One normal morning, I woke up to see a lot of microscopic white grains all over my bed. At first, I didn’t get scared. I just thought, “Oh great, my husband must have spilled some rice while eating in bed again.”
I was going to sweep them away without thinking about it… But I couldn’t do it.
I leaned closer to see better. These “grains” were glossy, tiny, and oval in shape. The longer I looked, the more concerned I got. Then it happened: one of them moved. 🐜
My stomach dropped. I began to shake as I typed in every word I could think of into my phone. After a few scary minutes, the truth was right in front of me on the screen.
They weren’t rice. They were bedbug eggs.
What I learned about bedbug eggs
They are really little, at about 1 millimeter long.
They are white, spherical, and shiny, so they appear a lot like rice grains.
Female bedbugs lay their eggs in locations that are hard to find, like the seams of mattresses, behind baseboards, in cracks in wooden furniture, and even in screw holes.
These eggs hatch into baby bedbugs (nymphs) in 6 to 10 days, and they start consuming blood right away. 🩸
Bedbugs don’t spread deadly diseases, but their bites can hurt:
Swelling and itching
Allergy reactions 🤧
Skin irritation
Knowing that they’re in your bed makes you nervous and keeps you up at night.
How They Get Into Your Home:
They could ride in your luggage after staying in a motel or on public transportation.
Things that have been used: If you don’t look closely at used furniture, clothes, or bedding before bringing them home, you could have troubles. In apartments or buildings with shared spaces, pests might get in through breaches in the walls, outlets, or ventilation systems.
How to Get Rid of Them (Before They Take Over)
Clean your home well, paying special attention to the cracks, seams, and joints in the walls and furnishings.
Make sure to vacuum well and toss the bag outside right away.
All bedding, clothes, and materials should be washed in hot water (at least 60°C / 140°F). After that, dry them on high heat.
Use steam to clean your baseboards, beds, couches, and rugs.
It’s hard to get rid of bedbugs on your own, so you should call a pest control firm.
Now I know that I was just a few days away from a full-blown infestation. If I hadn’t paid notice to those “grains” that morning, my house may have been full with them in less than two weeks. 🕷️
Don’t think that something that looks like rice in your bed is nourishment. Look more closely. Your future self will be thankful.