Bed Bug Information
Bed Bug Feeding On Human Host
Bed bugs are small insects that feed on human blood. They range in size from about the size of a poppy seed, to the size of an apple seed, depending on their stage of development. They will typically feed at night while the host is asleep. Bed bugs will feed on areas of exposed skin. As such, common areas to find bites are backs of the hands, fingers, forearms, feet, calves, neck, and face. Because of the way bed bugs feed, it is fairly common to find three bite marks in a row. Bed bug infestations cannot be diagnosed by bites alone. But bites, in combination with other evidence, such as shed skins, eggs, droppings, or dead bugs can clearly indicate a bed bug problem.
Everyone reacts a little differently to bed bug bites. Some people don’t react at all, and other people have serious reactions including hives, redness/itching and swelling around the bite area. The physical bite marks also appear at different times for different people. Some people who react, will notice the bite marks and symptoms within hours of the bite. However, the bite marks and symptoms may take several days to appear on other people. This difference in reactions and reaction times can make it difficult to locate or determine the sources of an infestation.
Bed bugs are relatively harmless, and because bed bugs are so good at hiding, and so many people don’t react to bed bug bites, it is not uncommon for an infestation of bed bugs to go completely unnoticed for long periods of time. Bed bugs are not known to spread any infectious diseases or viruses. Studies in labs have shown that certain pathogens have been found inside bed bugs, but so far, there is no evidence of bed bugs transmitting any such pathogens. The psychological effects of having bed bugs is currently the most serious health issue surrounding bed bugs.
Bed bugs start as eggs and will grow through 5 growth stages before becoming adults. Only adult bed bugs will produce eggs. Bed bug eggs resemble tiny grains of white (or pale yellow) rice, 0.5 to 1 millimetre in length, about the size of an elongated grain of sand. These eggs are typically stuck to fabrics or surfaces in groups, and are usually laid within one meter of a food source. Though in heavy infestations, eggs have been found several meters from a food source. Eggs are stuck to surfaces with a glue-like substance excreted by the mother when the eggs are laid. This can make the eggs very difficult to remove from some surfaces. Eggs are small but are still visible to the naked eye with close inspection. After hatching, the newly hatched bed bug nymphs will need to feed within a few days or they will die of dehydration. However, once a bed bug has had its first meal, it is capable of going months without feeding again before it will die of starvation. Bed bugs will typically feed about once per week when a host is readily available. Bed bugs require a blood meal in order to grow from one developmental stage to the next, and they will shed a skin/exoskeleton each time they go through this development. Each time a bed bug sheds its exoskeleton, the emerging bed bug will be quite light, or even white, in colour. This colouration darkens over time to the normal yellowish-tan colour, or redish-brown in the last couple of stages. Bed bug’s skin is thin and translucent, so they will often appear dark brown or black in colour after a blood meal. Bed bugs will often have a dark triangle shape in the centre. This is the colour created from any undigested blood that remains inside.
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While bedbugs do not live on people, they do frequently hitch rides on people, clothing, purses, bags, backpacks, luggage, etc… These hitchhiking bedbugs can then get into your home through delivery, or through transference. The four most common ways that bedbugs are spread are:
Direct Delivery - Someone, coming from an infested area, brings bedbugs into your home while visiting or spending time there.
Indirect Delivery - Someone, coming from an infested area, drops bedbugs from their clothing or personal items into a common or shared space such as the hallway or corridor as they leave. These dropped bedbugs then make their way to the nearest refuge with a possible food source, which is often neighbouring units or residences in a multi-residence facility. NOTE: This happens commonly in multi-residence facilities, but bedbugs that drop off on the exterior of a building rarely live long enough to find their way back into a home.
Transference - This happens when you, or someone in your household, visits or spends time at a place that has bedbugs, and one or more of these bedbugs hitch a ride on you, your luggage or your personal items and gets brought back into your home.
Secondary Transference - This happens when a person coming from a place that has bedbugs drops bedbugs in a non-domicile setting such as a library, movie theatre, airplane, or public transit. These dropped bedbugs then find their way on to you or your items and get brought back into your home. This type of secondary transference also happens through used clothing or furniture that may have come from a place that has bedbugs, or from a moving van that was previously used to move furniture that has bedbugs.
It is also important to understand a bit about the behaviour of bedbugs. Bedbugs have four main driving factors behind the majority of their actions and behaviours.
