General Overview
Unlike termites or carpenter ants, bed bugs don’t eat or make a hole into the wood. However, bed bugs can easily make their way to the already existing cracks as well as crevices. Wooden furniture consists of many joins, gaps, as well as hinges, very small spots which are ideal & perfect place for the bed bugs to hide out in. Some of the items where bed bugs love to make their homes include mattresses, sheets, box springs, as well as bed frames. However, the majority of people don’t realize that bed bugs can attack all sorts of furniture and not only bedroom furniture. They can live in almost any room in the house and can make their way into a place that is close to humans, which may include the interior as well as the upholstery of used cars. Furniture which has a great deal of permanently fixed designs, cracks, or other small crevices has a better chance to accommodate bed bugs. Smooth furniture naturally has very few places for the bugs to hide in. Bed bugs can be found in any wood furniture, however, furniture that is generally placed in the bedroom can be especially vulnerable & prone to bed bugs. Some of the bedroom furniture items that may get affected by bed bugs include the following:
- Nightstands
- Chests Of Drawers
- Dressers And Vanities
- Wardrobes & Desks
- Bookcases And Shelving Units
What Are The Signs To Indicate The Presence Of Bed Bugs In Wood Furniture?
The signs that will indicate the presence of the bed bugs are the same irrespective of where the bed bugs are hiding: in a mattress or box spring, carpet, or in a piece of wooden furniture. However, due to the reason that a piece of furniture may have many tiny places for bed bugs to hide, the signs may not be clear, self-evident, or apparent at the first instance. Therefore, the first step to check for the presence of bed bugs is to disassemble the furniture as rigorously & carefully as you possibly can. Remove and disassemble any drawers, doors, as well as shelves before examining each piece of wooden furniture for the following signs carefully. Make sure to concentrate fully on small, dark spaces, including joints and hinges.
- Black Spots: Very tiny black spots that look exactly like ink are the main signs that the bed bugs are present. These are fecal spots, the leftovers, or remains of bed bug poop. The spots may be smooth, uniform, or slightly raised if in case the wood is varnished.
- Bed Bug Casings: Bed bug casings, that are usually composed of shed exoskeletons are very tiny, oval, pale brown, and to a small degree transparent.
- Eggshells: If you notice that eggshells are present on the wood furniture, then it can be an indication of the presence of bed bugs. Tiny eggs, as well as eggshells, are white and to a small degree clear, and only around 1mm long.
- Live Bugs: Bed bugs are oval-shaped as well as reddish-brown, having six legs and short antennae. Unfed bugs are extremely smooth, even & uniform.
You may also notice a strong, stale, mouldy, or damp smell coming from a bed bug-infested piece of furniture. However, it is not always the case, and some people may be able to smell it better than others. The majority of the people describe the scent as “sickly sweet,” reminiscent of rotting berries.