Pests We Treat - Bed Bugs on Headboard in Manchester Township, NJ

I was recently sent to a home in Manchester Township, NJ to deal with a bedbug infestation. As I was starting my inspection in the homeowner’s bedroom she asked, “What are all of those little black spots on my headboard?” As a pest control professional who specializes in bed bug infestations, I hear that question surprisingly often. 

Those who are dealing with a bed bug infestation in their home expect to find bed bugs and nothing else. In actuality, you will find signs of bed bug activity well before seeing the little biting blood-suckers themselves. What signs? Bed bugs are external parasites that feed exclusively on blood, preferably human blood (the fancy term used by entomologists for blood-suckers like bed bugs are hematophagous organisms).

After eating a full meal, insects, including bed bugs, produce waste products just like people do. The difference is that insects, like birds, do not separate their metabolic wastes (urine) from their digestive waste (excrement); instead, the two wastes are mixed together in their hindgut and released as one “package” of goop. Those little black dots on the headboard noticed by the homeowner were little bed bug fecal deposits. The spots were black because bed bug droppings are composed mostly of blood, which is their entire diet. Blood is only red when it’s oxygenated; otherwise, dried blood is dark brown or even black. 

So, without going into a detailed explanation as I did here, I just gave the homeowner the bad news: Those spots on the headboard were bed bug fecal deposits and she had an active bed bug infestation in her bedroom.  When I moved the bed away from the wall, I was able to show her where the bed bugs were nesting. Bed bugs stay close to their food source (us!) when they are resting and look for hidden harborage areas near the bed where they won’t be found. Needless to say, the homeowner was upset to have confirmation of this infestation and she was justifiably concerned as to how long it would take to get rid of these biting bugs. I put her at ease and let her know that everything was under control. I told her that the bed bug specialists at Cowleys handle bed bug infestations routinely, and we’ve dealt with infestations far worse than this one. Also, we always follow stated treatment protocols to make sure that the infestation is handled quickly, properly, and completely. 

I immediately started treatment to get rid of these bugs. The first order of business was to get rid of all of the harborage areas around the bed. I thoroughly vacuumed any and all cracks and crevice areas around the bedroom as well as the bed frame and mattress. Bed bugs can hide anywhere — even inside the mattress stitching holes. After I removed all of the live activity, I performed a light liquid application that kills the eggs and larvae. The bed bugs didn’t stand a chance against this treatment. I arranged for a follow-up visit to re-inspect and perform any additional treatments as necessary. I’m confident that this bed bug nightmare for this homeowner will soon be over and she can get back to sleep without worrying about these nighttime feeders looking for their next blood meal.