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Bites marks on skin: Symptoms, Causes, and Treatment Options

Symptoms, Causes, and Treatment Options

Skin tags are extra pieces of skin that stick out beyond the surface of the body. They are harmless and more of a cosmetic issue than anything else, but understanding what they are, and aren’t, can be reassuring. And though what causes skin tags isn’t always known, skin tag treatment is pretty straightforward — they are easily removed.

How to Identify a Skin Tag: What They Look Like

Skin tags can be as small as 1 millimeter and as large as 1 centimeter, occasionally even larger, says Rebecca Baxt, MD, a dermatologist in Paramus, New Jersey. Skin tags, also called acrochordons, are mostly flesh-colored growths, although some may be darker in color, according to the American Osteopathic College of Dermatology (AOCD). They can be right on the skin’s surface or seem to sprout from a thin stalk of skin and hang off the body.

They are common on the neck, under the arms, in the groin, and on the eyelids, says Dr.  Baxt, as they tend to grow in parts of the body with folds, but they can appear elsewhere as well. Once formed, they typically don’t get any bigger. You may have just one or two, or you may have many; they might be in isolated spots or in a group with many skin tags. They are usually asymptomatic, and they are diagnosed by visual inspection. However, since it can be difficult to self-diagnose skin tags, it’s important to see a dermatologist if anything is growing, changing, bleeding, itchy, crusty, flaky, or changing color on your skin, says Baxt.

A Common Condition: Skin Tag Causes and Risk Factors

Skin tags are very common. It is estimated that almost half of adults have at least one skin tag, according to the AOCD. They are common as people age, according to the American Academy of Family Physicians (AAFP).

No one knows what causes skin tags, but they are more common with pregnancy and weight gain, says Baxt. There is no way to prevent skin tags other than staying a normal weight, she adds. They are also more common among people with diabetes and a family history of skin tags, according to the AOCD. One theory is that the friction created by skin rubbing against skin, a side effect of being overweight, causes skin tags in certain people, which would explain why skin tags often grow in body folds, according to the AOCD.

In rare cases, skin tags could be a symptom of nevoid basal cell carcinoma syndrome (NBCCS), which is a complex genetic disorder in which individuals are predisposed to developing a type of skin cancer known as basal cell carcinoma, according to the National Organization for Rare Disorders. Skin-tag-like basal cell carcinoma in childhood may represent a marker for NBCCS, according to one study.

Skin Tag Treatment Options: Simple Surgical Procedures

Sometimes skin tags fall off on their own as they get pulled and irritated, according to the AAFP. The only way to get rid of skin tags is to have a dermatologist remove them with a minor surgical procedure, says Baxt.

Depending on where your skin tags are located, you might not choose any skin tag treatment — out of sight can lead to out of mind. However, you might want to seek skin tag treatment for cosmetic reasons if, for instance, you have one on an eyelid and it detracts from your appearance. Another reason to have skin tags removed is if they are in an area that gets a lot of friction, even just from wearing clothes or jewelry, causing irritation and bleeding.

Options for treatment include cryosurgery to remove skin tags by freezing the skin or electrocautery to burn off the skin tags or destroy the tissue with heat. If the skin tags are hanging, cutting them off with medical scissors is another option. These are simple surgical procedures that cause minimal discomfort, minimal recovery time, and minimal scarring, says Baxt. However, in rare cases, skin tags can grow back, and new ones can form.

While not at all dangerous, skin tags can be a nuisance or cosmetic woe. But it’s also perfectly fine to ignore them. One word of caution: As with any changes on your skin, if the appearance of a skin tag changes, have your doctor or dermatologist take a look at it.

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What Do Bed Bug Bites Look Like?

Jump to:

  • What do bed bug bites look like?
  • Where do bed bugs hide?
  • When and where do bed bugs bite?
  • How to treat bed bug bites
  • How do you know if you have bed bugs?

When you think of annoying, common house bugs your mind probably jumps to stink bugs, flies, cockroaches, and spiders. But there’s one home invader that is very different from the rest: bed bugs. While bed bug bites might not be the most common bug bites to receive, if you’ve recently woken up with a few itchy bumps, you might want to keep reading.

The trouble with identifying a bed bug bite—as is true for a lot of insects, including mosquitoes—is that it can be hard to identify the source, as not everyone’s immune response is the same. “Everybody’s going to respond differently,” says Timothy Gibb, Ph.D., a clinical professor of entomology at Purdue University. “Same thing’s true with a mosquito bite. Some people are going to swell up and it’s going to itch. That same mosquito could bite someone else and it’s hardly noticeable.”

