Dried bed bug eggs are tiny, easy-to-miss signs that bed bugs once existed. Even after the bugs are gone, their eggs can still be found.
What do dried bed bugs look like, and why should you care? These tiny, often overlooked eggs can be a sign of an infestation that’s otherwise hidden. Finding them might help you stop a worse problem. Are you ready to find out how to identify these?
Dried bed bug eggs are small and pale. They are left behind after the eggs hatch. These eggs can be found in areas that are not easily reached, such as cracks in furniture or along mattress seams. When touched, they feel smooth but fragile. Over time, the eggs dry out and become harder to notice. Proper inspection is needed to find them in your home.
What Are Dried Bed Bug Eggs?
Dried bed bug eggs are small and hard to notice. When they’re fresh, they are usually white or yellow. After the eggs hatch, they dry up and become flat. The eggshells left behind may look transparent and cling to surfaces. Finding them means the baby bedbugs have already hatched.
Characteristics of Dried Bed Bug Eggs:
- Color: The white or yellowish color of bedbug eggs may turn into more opaque or translucent.
- Texture: The smooth, fluid-filled texture becomes hard and sometimes brittle.
- Size: In terms of size, it is about 1 mm long but can appear more shrunk or flattened.
These eggs are usually left behind in hidden areas after the young have emerged, which indicates a previous infestation. They dry out because of the hatching process, which leaves the egg casing behind as a hollow, lifeless shell.
Why Should You Be Concerned About Dried Bed Bug Eggs?
Dried bed bug eggs are a sign of a previous bed bug infestation in your house. Although they don’t directly cause new bugs, they can cause reinfestation if not taken care of. Their existence means that bed bugs might still be hiding in cracks and crevices. There are three reasons why this is problematic.
Continuous Infestation
Bed bugs lay eggs in obscure places that are hard to look for. Even when these eggs have dried, they would imply that the bed bugs had been staying in your home for a considerable period and could possibly still be around, continuing the issue.
Risk of Reinfestation
Dried eggs from bed bugs left not fully removed can hatch and give rise to a new generation of bed bugs. If not treated correctly, this can cause the infestation to return, making them harder to eliminate completely.
Not Easy to Sight
These are tiny eggs, hidden deep in cracks and crevices or corners. They are so small and hard to spot that they might escape being seen at all and therefore not present a clue that the place has been infected for quite some time.
Where Do Dried Bed Bug Eggs Typically Appear?
Bed bugs are nocturnal and sleep during the day, so they can hide anywhere in the home, and their eggs become difficult to spot as well. They have definite locations, though, where they like to lay their eggs, and those places are essential to be considered when checking for dried bed bug eggs.
- In and around the mattress: Check along the seams, inside any cracks, and where the fabric meets the bed frame.
- Behind furniture: Bed bugs tend to hide behind heavy furniture or in crevices and cracks within the furniture.
- Under carpets and rugs: Dried eggs of bed bugs can sometimes be located underneath rugs or at the edges where the rugs meet the walls.
- Cracks in walls or baseboards: Sometimes, dried eggs may also be seen along the cracks in the walls where bed bugs hide.
- Luggage and personal belongings: Bed bugs can hide in luggage, so inspect travel bags carefully.
How Do Bed Bug Eggs Dry Out?
Bed bug eggs have a sticky substance that keeps them stuck to the surface. The eggshell dries out automatically once the egg has hatched. Drying occurs naturally over time or due to exposure to air if the process is accelerated.
- Hatching: After a bed bug hatches, the egg becomes useless and begins to dry out. The empty egg casing remains behind.
- Air Exposure: Eggs exposed to air for a long time dry out more quickly. Lack of moisture leads to the drying process.
- Time: Over time, if eggs are not disturbed, they naturally dry up. This happens as the environment dries out the leftover egg casings.
How to Identify Dried Bed Bug Eggs?
Dried bed bug eggs are tiny; hence, you need careful inspection to spot them. They are normally pressed into a flat shape and can easily blend with the surroundings.
