Bed Bugs
What Are Bed Bugs?
Bed bugs are small insects that feed on human blood. They are usually active at night when people are sleeping. Adult bed bugs are about the size of an apple seed and they are big enough to easily be seen. They hide in cracks in furniture, floors, mattresses, walls, or electronics. They can live for several months without feeding.
Most bed bug bites are initially painless, but later turn into large, itchy skin bumps. These bumps do not have a red spot in the center as do the bites from fleas. The bumps itch and usually go away after a few hours. Some people do not have a reaction to the bites of bed bugs.
While bed bugs are NOT known to spread diseases, their bites often cause itchy skin welts and can lead to secondary infections of the skin and lymph glands when scratching and irritation allows introduction of bacteria from the skin surface. Bed bug bites may induce an alllergic reaction or digestive upset.
- Apartments, condos, houses
- Hotels, motels, restaurants
- Discarded mattresses & furniture
- Schools, Colleges
- Hospitals, nursing homes
- Halfway houses, homeless shelters
- Correctional facilities
- Buses, taxis
- Movie theaters
In most cases, people carry bed bugs into their homes unknowingly. Usually bed bugs arrive in infested furniture, bedding, clothing, or luggage.
How Do I Know if My Home Is Infested?
You may notice itchy skin bumps when you wake up. You may also see the bed bugs themselves or the bloodstains from crushed insects. Dark spots often appear on bedding from their droppings.
- For more info and treatment options, please click here.
- View this 5-Step Checklist when visiting hotels.