Bed Bugs

"Sleep tight, don’t let the bed bugs bite" may sound cute but there is nothing cute about a bed bug whose only food source is human blood. The name comes from their tendency to live between mattresses and feed on people as they sleep. Bed bugs are small, fast moving and prolific. The female bed bug lays up to five eggs a day and 500 during her lifetime.

Size comparison to a grain of rice.

Adult bed bugs are about 3/16-inch long and reddish-brown, with oval, flattened bodies. Bed bugs do not fly, but can move rapidly over floors, walls, ceilings and other surfaces. Female bed bugs lay their eggs in secluded areas, depositing up to five eggs per day and hundreds during a lifetime. The eggs are tiny, whitish, and hard to see on most surfaces without magnification (individual eggs are about the size of a dust speck). When first laid, the eggs are sticky, causing them to adhere to surfaces. Newly hatched they are straw-colored and no bigger than a pinhead. As they grow, they molt (shed their skin) five times before reaching maturity. A blood meal is needed between each successive molt. Under favorable con ditions (70-80°F), the bugs can complete development in as little as a month, producing three or more generations per year. Cooler temperatures or limited access to blood extends the development time.

Bed bugs are resilient. Nymphs can survive months without feeding and the adults for more than a year. Don’t think leaving the premises unoccupied will solve your problem.

Check your mattress. They usually are only moving at night so during the daytime, look on your mattress for their flattened bodies in the tiny crevices of your mattresses, box springs, bed frames and headboards.

They may not have nests like other insects but they do tend to hang out together in their favorite hiding places. These areas are marked by dark spotting and staining. Eggs and eggshells will also be there but are so small they may be hard to see. Another telltale sign is rusty or reddish blood smears on bed sheets or mattresses if a guest rolls over and crushes an engorged bed bug.

When you have a really bad infestation you may have a "buggy" smell, but the odor is rare and you shouldn’t rely on smell for detection.

Bed bugs prefer to hide close to where they feed but, if necessary, they will crawl several feet to obtain a food. The infestations tend to start in and around beds, but the bugs may become scattered throughout the bedroom over time. They also may spread to adjacent rooms or apartments.

Bed bugs usually bite people at night while they are sleeping. They feed by piercing the skin with an elongated beak through which they withdraw blood.

They suck out the blood over a three to ten minute period which usually the person sleeps right through. Bed bugs are not like lice, they eat and run off to hide while digesting their meal. Many people develop an itchy red welt or localized swelling within a day or so of the bite. The reaction can be delayed in some people where others may have little or no reaction at all. Travel increases the likelihood of bed bugs. You should suspect bed bugs if you wake up with itchy bites you did not have when you went to sleep. You can only be sure if you find and identify the bugs, this may require a call to Modern Pest Services or other pest control professional.

The good news is they are not likely to transmit pathogens to humans but they can still impair your guest’s experience, getting rid of them as quickly as possible will be a priority. Insect repellent and sleeping with the lights on won’t work.

Bed bugs are great hitchhikers, especially in luggage. This makes it hard for hotels and anywhere where new tenants come and go to control their influx. They are so small, they easily escape detection and their eggs are almost impossible to see without magnification. Buying secondhand beds, couches and furniture is another way to turn a non-infested building into their new home.

Once they are in, they can spread from room to room, floor to floor. They are not like cockroaches that need dirty conditions to thrive, they are comfortable regardless whether the building is clean or dirty. Pristine to squalor, as long as there is an abundance of warm-blooded animals and humans, they are in business.