed bugs.
The management of the apartment complex should only be too willing to allow a visual inspection of the apartment before someone moves in. Bringing in a bed bug sniffing canine to do the inspection may require prior notice and an arrangement with the management.