Bed bugs are small insects that feed on the blood of humans and animals, using it as their primary source of nutrition. These bed bugs typically bite during their maturity period, usually while you are asleep. At every stage of becoming an adult, these bugs bite you. When a female bed bug bites during maturity, it also feeds to produce eggs. Although bed bugs need blood to grow, they can live without biting humans and animals for up to one year.
These are as tiny as the seed of an apple (approximately 5–7 mm) and are brown or reddish-brown in colour, have two antennas, and have six legs. The young bed bites are usually white or yellow in colour, and in cases where they have not been fed, they appear to be translucent. On average, a female bug lays 200 to 500 eggs during its entire life. Although they bite humans for blood, which acts as nutrition in their bodies, many studies have proven that they do not transmit any kind of disease to people.
Appearance of Bed Bug Bites
Whenever you have a bite from the bed bug, it will appear like a tiny red mark or an itchy spot on the skin. These bites usually appear in a line, zigzag, or cluster, and these bugs bite you from the same spot a lot of times. But in some cases, you might find that these spots are a little dark from the centre and a little light from the outer side, and if you scratch them, they become infected very easily. The appearance of these bites varies for each individual, as everyone’s body reacts differently. The common areas where bed bugs can easily bite you are your arms, legs, neck, hands, feet, or face, since these body parts are not covered with clothes.
Symptoms
The symptoms of bug bites vary from person to person, as each body reacts differently. Some of the common symptoms that you will find when a bed bug bites you are red and itchy bumps with swelling and a rash near the bite area. Some of the symptoms may appear when you scratch the area where the bedbugs are bothering you, and you may even get infected by doing so. It’s a good idea to see a doctor if you’re unsure or if the symptoms are severe because bed bug bites are sometimes confused for other insect bites or skin diseases.
Comparison with Other Insect Bites
Bug bites are very frequently confused with other insect bites, since sometimes the symptoms appear to be the same. First, let’s know about mosquito bites. These are usually present as a single, small, red spot that is found on the arms and legs. These mosquito bites are itchy and tend to cause little swelling in the affected area. Next are the flea bites, which are very frequently confused with bug bites, as these look very similar to bug bites and usually appear in clusters. Flesh bites are mostly found on the legs and ankles.
What to Do If You Suspect Bed Bug Bites
Bed bugs can travel through your clothes, bags, shopping bags, and other items. Hence, that’s the primary way of spreading bed bugs. Also, bed bugs lay around 300–450 eggs at a time, which means if you have one or two bed bugs, that can lead to something worse in no time. There are two significant ways, with the help of which you can get rid of bed bugs, which are as follows:
1. DIY
If you are someone who wants to take charge of this project, then you are most welcome to get rid of bed bugs by yourself. Here are DIY ways to remove bed bugs from your home or workplace.
- Get a stiff brush and scrub it all over the place where you think bed bugs hide. With the help of this method, you could easily clean all the eggs of bed bugs.
- You can also use a vacuum cleaner, and with the help of a broader nozzle attachment, you can rub it all over your bed, furniture, and hidden spots. This will help you solve the bed bug issue quickly on your own.
- It is also said that with the help of heat treatment, you can quickly get rid of bed bugs because they can’t live in extreme temperatures. Hence, you can use a hair dryer to build a small heat treatment project on your own to kill bed bugs at your place.
2. Expert Treatments
If your place is infested with bed bugs, then you can also get in touch with experts who can help you get rid of bed bugs from your place. You can directly schedule a call with them and get your place cleaned. However, if you are not looking for expert treatments and want insecticides that can kill bed bugs from your place, then make sure to buy those products marked with Australia’s Environmental Protection Agency. In this way, you would be able to get those products that are non-toxic for humans. For example, some insecticides to kill bed bugs are as follows:
- Bug bombs can kill bed bugs from your place, but such chemicals will not get into small or hidden corners to kill the bed bugs.
- Oil-based treatment: A number of bed bugs killing products help you get rid of such insects. The best part is that oil-based treatments to kill bed bugs are mostly made up of tea tree oil, a non-toxic substance. Hence it reduces the toxicity as compared to the chemicals.
- Bug’s protective outer layer: Products like desiccants work like a protective layer on your beds and furniture. With the help of such products, you will never face any issue linked with bed bugs over the surface of furniture or beds. However, such products cannot help remove bed bugs from hidden spots.
