Remember that old saying “Don’t let the bed bugs bite”, that your parents would tell you when tucking you in at night? Back then we didn’t think it was a real thing but surely it is! Bed bugs are small, oval, brownish insects that live off the blood of animals and humans, mostly humans. The adults are up to ¼ inch long while the near colorless nymphs range from 1.3mm to 5mm in length. Adult bed bugs have flat bodies about the size of an apple seed. After feeding their bodies swell and are a reddish color from their blood meal. The females may lay hundreds of eggs over a life time. The immature bed bugs, nymphs, shed their skin 5 times before reaching maturity, and require a meal of blood before each shedding. Under favorable conditions bed bugs can develop fully in as little as a month, and produce 3 or more generations per year.
Bed bugs are expert hitchhikers. They can enter the home undetected through luggage, clothing, or in used beds and furniture. They can fit in tiny crevices as wide as a credit card. Initial hiding places are mattresses, box springs, bed frames and headboards, but they can hide anywhere near a sleeping person. They can be found in couches, behind wallpaper or even in electrical outlets! Pretty much anywhere that would give them easy access to bite a sleeping person at night could be a hiding spot for them. Over time they may scatter through the bedroom, moving into any crevice. They could even spread to nearby rooms or apartments.
They feed for about 3 to 10 minutes to become engorged and then crawl away unnoticed. It is common when being bit by a bed bug to have 3 itchy, red bumps in a row on their body, representing breakfast, lunch and dinner. Other signs of bed bugs include fecal spotting, blood spots, egg shells and shed skins in and on the bed. If you suspect an infestation, remove all bedding and check carefully for signs of the bug and excrement. Remove the dust cover over the bottom of the box spring and examine the seams in the wood framing. Check around the bed area and even in the closets as they can attach themselves to clothing. Bed bugs can be a nuisance as they rapidly reproduce, are expert hitchhikers and hiders, and can survive up to a year without feeding!
Bed bugs can be found in places where people gather including residences, hotels, schools, offices, retail shops or even public transportation. Not to say they’re always there but they can be! Since they’re so good at hitchhiking they can travel long distances. They can latch onto suit cases, clothes, linens and can end up where ever those items are taken. Bed bugs are some of the most difficult type of pests to get rid of, making it necessary to get a professional. If you feel like you are losing the battle with bed bugs make sure to choose the best, Palm Coast Pest!