In fact, Gibb says some people’s skin doesn’t respond to a bed bug bite at all, which is especially the case for the elderly population. That’s why it can be difficult to determine if your bite is from a bed bug just by looking at it.

However, there are a few things that can tip you off to the fact that bed bugs are the culprit of your bites. Here’s what to know, including bed bug bites pictures to help you visualize the symptoms.

What do bed bug bites look like?

Joel Carillet//Getty Images

The key bed bug bite symptom to look for is a red, raised bump, says Gibb, similar in appearance to a spider or mosquito bite. But what sets bed bugs apart from other insects is that oftentimes, their bites will present in a line or cluster on one part or side of your body. This is the result of what’s called “probing.”

Bed bug bites show up in a line, most often in a cluster of 3 to 4 bites.

“They probe the skin in several different places, I think probably to find best access to draw blood,” says Gibb. In fact, if you have screens on your windows—thereby keeping out other insects that might bite—but are still waking up with a line of 3 or 4 bites on your arm, it’s safe to suspect that bed bugs might be to blame, says Edwin Rajotte, Ph. D., a professor of entomology at Penn State University.

Where do bed bugs hide?

Another way to determine if your bites come from bed bugs is to look for the insects themselves. They naturally like to hide in your mattress, especially in the corners, near the head end, and in the cord that goes around it. They also like to camp out behind the headboard, behind any pictures on the wall, and in electrical sockets.

Adult bed bugs are about the size of an apple seed and are very flat from top to bottom—almost as thin as a piece of paper—with a brownish color, says Rajotte. Baby bed bugs are also brownish in color, but pinhead-sized. Another key identifier? Look for black spots on your sheets, mattress, and mattress cover, which could be bed bug feces.

John-Reynolds//Getty Images

When and where do bed bugs bite?

Bed bug bites will most commonly occur on the arms, neck, or trunk of the body, says Gibb, although they’ll bite anywhere they can find exposed skin. And—as their name suggests—bed bugs will bite you at night while you’re sound asleep.

“We’ve found it’s most active when people are most sound asleep, and that’s usually from about 2:00 to 4:00 in the morning,” says Gibb. “That’s natural for a parasite like that to do that because it’s going to protect it. People won’t see it, they won’t feel it. It makes their survivorship much more probable.”

Joel Carillet//Getty Images

According to Changlu Wang, Ph.D., extension specialist in entomology at Rutgers University, bed bugs typically feed every two to three days when a host is present, so if fresh bites appear in such a frequency, the timing could be another indicator of their presence.

How to treat bed bug bites

If you’ve been bitten and have an insatiable itch, chances are, you’re going to want to speed up the treatment process. Unfortunately, the best way to do that is also the hardest way to do it: not scratching the bite, says Gibb, which will just further irritate the area.

If you’re having trouble keeping your claws off, you can also try using an antihistamine—think Benadryl or Allegra, which are meant to curb allergy symptoms—to help mute that itchy feeling.

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And if bed bugs are the cause of your bites, realize there’s no urgent need to panic. Yes, they might cost you a pretty penny and can be a pain to get rid of, but bed bugs can’t do any serious damage to your body. “They don’t kill people,” says Gibb. “A parasite would have a hard time surviving if it killed its host, and these do not.”

In fact, they don’t even transmit anything dangerous to you. “They’ve never been shown to transmit any diseases,” says Rajotte. “Unlike mosquitoes and ticks and things, which can transmit some pretty bad diseases, bed bugs do not. And so while they’re annoying and all that, they’re not going to harm your children or anything like that. They’re just annoying and you need to get rid of them.”

Are bed bug bites itchy? Do they hurt?

Although some people will say a bed bug bite hurts somewhat—though not as intensely as the sting of a bee, for example—most complaints are due to the itching the bites cause, says Gibb. And that itching is due to the chemicals the bed bug inserts into your body during the bite, adds Rajotte.

“They’ve become what I consider the perfect parasite, because their mouthparts are kind of interesting,” says Gibb. “They will inject an anesthetic prior to biting, so people won’t feel it. And then they inject an anticoagulant that allows the blood to run easier for them to suck that up.” So while that system works great for the bugs, those left-over chemicals will usually lead to some uncomfortable itching on your end.

