Bed bugs in the mattress

Question: My fiance and I were getting bitten on our legs a few months ago. I searched for bed bugs and tried flea traps but couldn’t find anything. Eventually it stopped, but I started getting bitten again a few nights ago. We’ve gotten a brand new mattress since the first incident and I can’t find any signs of bed bugs. I’m also getting bites that look like mosquito bites and well as bites that look like small rashes.

Answer: The sequence you describe fits the possibility of a bed bug infestation. The first round of bites (months ago) were likely from bed bugs that were in the bedroom and had infested the mattress seams, and probably the box spring. Discarding the old mattress got rid of some of the bed bugs, but there were probably some using the box spring as a harborage and maybe behind the baseboards (close to the bed) in the room. These bed bugs have now moved back to biting you and may have infested the new mattress.

The first thing to do is get a mattress (and box spring) cover — they are usually called encasements. These completely enclose the mattress and box spring and do not let bed bugs out or in. That eliminates some of the harborage. Then you can clean and treat the bed frame and along the baseboard. For more information and assistance, please call Orkin today for an estimate and to set up a home inspection.