Description

Bedbugs are small, reddish-brown blood-sucking, wingless insects. Bed bug bites usually go away without treatment in a week or two. Bed bugs are not known to spread disease, but can cause an allergic reaction or a severe skin reaction in some people.

Bed bugs are about the size of an apple seed. They hide in the cracks and crevices of beds, mattresses, headboards, bed frames, and other objects around a bed and come out at night to feed on their preferred host, humans. The risk of falling into one of the bugs is higher if you spend time in places where the night the guests who come and go often, such as hotels, hospitals or homeless shelters.

If you have bed bugs in your home, professional extermination is recommended.

Symptoms

The symptoms of bed bug bites are similar to the symptoms of other insect bites and rashes. Bed bug bites tend to be:

  • Points inflamed, often with a dark spot in the middle
  • Itching
  • Arranged in a rough line or in a cluster
  • Located on the face, neck, arms, and hands

Some people have no reaction to bed bug bites, while others experience an allergic reaction can include itching, blisters or hives.

When to see a doctor

If you experience an allergic reaction or severe skin reactions to bed bug bites, see your health care provider for professional treatment.

Causes

Bed bug infestations can be linked to:

  • More frequent travel
  • Changes in pest control practices
  • Insecticide resistance

Where do you hide?

Bed bug infestations usually occur around or near where people sleep. Can be found at:

  • Clothing
  • Luggage
  • Bed linen
  • Boxes
  • The spring mattresses
  • Mattresses
  • Headboards
  • Objects near the beds

You can also find:

  • Under peeling paint and loose wallpaper
  • Under the carpet near baseboards
  • In upholstered furniture seams
  • Under light switch plates or electrical outlets

How is it spread?

Bed bugs can move from one place to another by traveling on items such as clothing, luggage, furniture, boxes, and bedding.

Bed bugs can easily travel between the floors and rooms in hotels or apartment buildings.

A sign of impurity?

Bed bugs do not care if your environment is clean or dirty. All you need is a warm host and plenty of hiding places.

Risk factors

You are at risk of bed bug bites if you are in places where people come and go often, such as apartment buildings, dormitories, homeless shelters, hotels, cruises, trains, buses, and refugee camps.

Prevention

  • The cover-up. Bed bugs tend to hide under the clothes. So you may be able to avoid the bites of pajamas that cover as much skin as possible.
  • Inspect the smoke of the elements. Look over the used bedding, mattresses and upholstered furniture, before bringing them into your home.
  • Use hotel precautions. Check the seams of the mattress for bed bug droppings and place the luggage on tables or dressers instead of on the floor.

Diagnosis

If you suspect that you are being bitten by bed bugs, immediately inspect your home for the insects. Browse carefully, cracks on walls, mattresses and furniture. You may need to perform your inspection for the night, when bed bugs are active.

Look for the following signs:

  • Dark specks. Normally found along the seams of the mattress, these particles are bed bug excrement.
  • The skin of die cast parts. Bed bugs molt five times before becoming adults. These empty skins are pale yellow in colour.
  • Rusty or reddish stains. You can find small spots of blood on the sheets of the bed where the bed bugs were squashed.

Treatment

The bites of bed bugs generally do not need treatment since they usually go away by themselves within a week or two. You can relieve symptoms through the use of:

  • A skin cream containing hydrocortisone (Cortaid)
  • An oral antihistamine, such as diphenhydramine (Benadryl)

Treatment of your home

It can be difficult to get rid of an infestation of bed bugs because they hide well and can live for months without eating. You may need to hire a professional exterminator, you likely use a combination of pesticides and non-chemical treatments.

You can also treat your home for bed bugs by:

  • Vacuuming. A thorough vacuuming of the cracks can eliminate bed bugs in an area, but you probably don't capture all of them. Empty the vacuum after each use.
  • Money laundering. The washing of the elements in the water that is at least 120 F (48.9 C) can kill the bed bugs. As you are going to put them in the dryer on a high setting for 20 minutes.
  • The positioning of the elements in a closed vehicle. If you live in a very hot place, the bag of the infested items, and place them in a car parked in the sun with the windows closed for a day. The target temperature is at least 120 F (48.9 C).

In some cases, you may need to pull heavily infested items, such as mattresses or sofas. Make evident the item is unusable so that no one else picks it up and presents the insects of the bed.

Symptoms and treatment of bed Bugs