Joel Carillet//Getty Images

How long do bed bug bites last?

Although the duration and intensity of a bed bug bite will hugely vary from person to person, you typically won’t feel the effects of a bed bug bite—like itching and those raised red bumps—until mid-morning after a bite due to the anesthetic the bug injects, says Gibb.

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“So they certainly don’t feel it when the bite is occurring, but shortly after, probably within a day, for sure,” he adds.

The bite symptoms typically last for about two weeks, explains Wang. “Some people may still show symptoms after a month,” he says, while others may see their bites dissipate over a few days.

Ready to banish them from your home? Here’s our expert-approved, step-by-step guide to getting rid of bed bugs for good.

How do you know if you have bed bugs?

According to the American Academy of Dermatology Association (AAD), there are two main ways to know if you have bed bugs lurking in your home: Bed bug bites themselves, and signs of their existence.

First, examine your bug bites (if you have any) and determine if they appear to be from bed bugs or not. As mentioned above, bed bug bites will likely occur on the arms, neck, and trunk of the body, and often appear as a line or row of red, raised bumps on one section of the body. They can also appear in a zig-zag pattern.

Next, inspect your mattress and other furniture for signs of the bed bugs themselves. There may be small specks of blood on the mattress (be sure to look near the seams) or other upholstered furniture, according to the AAD. You also may notice small, black specks, which are excrement from the bed bugs, or tiny, white, oval-shaped specks which are eggs.

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Brielle Gregory

Brielle Gregory previously worked at Men’s Health magazine, where she reported, edited, and fact checked all things health, nutrition, and weight loss related; she currently spends her time digging into similar topics as a freelancer writer and editor. She’s a doting dog mom to a half-corgi and an aspiring world-traveler who’s probably planning her next trip right now (the dog included).

What do bed bug bites look like on the human body?

Bed bugs are classified as harmful insects; they enter dwellings together with people. Parasites are very annoying, they prefer to settle next to the sleeping place, they are active at night. Insects suck blood from sleeping people. After these attacks, specific lesions appear on the skin, resembling mosquito bite marks. It is important to know how to protect yourself from the attacks of bloodthirsty settlers, to take timely measures aimed at their destruction.

Contents

How do you recognize bedbug bites and how do they differ from other insects?

Not everyone can differentiate bedbug bites from bites of other pests. These creatures feed exclusively on human blood, they do not even drink water. They parasitize on humans, can attack pets, birds and even rodents. They create secret shelters for themselves near the source of feeding – in sofas, beds, mattresses, bedding, upholstered furniture. The ability to bite painfully is possessed by both adults and their offspring.

Important! For bedbugs, blood is the main source of life; without it, pests die and are deprived of the opportunity to reproduce.

In appearance, the bites of these insects are reddish spots forming paths, slightly swollen. They are located at approximately the same distance from each other. This is due to the fact that the pest does not attack one place, but bites in a chain. There is no poison in such punctures, but they cause severe discomfort. If a person is attacked by several individuals at once, many tracks remain on the body.

One series of punctures left by bedbugs overnight disappears in about 7 days. If there are a lot of pests in the home, the discomfort will be very strong. In rooms heavily infested with bedbugs, up to 500 or more bites per night remain on the body of people. These wounds are bloodless, but dried traces of blood can be seen on bedding. Often, eaten but dead parasites lie next to the red droplets, crushed during sleep by a person.

People who have not previously encountered bedbug bites often mistake marks on the body for rashes of unclear etiology. Some think they were bitten by other insects.

Mistakes in interpretation lead to the fact that the bugs remain undetected for a long time.

Differences between bedbug bites and other common insects

Mosquitoes attack in summer , making an annoying squeak, their appearance is hard not to notice. At the same time, they pierce the skin without pain. A mosquito can bite even through thin clothing. After drinking blood, it leaves a pronounced mark, which is a blister with fuzzy contours, which itches a lot. In the mosquito population, only female individuals feed on blood, they need it for better reproduction of offspring. Bedbugs attack silently and year-round, punctures on the skin hurt. They give priority to bare areas of the body, crawl under clothes. To get enough, one puncture is not enough for them, so the parasites leave tracks on the body.

Fleas prefer to parasitize animals . If the population is large, they can cause discomfort to people. Insects attack armpit cavities, waist area and lower legs. Their bites are small points that have a chaotic arrangement.