When To Seek Medical Attention
When a bed bug bites you, there are some chances that you need to consult a doctor since the signs and symptoms you see might be more than irritability and discomfort. The time when you need medical attention for a bug bite is when you have severe allergic reactions such as significant swelling, intense itching, or widespread rash. If you do extensive scratching over the bug bite, then you may also need to consult a doctor since you will find symptoms such as increased redness, warmth, swelling, pus, or pain. If you face these problems, then you need to consult a doctor and get solemnly prescribed medicines for them.
Prevention Tips For Bed Bug Bite
- You should regularly check your mattress, bed frames, and the surrounding areas where you think these bed bugs can easily hide. Along with this, look for the reddish-brown stains or small, dark spots on the bed sheets, as these are the bed bugs that have been smashed.
- It is important to take preventative action in order to avoid the discomfort and irritation caused by bed bug bites. The following are some helpful recommendations from which you can choose the one that suits you to help stop bed bug infestations and bites:
- Be more attentive when planning to travel since these bug bites travel with the luggage. Whenever you plan to go somewhere, make sure you have used insect repellent so that the bugs do not travel along with you.
- If you buy second-hand things, such as furniture and clothing, then make sure you properly wash them with soaps and detergents so that there are no bugs present in the things.
- To keep your home free from bed bugs and other pests, it’s important to take action early. Pest Inspection Services can help spot any signs of bed bugs or other infestations before they become a bigger problem. These services not only find pests but also offer solutions to stop them from coming back. Choosing Expert Pest Inspection Services ensures that bed bugs are handled quickly, keeping your home safe and comfortable for you and your family.
Conclusion
Protecting yourself from bug bites is very important, as sometimes these lead to big issues that need to be treated properly. Although they appear like small spots on your body, these bites give you irritability and discomfort. These bites are usually not dangerous and can be easily remedied by home remedies themselves, but if you find any serious or severe symptoms, you should consult a doctor. So, to avoid all these issues, you should take some preventive measures to stop them from entering your home and infecting you.
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes, bed bugs are found in everybody’s home. Also, it has been noticed that bed bugs can get into your place from various places, such as shopping bags, furniture, beds, mattresses, and more.
Most people think that if a place is appropriately cleaned, you will never face any issue linked with bed bugs. But this is not true; if your place is untouched, it can also be infested with bed bugs.
Hence every house is infested with bed bugs; the only difference is you can notice bed bugs in different places. So if your bedroom is infested, that does not mean everybody’s bedroom will be infested.
If you think you will face serious health issues after bed bug bites, then you are wrong. You would be able to notice signs like red marks on the affected area, along with that if the bed bug bite reacted with your body, then there will be signs like continuous bleeding from the bite spot and more.
In worst cases, you would be able to notice your bitten area transforming into a swollen area, and slowly it becomes a more painful and itchy area of your body.
If you are someone with lower immunity, you would also have to face some severe issues of bed bug bites.
It has been noticed that there are three different types of bed bugs that feed on human blood. The bed bugs are C. lectularius, C. hemipterus, and L. boueti.
The first two types of bed bugs are found in Europe and the US. At the same time, L.Boueti is found in various parts of South Africa.
Secondly, you would have to worry about C. Lectularius and C. hemipterus because these are the bed bugs that specifically choose human blood. While on the other hand, L. Boueti mainly survives on bats.
If you don’t want to call an exterminator to get rid of bed bugs, then here are a few tips that you should follow:
- Bug bombs can kill bed bugs from your place, but such chemicals will not get into small or hidden corners to kill the bed bugs.
- Oil-based treatment: A number of bed bugs killing products help you get rid of such insects. The best part is that oil-based treatments to kill bed bugs are mostly made up of tea tree oil, a non-toxic substance. Hence it reduces the toxicity as compared to the chemicals.
- Bug’s protective outer layer: Products like desiccants work like a protective layer on your beds and furniture. With the help of such products, you will never face any issue linked with bed bugs over the surface of furniture or beds. However, such products cannot help remove bed bugs from hidden spots.
Get a stiff brush and scrub it all over the place where you think bed bugs hide. With the help of this method, you could quickly clean all the eggs of bed bugs.
You can also use a vacuum cleaner, and with the help of a wider nozzle attachment, you can rub it all over your bed, furniture, and hidden spots. This will help you solve the bed bugs issue quickly on your own.
It is also said that with the help of heat treatment, you can quickly get rid of bed bugs because they can’t live in extreme heat temperatures. Hence you can use a hair dryer to build a small heat treatment project on your own to kill bed bugs at your place.
