Plus More Answers To Your Biggest Bed Bugs Questions

It’s a fact. Most states are in the grip of an exploding bed bug infestation. Some report a 25% increase in the number of reported infestations just since the first of the year alone. So sleep-ruining bed bugs are definitely back with a vengeance and everyone is at risk of infestation.

Since the mere thought of bedbugs can make you itch, many have been forced to find out all they can about these little blood suckers. That way they can best know how to protect themselves and their families from this growing menace.

Truth is you can run but you definitely cannot hide from them They are drawn to you by the carbon dioxide you exhale. So unless you stop breathing, if you got ‘em, they’ll find you.

What’s worse is these bed bugs are here to stay. Unlike before, there are no readily available sprays or powders that can be used to effectively and easily eradicate the little buggers.

All of which leaves many with all sorts of questions. Hoping the answers can help them to be both alert and ready should the worst happen.

For one you may just be curious as to what are bed bugs anyway?

Fair question. Were you to dig a bit you’d soon discover that bed bugs are tiny bloodsucking insects that prefer to feed on human blood. They are pests in the purest sense of the word since they love to take their so called blood meal when we are fast asleep. Which would explain why they are often found in the seams of your mattress or box springs – the latter being their favorite hide out really.

But they don’t just seek shelter in those spots because that would make them too easy to find. So they can also be found hiding in the bed frame itself, the night stand, light fixtures, the underside of upholstered furniture, electrical outlets, smoke detectors or anywhere else they can slip into and remain undetected awaiting your inevitable return.

Although they are most active at night they can strike anytime. Like when you are sitting on the sofa watching Ellen or Two and Half Men reruns.

A female bedbug is a reproductive machine. She can lay up 5 eggs in a day and as many as 500 eggs in her entire lifetime. So you can just imagine how widespread the extent of infestation could get if ignored. There could be thousands of them in your house in next to no time.

Bedbugs can live for six to 12 months without feeding although they normally feed every five to 10 days.

What Do Bed Bugs Look Like?

Sure. It’s no surprise given that you may next want to know exactly “What do bed bugs look like?” Which is another great question. You’d do well to think small just not flea sized small. Basically you’re looking for something about the size of an apple seed – with legs.

Their coloration can range from brown to reddish-brown.

Bed bugs are oval in shape and their bodies what you might call flattened.

That’s pretty much what the adult bed bug looks like.

They do not grow wings so obviously they can’t fly. (Which is a good thing otherwise how much more damage could they bring should they have the ability to fly!)

Bedbug eggs are white and they look somewhat like rice grains. They are close to impossible to see without a magnifying glass.

The nymphs, being smaller obviously, would be much harder to see with the naked eye than an adult. Unless you disturbed a cluster of them. A newly hatched nymph appears translucent and is as small as a pin head. It gradually turns more brownish as it molts and grows into adulthood which happens in a matter of weeks really.

Still knowing what do bed bugs look like doesn’t mean they’re easy to find. You might not say they are masters of disguise but they are masters at hiding. So just what do bed bugs look like on mattress?

When you’re trying to inspect your mattress look for tiny, flat, reddish brown insect crawling on it. Again, they should be about the size of apple seeds. And they can move fast when disturbed.

The eggs and newly hatched nymphs are harder to see since they often resemble the color of the mattress. But look closely and try to see if there are creatures that might remind you of rice grains. Even the dust particles you presume them to be should be carefully inspected just to be sure they’re not the bed bugs you’re looking for.

Even if you don’t see any crawling critters but there is evidence of tiny blood stains, then you can be pretty sure there are bed bugs somewhere.

Yet unfortunately for many the first telltale sign of bed bug activity is a bed bug bite. And different people will react differently depending on how allergic they are to the bed bug saliva. It has blood thinners in it which makes feeding easier you know. And since they are slackers they don’t move any further than they have to which accounts for the rows or clusters of bites. (If you want to more about bed bug bites that link will take to you to more about their bites.) While some say they are unbearably itchy, the bites of these sneaky pests do not transmit diseases.

What Causes Bed Bugs?

Now if you believe that poor hygiene and dirty living conditions lead to bed bugs you’d be wrong. That’s not what causes bed bugs. These six legged vampires have been found in historic landmarks, five star hotels and even schools. That’s right the state of New York alone had 3,590 reported cases of bed bugs in schools in 2010.

Okay but what causes them really? Two things are often cited. More travel and the lack of a surefire way to eradicate them.

Bed bugs are expert hitch hikers. So if they decide to stow away in your luggage, you unknowingly can bring them into your home. Stick your purse under your seat at the movie theater and they can slip in and use that as a way into your home. Pick up a piece of used furniture or have furniture delivered in a truck that has delivered furniture carrying bed bugs and they can slip in and colonize your home that way too.

Once unleashed in your home it’s only a matter of time. When it comes to what attracts bed bugs, presumably to us individually, it would be first and foremost carbon dioxide. And to a lesser extent body heat. Both of which they use to find their ultimate target – us. As they close in they can feel our warmth and use it to guide them to their awaiting blood buffet.

What Kills Bed Bugs?

Given all this, one final question which comes to mind might be what kills bed bugs? The best answer is usually an experienced professional pest control company. One that’s itching to solve your problem.

So while it may be tempting to take this on as a DIY project it’s really not one. If you get a bug spray that is formulated to kill bed bugs you’ll likely only eliminate the adults and active nymphs. Miss the eggs that have been laid and the cycle will repeat itself.

You can try things like encasing your mattress which will trap bugs inside and eventually they’ll die from starvation.

You can try vacuuming thoroughly and spreading Diatomaceous earth too.

Yet the best approach when it comes to what to do about bed bugs is to kill all the life stages, adult, nymphs, and eggs alike. One way to do so is with extreme heat. Or repeated pesticide treatments. Done by someone who knows what they’re doing.

There’s no doubt these are devastating pests. Being infested with them takes a financial, medical not to mention emotional toll on all involved. It will take time to stop feeling like they’re crawling on you or to sop mistaking a piece of lint for a wandering bed bug. No wonder people are asking “What do bed bugs look like?” Maybe now you can see that the best way to deal with them it to keep them from making a grand entrance in the first place.