Bed Bugs | What you need to know.
It is so challenging to really understand how difficult it can be to detect bedbugs. Most people believe they should be very obvious to see. Many people have commented that they have been told by several exterminators that they have no evidence of bedbugs only to discover them at some point on their own. Read more...
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What are bedbugs?
Bedbugs, Cimex lectularius, are nocturnal blood-feeding insects or ectoparasites.
Can you see bed bugs? What size are bed bugs?
It is so challenging to really understand how difficult it can be to detect bedbugs. Most people believe they should be very obvious to see. Many people have commented that they have been told by several exterminators that they have no evidence of bedbugs only to discover them at some point on their own.
Bedbugs, Cimex lectularius, are nocturnal blood-feeding insects or ectoparasites.
Adult bed bugs are the size of a sesame seed or apple seed. They are flat and a reddish brown color.
Nymphs or younger bed bugs are nearly invisible. They can be translucent or slightly yellow and much smaller. They only have a color to them once they have had a feed on blood from a host.
Bed bug eggs are pinhead-sized and whitish in color making them very difficult to see.
Are bedbugs always found in beds?
Bedbugs can actually live anywhere in the home, preferring crevices of materials of bedding, upholstery, or furniture to hide in during the day. When buying used furniture I often advise patients to take a disinfectant wipe or cloth and wipe through all surfaces of the furniture to dislodge or remove any potential eggs or bugs.
Do bedbugs transmit disease?
Bedbugs have not been shown to transmit infectious agents. (Thank goodness given how easily they can spread in hotel rooms and other travel sites)
What attracts bedbugs to humans?
Bedbugs are drawn to the warmth of humans and carbon dioxide. I often find that compared to other bite reactions from mosquitoes, fleas, or chiggers, that bedbugs will prefer to bite along waistbands or covered areas if they can gain access. Interestingly they have live well over a year without a human host. This becomes a challenge for vacant apartments and homes where bedbugs may still reside for a length of time.
Do bedbugs only come out at night?
Bedbugs tend to preferentially come out between 1am to 5am based on studies. They do not necessarily come out every night only requiring a feed every few days.
What are some signs of bedbugs?
Bedbug bites may only manifest in about 70% of people bitten. In other words, not everyone has a reaction to the bite to even know that there is an issue.
A better way to detect bedbugs is to seek signs that they are around. This is extremely difficult in the early days of an infestation. As time progresses, reddish brown pin head size spots representing bed bug excrement, live bugs, and perhaps even eggs can be found as an infestation progresses.
