Reddish or rusty-coloured stains on your mattress or sheets from bed bugs being crushed.If you suspect bed bugs but are not able to spot the live bugs on your mattress, here are a few signs to look out for: ✓ These insects are not crazy about heat and therefore don't like to stay too close (on us or our clothes) for too long due to our body heat - they prefer bedding, luggage, shoes etc. ✓ Bed bugs don't have wings and can therefore not fly - they are also not able to jump or hop. ✗ Bed bugs can fly or jump from person to person. ✓ Whilst bed bugs prefer darkness, the light will not stop them from biting. ✓ Bed bugs are attracted to warmth, blood, and carbon dioxide, not dirt - however, messy rooms offer more places for them to hide. ✗ Bed bugs are only found in dirty places. ✓ You should be able to see adult bed bugs, nymphs and eggs with your naked eye on a mattress (the latter two are a little more difficult to spot). There is a wealth of misinformation about bed bugs, and whilst no one would be happy with providing them with accommodation, it’s important to be clear on the myths✓ surrounding these notorious pests. Good to note that bed bugs, although irritating to the unlucky host, are not known to transmit or spread disease. To confirm bed bug bites, you need to identify the bugs themselves. The bites can look like bites from other insects (such as mosquitoes or fleas), rashes or hives, although some people don’t react to bed bug bites at all. Bed Bug Bitesīed bug bites✓ are painless at first but can cause itching and welts (red bumps or swelling). In the UK, bed bugs reach their peak numbers✓ during early autumn. They can survive temperatures as low as 7☌, but they die when their body temperatures reach 45☌. Preferred HabitatĬommon bed bugs are found almost anywhere their host can live - they like dry, dark places such as mattress seams, bed frames, bed frames, or cracks and crevices in walls or furniture and will thrive at a temperature and humidity that is comfortable for humans. The ‘egg to egg’ life cycle can take 4-5 weeks. Each female may lay 200-500 eggs in her lifetime (which is usually 6-12 months). In order to mate and produce eggs, both males and females must feed at least once every 14 days. The time it takes an adult bed bug to engorge (fill up with blood) takes between 10-20 minutes. They can travel 5-20 feet from their hiding places to feed on a host and are primarily active at night (when the host is sleeping). Understanding how bed bugs behave, how they differ from other parasitic pests, and what they look like on a mattress may help you treat, or hopefully, prevent an infestation.īed bugs appear to prefer to feed on humans but will also bite other warm-blooded mammals and birds. Bed bug eggs are pearl-white and very small (about the size of a pinhead). Younger bed bugs (nymphs) are smaller, translucent or whitish-yellow and can be more difficult to see. They will look round and ‘blown-up’, reddish-brown, and more elongated if they have fed recently. They are wingless, long and brown with a flat oval-shaped body if not fed recently. Unlike scabies mites and dust mites, bed bugs are visible to the naked eye, and can be seen on a mattress - adult bed bugs range between 5-7mm (about the size of an apple seed). The tropical bed bug requires a slightly higher average temperature, and for this reason, the common bed bug is native to the UK. There are two different types of bed bugs✓ - the common bed bug (Cimex lectularius) and the tropical bed bug (Cimex hemipterus). Knowing what you’re dealing with is always a good place to start. However, there are ways to remove these pests and certain things we can do to prevent an infestation in the first place. These little critters are parasites that feed on blood and love to take up residence in mattresses and other bedding. Whether you know what they are or haven’t a clue, the words 'beg bugs’ will likely make most people grimace.
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