Are bed bug eggs hard or soft? Are they hard or soft? This is a question you might be asking in an attempt to figure out whether the substances you’re seeing are bed bug eggs.
Well, bed bugs eggs are soft to the touch and tend to crush when you try to pick or dislodge them from the surface.
They adhere to the surface, which makes it difficult to dislodge without squashing. Therefore, bed bug eggs are soft and can readily be destroyed by crushing with a stick or bare hands.
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Bed bug eggs appear as grains of rice attached to surfaces. However, an attempt to touch them with your finger can tell you that they are soft, unlike rice grains.
They tend to adhere to the surface due to the glue-like substance that bed bugs use to secure them in place. Any attempt to scrape or pick the eggs from the body makes them crush.
The outer shell of the egg shields the fluid from which bed bugs grow. However, it’s not hard enough to resist a little force from your fingers. – try bed bug home remedies.
Instead of dislodging from the surface, the eggs tend to spread or smear on the cover whenever you try to lift them.
Do Bed Bug Eggs Have Hard Shells?
Although bed bug eggs are very tiny, they have a hard outer shell covering the internal fluid. That’s why most of the insecticides and home remedies such as diatomaceous earth cannot kill bed bug eggs.
Steaming and heat treatment are some of the most effective ways of destroying the hard outer shell found in bed bug eggs – including those of baby bed bugs.
Even so, bed bug eggs squash easily when subjected to mechanical forces such as when scrapped off or picked from the surface.
A little force breaks the outer shelf and exposes the fluid from which bed bugs grow. The fluid smears on the surface and your finger whenever you try to pick them.
What Happens When You Squish a Bed Bug Egg?
It’s almost painful to see bed bug eggs because they are very tiny and seemingly transparent.
But, when squished on fabrics, the bed bugs appear as small stains almost faint yellow.
Freshly squished eggs tend to adhere to the surface and smear on your fingers. However, if left to dry on wood or fabrics, the stain may become flaky and break into pieces.
Should You Crush Bed Bug Eggs?
Well, bed bugs are as easy to squish as crushing a cooked rice grain or bean. Although this reduces the number of eggs that hatch into nymphs, it’s an inefficient combating bed bug infestations.
The fact that bed bugs lay many eggs makes it impractical to eliminate them by squashing their eggs. Besides, they put their eggs in narrow spaces to avoid predators or disturbance by humans.
To crush eggs in these places, you need a slender stick or a credit card. This can be time-consuming and also ineffective.
Generally speaking, squashing bed bug eggs cannot provide an effective solution to a bed bug menace.
How to Kill Bed Bug Eggs
While most chemical products and home remedies may prove effective against bed bugs, they may not work on bed bug eggs.
So, what should you do about bed bug eggs? Below are two treatments you can use to get rid of bed bug eggs effectively.
1. Steaming
The hard outer shell in a bed bug’s egg makes it difficult for pesticides to penetrate.
It is possible to kill bed bugs with a dry steamer at all their life stages, including eggs – use bed bug steamers to kill flea larvae and eggs.
Most steamers come with nozzle attachments, which allow you to direct the steam into crevices where bed bugs lay their eggs.
They also come with upholstery nozzle attachments, which can be used to steam upholstery.
2. Freezing
Another effective method for destroying bed bug eggs is to expose them to shallow temperatures – adult bed bugs can be trapped.
Bed bugs and their eggs cannot survive at temperatures below 3 degrees Fahrenheit. You can also use ammonia to kill bed bugs, among other cheap remedies.
Leaving infested items outside during the winter season will kill bed bugs and their eggs. If possible, you can put the infested items in a freezer to kill the bed bugs and eggs.
Conclusion
However, squashing bed bug eggs does not effectively eradicate bed bugs – mattress encasement can also help.
The use of chemicals may also prove futile because they may not penetrate the hard outer shell found in bed bug eggs. The most effective methods for destroying bed bug eggs include steaming or freezing.