Tick bite marks large and painful, always single . The parasite can be seen visually at the crime scene, it digs into the body.

Bed bugs are domestic insects, but midges bite outdoors during the warm season , causing instant discomfort. They leave numerous punctures on the body, which are arranged randomly. Dried blood is visible in the center of the bites, irritation in the form of redness appears around.

Sometimes dermatologists confuse traces of bedbug attacks with allergies and even chicken pox . In fact, it is not difficult to differentiate the bites of these parasites. They are characterized by a number of features. It is worth catching a bug red-handed and making sure that it is present when the first suspicions appear. It is recommended to carefully inspect the bed, blanket and other accessories for sleeping. You can try to abruptly turn on the lighting at night, if there are bugs in the house, they will definitely show up.

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Favorite places for bed bug bites

Bed bugs prefer to attack exposed areas of the body, but sometimes bed bugs get under clothes. They prefer areas of the body where the skin is tender and sensitive. In such places, it is easiest to leave punctures and get to the blood, respectively, and saturation occurs quickly.

The most vulnerable areas include the face, neck, inner surface of the hands, groin, abdomen. Sometimes bedbugs bite on the legs.

Symptoms after bed bug bites

It was found that 70% of people do not notice the bites of domestic bugs , but specific marks still remain on the body, which cannot be ignored.

And the symptoms are quite characteristic:

  • The puncture sites are round in shape and vary in diameter. In the center, a miniature hole made by the proboscis is noticeable.
  • As for the color of the bites, they can be either pink or red. Almost always these places are a little swollen.
  • Punctures are grouped in paths, insects move along the line of capillaries, leaving a chain of 3-6 or more bites.
  • Punctures spaced 2-4 cm apart.
  • Lesions present on exposed areas of the body.
  • At the moments of the bites themselves, there is discomfort, but insignificant.
  • These places itch, itch and become inflamed. The intensity of discomfort is affected by the individual reaction.

Bedbugs bite all year round, both in warm and cold seasons. Fresh bite marks usually appear in the morning after night. During the day, pests hide in their shelters. During daylight hours, bedbugs attack only if they are very hungry.

How dangerous are bed bug bites?

One version says that bedbugs carry infectious diseases, but scientists have not yet found confirmation of this. There is a possibility that parasites transmit pathogenic microorganisms that provoke the development of dangerous diseases like tuberculosis and hepatitis. Some believe that the waste products of insects contain Burnet’s rickettsiae. We are talking about intracellular parasite bacteria that provoke an increase in body temperature and have a toxic effect on the body. Sometimes they can cause SARS.

Important! The main danger of bedbug bites is that they deprive people of the opportunity to sleep and rest normally.

Due to regular sleep disturbance, people become irritable and their productivity decreases. Bedbugs that have settled indoors in large numbers make the life of the household unbearable.

Blood-sucking insects can leave 500 bites or more, which is a large part of the body. Due to systemic bedbug bites, some people develop a skin rash – this problem becomes chronic. It is impossible to exclude the development of an allergic reaction with all the negative consequences. The response of parasites to insect bites may include swelling, watery eyes, runny nose, and difficulty breathing. Dangerous consequences include hives and even suffocation. Symptoms of neurosis often appear, some begin to think that parasites are crawling over them – this negatively affects overall well-being.

Multiple bedbug bites can cause angioedema, this is rare, but it does happen. With individual intolerance, anaphylactic shock may develop.

Involuntary scratching of itchy bites is fraught with infection, inflammation of lesions on the skin.

If there are many punctures, and the attacks of bedbugs are regular, signs of anemia may appear – a decrease in the concentration of iron in the blood. This condition is especially dangerous for young children.

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How to protect yourself from bedbugs

In order to prevent the appearance of bedbugs in the house, it is necessary to repair all cracks in the walls. Do-it-yourself pest control is rarely effective. Folk remedies against these pests help little. The most reliable way to protect against bedbugs is to contact a professional pest control service. This should be done at the first suspicion of the presence of parasites in the house. Representatives of the Dezstantsiya service examine a house or apartment, identify pockets of accumulation of parasites, after which the quality and quickly exterminate the entire population.

Sanitization is carried out using specialized equipment using combined insecticides, which are characterized by prolonged action. Pesticides are sprayed by a fog generator. We use only chemical methods for the destruction of bedbugs in the apartment, as they have proven their speed and effectiveness. During such processing, there should be no residents and pets in the apartment.