Look through Dark and Hidden Places
Check cracks, crevices, and seams of furniture, mattresses, and walls. These are places where bedbug eggs are likely to be hidden, so it is better to check them with a flashlight.
Transparent or Shrunken Eggs
Dried bed bug eggs will appear flat or semi-transparent. They will not have the shiny, liquid-filled look of fresh eggs and will look a bit wrinkled or faded as they dry.
Check for Any Bed Bug Activity
If you find some live bed bugs, fecal marks, or old exoskeletons, then it’s a sign that the eggs were recently laid and hatched. These signs will help confirm the presence of bed bugs.
How to Get Rid of Dried Bed Bug Eggs
You should act fast to get rid of dried bed bug eggs. Though these eggs are less active than live bed bugs, they still indicate an existing problem. Here is how you can effectively get rid of them.
Vacuum Thoroughly
Use a vacuum cleaner with a hose attachment to clean areas like mattresses, sofas, and carpets. Make sure to focus on cracks and crevices where eggs might be hidden. Vacuuming helps remove both visible eggs and any live bed bugs, preventing them from spreading.
Use Heat Treatment
Bed bugs, as well as their eggs, cannot survive high temperatures. You can treat fabrics, such as bed sheets, pillows, or clothes, with the dryer on high. Alternatively, you can have a professional do the heat treatment to ensure sufficient temperature to kill both eggs and adult bed bugs.
Apply Insecticides
Bed bug insecticides can also aid in the complete eradication of eggs and adults. Spray these insecticides wherever eggs and bedbugs can hide themselves, such as in furniture cracks or behind the baseboards. So be careful about the instructions in the use of this insecticide to avoid safety problems.
Call a Professional Exterminator
If the infestation is heavy, then a pest control professional is required. Specialists can employ steam cleaning, fumigation, or freezing in order to deal with the bed bugs and their eggs more effectively. In this way, all levels of infestation will be taken care of completely.
Prevent Future Bed Bug Infestations
To avoid dried bed bug eggs and prevent reinfestation, you have to take further steps to prevent bed bugs from coming back. Here are some simple things you can do.
Regular Inspections
Check your home time and again for signs of bed bugs, especially if you have just traveled back or brought some second-hand furniture home. Check especially in the corners, bed frame, and mattress. Early detection helps in stopping infestation before it gets worse.
Use Mattress Encasements
A bed bug-proof mattress cover can prevent bedbugs from nesting in your bed. The covers trap bugs already present in the mattress so they cannot move out and lay more eggs.
Be Careful When Traveling
Before unpacking in hotels or after traveling, check your luggage for bed bugs. Check seams of mattresses and furniture carefully to look for signs of bed bugs to not bring them home.
Seal Cracks and Crevices
Fill any cracks in your walls, floors, or furniture to prevent bed bugs from hiding. Fixing cracks stops them from finding places to nest and spread around your home.
FAQs
What are dried bed bug eggs?
Dried bed bug eggs are empty shells left after the bugs hatch. They look flat and see-through.
How do I find dried bed bug eggs?
Look for small, flat eggs in dark, hidden places like cracks or corners of furniture and mattresses.
Why do bed bug eggs dry out?
When the baby bed bugs hatch, the eggs dry up. Exposure to air makes them dry faster.
Where are dried bed bug eggs usually found?
You can find them in cracks, seams, and crevices in furniture, mattresses, or walls.
Can dried eggs lead to more bed bugs?
Yes, dried eggs show that bed bugs were there. If not cleaned, new bed bugs can hatch later.
Conclusion
Dried bed bug eggs are a clear sign of an ongoing infestation. They are left behind after the bed bugs hatch and can be found in hidden places around your home. These eggs may be small, flat, and almost see-through, making them hard to spot. However, spotting them early can help prevent a larger infestation.
If dried bed bug eggs are discovered, they should be attended to right away. Vacuum them up, use heat treatments, and apply insecticides to eliminate them. These services from professional pest control agencies may be required if the infestation is significant. Early detection and prompt action will help keep your home bedbug-free.