Bedbug Facts

Basic Facts About Bedbugs:

• Bedbugs are persistent. Eradicating,exterminating or just killing an entire infestation requires persistence.
• Bedbugs can hide in extremely small cracks and crevices making it difficult to locate breeding sites.
• Bedbugs are rarely seen in daylight. They emerge from their hiding spots at night.
• Bedbugs can live a year or longer without food (blood) and thus stay in their hiding places.
• Bedbugs can travel long distances and survive in suitcases,clothing,vehicles,aircraft,cruise ships and other modes of transportation.
• Bedbug females lay about 300 eggs.
• Bedbugs hatch from eggs in 10 days.

About Bedbug Bites

• Bedbugs feed by piercing skin with an elongated beak.
• Saliva is injected,containing an anesthetic to reduce pain,and an anticoagulant to keep blood flowing.
• The reaction to bed bug bites varies among individuals,from no reaction to sever skin inflammation and irritation.

Symptoms of a Bedbug Infestation

Most bugbug problems are not detected until someone has been bitten. The bite is painless. The salivary fluid injected by bedbugs typically causes the skin to become irritated and inflamed,although individuals can differ in their sensitivity. A small,hard,swollen,white welt may develop at the site of each bite. This is accompanied by severe itching that lasts for several hours to days.
A bedbug infestation can be recognized by blood stains from crushed bugs or by rusty (sometimes dark) spots of excrement on sheets and mattresses,bed clothes,and walls. Fecal spots,eggshells,and shed skins may be found in the vicinity of their hiding places. An offensive,sweet,musty odor from their scent glands may be detected when bedbug infestations are severe.

Disease and Health Risks

Skin reactions are commonly associated with bedbugs,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 larger than 1cm,which are accompanied by itching and inflammation. The wheals usually subside to red spots but can last for several days. Scratching may cause the welts to become infected. Bullous eruptions have been reported in association with multiple bedbug 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 bedbugs may be associated with asthmatic reactions.

Bedbugs have been implicated in the transmission of a wide variety of infectious agents,although their status as vectors is uncertain. It has been suggested that they might play a role in the spread of hepatitis B,however,experimental evidence does not support this.

Some individuals respond to bed bug infestations with anxiety,stress,and insomnia.

Impact of Bedbugs on Public Health

Although bedbugs are not known to transmit disease,they are a pest of significant public health importance. Bedbugs fit into a category of blood-sucking ectoparasites (external parasites) similar to head lice (Pediculus humanus capitis). Bedbugs,like head lice,feed on the blood of humans but are not believed to transmit disease. Other ectoparasites,such as body lice (Pediculus humanus corporis),are known to transmit several serious diseases. Differences in the biology of similar species of pests,such as body lice and head lice (or bedbugs) can greatly impact the ability of pests to transmit disease.

Bedbugs cause a variety of negative physical health,mental health and economic consequences. Many people have mild to severe allergic reaction to the bites with effects ranging from no reaction to a small bite mark to,in rare cases,anaphylaxis (severe,whole-body reaction). These bites can also lead to secondary infections of the skin such as impetigo,ecthyma,and lymphanigitis. Bedbugs may also affect the mental health of people living in infested homes. Reported effects include anxiety,insomnia and systemic reactions.

Research on the public health effects of bedbugs has been very limited over the past several decades,largely due to the noted decline in bedbug populations in the latter half of the 20th century. Now that bedbug populations are rapidly increasing,additional research is needed to determine the reasons for the resurgence,the potential for bedbugs to transmit disease and their impact on public health.

Bedbug Hiding Places

Bedbugs can live in almost any crevice or protected location. They will usually stay close to their food source (blood) but can rapidly spread through a multiple residence building,hotel or other accommodations. The most common place to find them is the bed. Bedbugs often hide within seams,tufts,and crevices of the mattress,box spring,bed frame and headboard.

Finding Bedbugs

Some bedbug symptoms are not obvious to the untrained eye. A thorough inspection requires dismantling the bed and standing the components on edge. Things to look for are the bedbugs themselves,and the light-brown,molted skins of the nymphs. Dark spots of dried bed bug excrement are often present along mattress seams or wherever the bedbugs have resided. Oftentimes the gauze fabric underlying the box spring must be removed to gain access for inspection and possible treatment. Successful treatment of mattresses and box springs is difficult,however,and infested components may need to be discarded. Cracks and crevices of bed frames should be examined,especially if the frame is wood.  Bedbugs have an affinity for wood and fabric more so than metal or plastic. Headboards secured to walls should also be removed and inspected. In hotels and motels,the area behind the headboard is often the first place that the bedbugs become established. Bedbugs also hide among items stored under beds.

Nightstands and dressers should be emptied and examined inside and out,then tipped over to inspect the woodwork underneath. Oftentimes the bugs will be hiding in cracks,corners,and recesses.

Upholstered chairs and sofas should be checked,especially seams,tufts,skirts,and crevices beneath cushions. Sofas can be major bedbug hotspots when used for sleeping.

Other common places to find bed bugs include:along and under the edge of wall-to-wall carpeting (especially behind beds and furniture);cracks in wood molding;ceiling-wall junctures;behind wall-mounts,picture frames,switch plates and outlets;under loose wallpaper;amongst clothing stored in closets;and inside clocks,phones,televisions and smoke detectors.

The challenge is to find and treat all places where bedbugs and eggs may be present. Bedbugs tend to congregate in certain areas,but it is common to find an individual or some eggs scattered here and there. Persistence and a bright flashlight are requisites for success.  A thorough treatment of a home,hotel,or apartment may take several hours or days.