Seeking Food - Most commonly at night, hungry bedbugs will seek out body heat and carbon dioxide in search of food. It is also thought that bedbugs may be attracted to certain sweat smells produced by humans, but this is still being studied. While seeking food (blood), and under the cover of darkness, bedbugs can move quite quickly (about a meter per minute) and they can climb most non-smooth surfaces such as walls, fabrics, furniture legs, etc… Once they have fed, they will return to a safe harbourage spot and hide.
Hiding or Sheltering - Bedbugs really do not want to be caught, so they have become really good at hiding. They tend to avoid light and if they sense movement they will tend to stay still and/or slowly make their way to the nearest crack or shadow. Bedbugs get stressed by certain chemicals, certain temperatures or by certain predators. When bedbugs are stressed they may find a hiding spot and stay there until they feel safe, which could take hours, days, weeks or even months, depending on what was causing the stress.
Mating and Harbourage - Male and Female bedbugs produce pheromones and other chemical indicators that attract other bedbugs. This is mostly for mating purposes, but some have also thought that the pheromones may also indicate safe shelter areas.
Solitary Refuge - Bedbugs mate in a unique way known as Traumatic Insemination. This is a method of insemination used by some invertebrates, but is the sole method for reproduction used by bedbugs. It basically means that males use their aedeagus to penetrate the female abdomen to inject their sperm. This is very taxing on the female body and after a couple such encounters, the female will often leave the harbourage area and seek a solitary refuge where she can heal. The female will often stay in this solitary refuge until she lays eggs, at which time the solitary refuge becomes a new harbourage point. This behaviour is also partly why bedbug infestations spread out in the way that they do.
We can determine that while bedbugs use humans for food, and the relationship is considered to be parasitic in nature, bedbugs don’t live on their hosts, and actually don’t want to be noticed by us at all, if possible. Their harbourage points, and hiding places are typically in dark, hidden areas that remain undisturbed by our movements and activities. This also means, that while bedbugs will often hitch a ride on our clothing, luggage, or personal items, they are unlikely to use these places as harbourage sites or homes.
Sanitation is not a factor for bedbugs to thrive. Because we are their food source, bedbugs don’t care how dirty a place is. From pristine, million dollar homes, to the filthiest slum, bedbugs are found all over the world and in a variety of living conditions. And, while this is true when considering where bedbugs can survive, I do believe that sanitation plays a large role in the transmission of bedbugs. Bedbugs most commonly end up on people’s clothing or items because they were left in close proximity to the sleeping area and/or left undisturbed for weeks at a time.
Keeping your bedroom tidy, not sleeping in your day clothes, using proper fitting top and bottom sheets, keeping clean or dirty clothing off the floor or off the bed, washing clothing and bedding regularly, and taking regular showers, may not prevent you from ever getting bedbugs, but it will make early detection a lot easier. And, if you do get bedbugs, these simple practices will greatly reduce the risk of you transmitting bedbugs to other people or other places.
Preventing any bedbugs from entering your home can be next to impossible. But there are certain steps and precautions you can take that will greatly reduce the chance of bringing bedbugs into your home.
Be careful when buying or bringing home used clothing, items, or furniture, especially, sofas, beds, bed frames, and night stands. Always carefully inspect second-hand items for any signs of bedbugs. or, have a professional inspect them for you. At Lavellan, we offer such inspection services.
When you go to large parties, or gatherings at other people’s homes, avoid placing your coat or jacket in a large pile with the coats and jackets from all the other guests unless you know for a fact that none of them have bedbugs at home.
Similarly, if you have a party or gathering at your home, avoid stacking all the guest coats and such on top of your bed.
Be careful with where you leave your personal clothing and items while at work, school, or the gym, or any clubs where you might share locker space, or have common areas to hang outer wear and bags and such.
When staying at a hotel, or motel, do a quick check around the edges and folds of the bed skirt, mattresses, box springs, and headboards for any signs of bedbug activity. Carefully check drawers or closets before placing your clothes inside.
When traveling, avoid leaving clothing laying on the floor for days at a time. Keep your dirty clothes in a sealed bag away from your clean clothes. And carefully examine all luggage before packing to go home.
If you think you may have encountered bedbugs while traveling, make sure to wash all clothing upon your return and leave luggage open in a bathtub over night. Bedbugs cannot climb the walls of a clean bathtub, making bathtubs a handy trap for any hitchhiking bedbugs.
At home, clean all bedding regularly.
Do a quick inspection of the mattresses, box springs, bed frame and headboards 2 to 3 times per year.
Early detection is key in dealing with bedbugs quickly and efficiently.
