How Do You Know If You have Bedbugs?
How Do You Know If You have Bedbugs?
Small bites that are itchy all over your body may seem like a telltale sign –however, bites from bedbugs may look quite similar to those from other small insects, and they may even look like rashes or hives. Many people present no physical reaction to bedbugs at all, so it’s best to inspect your bed regularly to find signs that there may be creatures other than you occupying your bed.
Bedbugs tend to leave stains where they live – these stains may be blood from a crushed bedbug, or if the stain smears, there is a good chance it is bedbug excrement. If you find any unexplained stain on your sheets or pillowcases, carefully inspect your bed – from the underside of the mattress, seams and tags, to the headboard and any cracks in the bed’s frame.
They are about the size of an apple seed, have flat bodies, and are brownish in color. If it has recently fed, it would look more swollen and reddish. They may also leave tiny eggshells about 1mm in size, and tiny yellow flakes of skin that they’ve shed.
Bedbugs aren’t just confined to your bed – they can also be found on couches, chairs, cushions, curtains and the like. If a room is heavily infested, you will find them in a myriad of other places like loose wallpaper, wall hangings, appliances, and electrical receptacles.
While they prefer to stay where they can readily feed on you, like on the bed itself, they are willing to travel up to 20 feet from where they hide to where they can feed and back.
If you frequently travel and stay in hotels or other places often, you may be more prone to having bedbugs in your home, as they love to hitch a ride on your clothes and luggage – so be doubly vigilant.
Does Arizona Have Tarantulas?
Yes, and there are about 30 species of tarantulas that can be found in Arizona.
The Desert Tarantula, also known as the Arizona blond tarantula or the Mexican blond tarantula, is one of the most common species that can be found in the state of Arizona.
The wet monsoon and early fall is mating season for these tarantulas, and it’s during this time that you would see male tarantulas out and about – when they leave their hidden burrows once a year in search of a mate.
Female tarantulas usually stay by their burrows, which are typically small holes in the ground about the size of a quarter. If the nest is active, there would be strands of silk on the opening, and it is on these strands of silk the male tarantula would dance to entice the female to mate. Whether he woos the female successfully or not, he may become its next source of protein if he does not get away fast enough when she decides to take a bite.
During winter, their nests are plugged with silk, soil, and even rocks while they wait for summer.
They can live anywhere from 12 to 25 years (approximately 12 years for male tarantulas, and 25 for female tarantulas), which makes them popular pets for the more adventurous individual. While they’re venomous and would attack anything it can subdue for food, their bite is harmless to humans, typically at most causing pain no more than that of a bee sting.
Aside from its bite, they have barbed hairs on their abdomen that may cause irritation, and when attacked, these tarantulas have been known to fling these hair strands as a form of self-defence.
They can be up to 3 inches long, and 2 to 3 inches tall with a leg span of 3 to 5 inches. Male tarantulas are slimmer than female tarantulas and are covered in black hair while females have a tan or light brown color.
Despite their feared appearance, these are docile creatures and only bite under extreme duress.
The War On American and German Cockroaches
While there are more than 4,500 species of cockroaches, the American and German roaches are two of the more easily identifiable ones you might find in your home.
The American cockroach is thought to have immigrated to the Americas or the New World around the 16th or 17th century AD. It is the largest of its brethren, measuring anywhere from 1 to 3 inches. They also get to live the longest at around 2 years, which indeed is a very long time for a typical cockroach. If this makes you want to knit a tiny wizard hat for these wizened creatures, you are not alone (maybe).
They are reddish brown in color, and have a yellowish margin or figure 8 pattern on the region just behind their heads. They have antennae, 6 legs, and are oval-shaped. Adult cockroaches have wings (their immature offspring do not). They are known as one of the fastest running insects. They are opportunistic feeders, and can eat anything from flakes of dried skin to other dead roaches.
The German cockroach, much like the American cockroach, may also feed on things that may surprise you – in the absence of readily available food from your trash, they have been observed to dine on soap or toothpaste. In a more extreme scenario, they may even turn cannibalistic and attack other live cockroaches in an attempt to dine on them.
The German cockroach is the most common cockroach to be found in residential homes, and you can recognize them by their light brown or tan coloring, as well as the 2 dark parallel stripes on their backs, same as where you would find the figure 8 pattern on the American cockroach. They’re smaller at an average of half an inch, and also have a significantly shorter lifespan compared to the burlier Americans at 100 to 200 days only.
While German cockroaches have wings, they rarely fly, preferring instead to stealthily dart between your furniture.
Aside from seeing these cockroaches in your home in the flesh, other signs that would point to you having them would be:
1. Their droppings, which may be mistaken for mouse droppings. These are pepper-like, or have ridges on the sides and are blunt on the ends.
2. They leave behind their long, brown-colored egg capsules glued to various surfaces, possibly near food sources.
3. They exude a musty smell.
When you see one cockroach, there’s likely a hundred more you don’t see. Don’t hesitate to reach out to a professional right away before you have a full-blown infestation on your hands.
