Bed Bug Facts

Bed bugs have recently made a large comeback and are increasing in numbers worldwide. Spokane is no exception and EnviroPRO is serious about providing information about this difficult problem. Awareness of the characteristics and life cycle of bed bugs will help you feel confident since you will know more about your situation and how to find the best possible solution.

What is a bed bug?

Bed bugs are wingless insects, roughly oval in shape, adult bed bugs are on average 4-5mm long when fully grown, and are very fast runners. They are light brown in color prior to a blood meal, but change to a darker red once they are fed. Bed bugs are flat and can easily hide in narrow crevices, making it difficult to detect their presence. They have a lifespan from 4 months up to 1 year.

There are five juvenile stages known as nymphs, which are miniature versions of the adults in appearance. Each nymphal stage requires at least one blood meal to molt to the next stage and it takes 5-10 minutes for complete engorgement to occur. The entire nymphal development takes 6-8 weeks, while the adult bed bugs can live on average for 12-18 months. All nymphal stages and adults of both sexes require blood for nutrition and development. After mating, each female lays 1-12 eggs a day throughout her lifespan. The cream coloured eggs (1mm in length) are cemented on rough surfaces of hiding places and are coated with a sticky substance so they adhere. The eggs will hatch in 6 to 17 days at room temperature, but longer in cooler conditions.

Adults are brachypterous; the hindwings are nearly absent and the forewings are reduced to small, leathery pads. As you can see here, nymphs look like smaller, paler versions of the adults. The common bed bugs are called Cimex lectularius, and tropical bed bugs are called Cimex hemipterus. The presence of these biting bed bugs have been found in the Spokane area.

Like other members of the order, Hemiptera, they possess piercing-sucking mouthparts. The mouthparts of bed bugs are especially adapted for piercing skin and sucking blood. Like most blood sucking arthropods, bedbugs inject saliva into the blood stream of their host to thin the blood, and to prevent coagulation. It is this saliva that causes the intense itching and welts. The delay in the onset of itching gives the feeding bedbug time to escape into cracks and crevices. In some cases, the itchy bites can develop into painful welts that last several days. Bed bugs respond to the warmth and carbon dioxide of a host and quickly locate a suitable feeding site. Bed bugs do not normally live on humans, but rather have limited contact for blood meals. Most blood feeding occurs at night, and they generally seek shelter during the day and become inactive while digesting the blood meal. However, bed bugs are opportunistic and will bite in the day especially if starved for some time. They can survive for long periods without feeding. While their preferred host is human, they will feed on a wide variety of other warm-blooded animals including rodents, rabbits, bats, and even birds.

Being a cryptic species, bed bugs shelter in a variety of dark locations, mostly close to where people sleep. These include under mattresses, floorboards, paintings and carpets, behind skirting, in various cracks and crevices of walls, within bed frames and other furniture, and behind loose wallpaper. Bed bugs tend to stay in close contact with each other and heavy infestations are accompanied by a distinctive sweet sickly smell. Blood spotting on mattresses and nearby furnishings is often a tell tale sign of an infestation. Bed bugs are one of the great travellers of the world and are readily transported via luggage, clothing, bedding and furniture. As such, they have a worldwide distribution.

Responses to Bed Bug Bites

Skin reactions are commonly associated with bed bugs, which result from the saliva injected during feeding. Some individuals however, do not react to their bite, whereas others note a great deal of discomfort often with loss of sleep from the persistent biting. The most commonly affected areas of the body are the arms and shoulders. Reactions to the bites may be delayed; up to 9 days before lesions appear. Common allergic reactions include the development of large wheals, often accompanied by itching and inflammation. The wheals usually subside to red spots but can last for several days. Bullous eruptions have been reported in association with multiple bed bug bites and anaphylaxis may occur in patients with severe allergies. In India, iron deficiency in infants has been associated with severe infestations. It has been suggested that allergens from bed bugs may be associated with asthmatic reactions.

Bedbugs are not vectors in nature of any known human disease. Although some disease organisms have been recovered from bedbugs under laboratory conditions, none have been shown to be transmitted by bedbugs outside of the laboratory. Bedbug bites are difficult to diagnose due to the variability in bite response between people, and due to the change in skin reaction for the same person over time. It is best to collect and identify bedbugs to confirm bites. Bedbugs are responsible for loss of sleep, discomfort, disfiguring from numerous bites and occasionally bites may become infected. Note that an irritation or bite experienced in bed may not necessarily be due to a bed bug infestation.

Diagnosis

A bed bug infestation can be diagnosed by the identification of specimens collected from the infected residence. Collection of live or dead bed bugs, cast skins, hatched or unhatched eggs will determine an infestation. There are two species of bed bug that bloodfeed on humans but Cimex ectularius has the most widespread international distribution; the other species, C. hemipterus, is usually confined to tropical regions.

Treatment and Control

If bed bugs are suspected then a licensed pest controller should be consulted. A careful inspection must be undertaken and all possible hiding places within infested and adjoining rooms examined. Once all likely sources have been identified, then an appropriate treatment plan can be created. There are many treatment options for killing bed bugs including EnviroPRO's 100% proven effective Heat Treatment plan.

Up Next: Getting Rid of Bed Bugs

For more information on Bed Bug Facts visit The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
For more information on Bed Bug FAQ visit The National Pest Management Association Inc.