Bed bugs
Bedbugs
Bed bugs are small, oval-shaped, brownish insects that feed on blood from humans or animals. Their size ranges between 1 mm to 7 mm. Adult bed bugs have flat bodies about the size of an apple seed. After feeding, their bodies swell and become reddish in colour.
Bed bugs do not have wings and cannot fly, however they can crawl quickly over floors, walls, and ceilings. Bed bugs are considered pests mainly because they bite. Fortunately, they are not known to transmit any diseases. Although bed bug bites are rarely dangerous they can cause severe itchiness and in some cases an allergic reaction may result.
How Are Bed bugs Transmitted?
- Travel: They move on luggage and clothes from infested places like hotels.
- Used Furniture: They hide in used furniture, especially mattresses and sofas.
- Public Transport: They can stick to clothes and bags on buses, trains, and planes.
- Visiting Infested Areas: They latch onto clothes or items in places with bedbugs.
- Neighboring Homes: They can move through walls or pipes in apartment buildings.
- Second-Hand Clothes: They can come with used clothes from infested places.
Where Can Bed bugs Be Found?
Bedbugs are versatile in where they hide, preferring warm and dark places close to their hosts for easy access to blood meals.
- Beds: Especially in mattresses, box springs, and bed frames.
- Furniture: Couches, chairs, and other upholstered furniture.
- Clothing: Particularly in closets and dressers.
- Cracks and Crevices: Along baseboards, in wall voids, and behind electrical outlets.
- Luggage and Bags: They can hide in suitcases, backpacks, and purses.
- Carpeting: Along the edges and underneath if it’s near infested areas.
- Wallpaper and Wallpaper Seams: Especially in older buildings.
- Electronics: They may hide in alarm clocks, laptops, and other electronics with tight spaces.
- Public Transportation: Buses, trains, and airplanes, especially in seats and luggage compartments.
- Workplaces and Schools: Anywhere people spend extended periods, especially if there’s clutter or fabric-covered furniture.
Signs of Bed bug Infestation
- Bite Marks: Red, itchy bites often in a line or cluster on exposed skin, such as arms, legs, or the neck.
- Blood Stains: Small blood spots on sheets, pillowcases, or clothing from bedbug bites or squashed bugs.
- Dark Spots: Tiny dark spots on bedding, mattress seams, or furniture, which could be bedbug excrement.
- Eggshells and Shed Skins: Tiny, pale yellow eggshells and translucent skins shed by growing bedbugs.
- Musty Odor: A sweet, musty smell in infested rooms, often described as like almonds or coriander.
- Live Bedbugs: Actual bugs themselves, particularly in seams and crevices of mattresses, furniture, and walls.
When Do Bed bugs Bite?
- They typically bite during the night when their hosts are asleep.
- However, if they’re hungry and the opportunity arises, they can also bite during the day or in low-light conditions.
- Bedbugs are attracted to the heat and carbon dioxide emitted by humans, which signals to them that a potential blood meal is nearby.
- Therefore, they’re most active when people are still, such as when sleeping in bed.
Control Measures
- Check your home or residence for signs of bedbugs on a regular basis, particularly when you have just returned home after travelling
- When travelling, be mindful of your surroundings and check your accommodation
- To help prevent an infestation, launder and dry all clothing items when you return home
- Clean up clutter to reduce the number of places where bedbugs can hide
- Regularly wash and heat-dry your bed sheets, blankets, bedspreads and any clothing that touches the floor
- If you are considering second-hand furniture, check the items prior to moving them into your house
- If you discover or suspect an infestation, it is always best to hire an experienced pest control professional
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