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The common bed bug is a small, reddish-brown insect. Bed bugs are oval-shaped with flattened bodies. The size of a bed bug is 5-7 mm long or 3/8 of an inch usually no bigger than lady bugs.
Bed bugs feed on the blood of humans and animals to survive. Unlike some parasites, such as fleas or lice, bed bugs do not live on their hosts but only visit them to feed. Bed bugs are most active at night. Their bite is similar to being bitten by a mosquito it is painless and may results in a small, red, itchy bump. However, many people have no reaction at all.
Bed bugs cannot fly and prefer to hide close to their hosts when not feeding. Bed bugs can live for up to a year without feeding. They can be found in apartments, hotels, homes, shelters, and student dormitories. Bed bugs can also hide on clothing or in luggage when you travel and can be brought to places like your home or hotel.
Reports of bed bug problems have been on the rise in BC. In larger urban areas in southwestern BC, reported cases have increased by 600 per cent from 2003 to 2005. The increase in bed bugs is thought to be the result of changes in modern pest control practices including the use of insect specific baits and gels, which do not work for bed bug control. In addition, more people are traveling abroad increasing the chance of bringing the insect back in their luggage.
Bed bugs have not been shown to spread disease to humans. Although bed bugs are considered more of a nuisance than a health concern, public health officials maintain a level of concern due to the possibility of secondary infections. The main concern is the risk of infection from scratching the area of the bite. The reaction from the bite usually goes away within hours or days without treatment. Applying an antiseptic lotion or antibiotic cream to the area may help symptoms and prevent infection.
If your symptoms cause concern or get worse, you should see your health care professional.
Although bed bugs can move quickly, if you can find them it should be fairly easy to collect one for identification.
During the day, bed bugs tend to hide close to where they feed for example, where people sleep. Bed bugs do not have nests, but they do tend to gather and hide in routine places.
If bed bugs are present, there will be dark spotting and staining on your sheets, mattress, pillow, carpets, and clothing. The staining is from their excrement and blood from crushed insects that have fed.
You may also notice molted skins, excrement and eggshells where bed bugs hide. In severe cases, you may notice an offensive, sweet, musty odour from their scent glands.
Finding the areas where bed bugs hide also helps confirm areas in your home that need treatment. You should check or inspect the following areas:
You may want to contact a pest control professional or your local health authority if you think you have bed bugs.
The best way to prevent bed bugs is to keep them out of your home in the first place. Ways to prevent bed bugs from entering your home include:
There are non-chemical and chemical options for treating bed bug infestations.
Non-chemical ways to treat bed bugs include:
Chemical ways to treat bed bugs include:
Pest control professionals:
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