Bed Bug Facts

Bed Bugs are tiny insects – the adult is no more than a quarter of an inch in size – that live on the blood of animals and, most worryingly humans.

Although not a flying insect the bed bug does have the ability to move very fast and is prone to rapid spreading as a result.

The Bed Bug spread is a worldwide one, as these minuscule mites are understood to have traveled from their origin in the Asian continent to the entire globe.

It is far from unusual to see an infestation of Bed Bugs, but what is important is that we understand where they live, how to identify them and what to do about them.

The female Bed Bug will give out eggs each day; as she can live for extraordinary lengths of time – over a year – this results in a natural explosion of the Bed Bug population.

The bed bug is active at night – when we are sleeping – and the first clue to the presence of Bed Bugs is the presence of pimples on the skin in the morning.

The bed bug will feed during the night, and because it feeds on the blood it leaves behind indications of its presence.

A bed bug feeds by puncturing the skin and inserting a tube with which it sucks out the required blood, and as such the victim will rarely have known they are being bitten as they are usually asleep.

After feeding – which can cover as long as ten minutes – the Bed Bug leaves behind a red puncture which could swell and will hurt continually, bringing irritation and discomfort to the individual.

The problem with diagnosis is that the signs of Bed Bugs are often similar to those of other skin conditions.

Scabies leaves behind very similar pointers to bed bug infestation, and some insect bites such as mosquito can also produce a similar tell tale bite.

Bed bug bites will usually be seen on skin that we leave exposed while we sleep – the arms and legs, face and neck are all commonly bitten – and it is to these areas we should look when looking for signals of the creatures.

The Bed Bug is a night active creature and it likes to feed on our blood; it also likes to remain hidden and this is why it is found in our beds and furnishings.

Though the Bed Bug does not nest like a number of other insects, it does travel to suitable places, hence many will hide together in the crevasses of a mattress, the inside of covers and linings and other dark and secure places.

Bed Bugs are often introduced into the home by people who have been travelling and have maybe slept on a number of different and frequently used beds.

A Bed Bug infestation is not necessarily a case of poor hygiene, however, as any number of hotels and guest houses have also been the source of cases.

Bed Bug infestations come about very quickly; with one female insect laying around five eggs every day it is clear to see how rapidly the colony can grow.

To remove Bed Bugs you first need to remove of the infected mattress and any other items that may be harbouring the creatures.

As bed bugs are very prolific and almost impossible to find, getting rid of all the eggs and creatures with off the shelf remedies may not be guaranteed to be successful.
 
During an infestation of bed bugs, all clothes, covers and linings that have been in contact with bugs – or are suspected of having been – have to be be thoroughly washed; if possible this should be done on the hottest setting possible to be sure to kill the bugs.