This technology of spraying insecticides is considered the most effective, it ensures their uniform distribution throughout the site, penetration into places with difficult access.

Professional sanitation breaks the breeding chain, destroys adults and their larvae. An event aimed at combating bedbugs does not harm people and pets. The very next day you can sleep peacefully, because most of the population dies at the first contact with insecticides. The few surviving individuals are in a state of paralysis, their vital activity quickly stops due to intoxication.

Our disinfection and disinfection service is results driven and gives a guarantee for the destruction of bedbugs . This means that if you suspect the reappearance of bedbugs, you can always contact us again free of charge. Keep in mind that perhaps the problem lies not in your apartment, but in the housing of dysfunctional neighbors. Our experts will tell you what to do in this case and achieve forced pest control for them.

For your convenience, we are ready to leave for processing 7 days a week, 24 hours a day.

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What do bed bug bites look like on a human body? PHOTO

  • How to distinguish a bug bite from other insects
  • Bed bug bite symptoms
  • What is the danger of a bug bite
  • When and who are bed bugs biting
  • Why some are bitten and others are not
  • How bugs bite
  • How to protect yourself from bedbugs
  • How to treat bedbug bites
  • Bed bugs belong to the category of synanthropic obligate insects. Parasites seek to penetrate the living quarters in any way and exist together with people. A small annoying pest first of all settles near a sleeping place. So it is more convenient for him to creep out inconspicuously to hunt and suck blood from sleeping household members. As a result of night attacks, specific lesions remain on the skin, which, unknowingly, can be confused with mosquito or midge bites. If you know what bedbug bites look like on a human body, then there is every chance to declassify the bloodthirsty settlers and get rid of them in time. Only the SES sanitary and epidemiological station can guarantee the destruction of bedbugs.

    The blood of humans and warm-blooded animals is the only food source for bed bugs. They don’t even drink water. They prefer to parasitize on people, but can attack pets, birds, rats, mice. They settle in secret shelters as close as possible to their breadwinner – sofas, beds, mattresses, bedding, upholstered furniture. Parasites bite the skin at all stages of development, both adults of both sexes and larvae. Blood is the main source of life and reproduction of bedbugs.

    Visually, bedbug bites on the body look like a path of reddish swollen spots located approximately at the same distance from each other . This is due to the fact that the parasite affects more than one area, but bites in a chain in several places. Spot size will vary depending on individual response. By themselves, such punctures are not poisonous, but cause serious discomfort. Accordingly, when a person is bitten by several individuals at the same time, then there will be multiple paths along the body. On average, one series of punctures after a night passes within a week. In very contaminated rooms, bedbugs thoroughly injure the skin – they leave 500 or more bites per night. Outwardly, there is no blood on the wounds; its dried traces of a characteristic color can be found on the bed. Usually, next to the brown drops, there will be well-fed, but dead bloodsuckers, who were crushed by a tossing and turning man in a dream.

    People who have never encountered bedbugs often mistake their bites for rashes of unknown origin or traces of other insects. Due to an erroneous interpretation, bloodsuckers go unnoticed for a long time.

    The main differences between the bug bite and other common insects:

    • The mosquito bites in summer, always sneaks up with a characteristic annoying squeak, pierces the skin painfully. It can pierce the proboscis even through thin clothing, then drink blood and leave a clear mark in the form of a reddened, itchy blister with a blurry outline. Among mosquitoes, only females drink blood for better reproduction of offspring. The bug attacks silently all year round, digging into the skin painlessly. It is problematic for him to bite through clothes, therefore he prefers bare areas of the body or crawls under underwear. It does not eat up with a single puncture, therefore it makes a number of marks.
    • Fleas mainly parasitize animals. But in especially contaminated rooms they annoy a person. They bite the armpits, the waist or legs to the knees. Bites in the form of small dots, arranged in a random order.
    • Ticks leave a rather large painful single trace, the insect is visually detected at the crime scene under the skin.
    • Unlike domesticated bedbugs, midges gnaw outdoors in the summer, causing instant pain. After midges, multiple chaotic punctures remain with baked blood in the center and red irritation around.

    There are cases when even dermatologists confused bedbug bites with allergic rashes and chickenpox. In fact, it is not difficult to recognize the traces of a bloodsucker. The main thing is to take into account the listed characteristic features. And in order to catch a parasite red-handed and make sure of its presence, you need to carefully examine the bed and accessories at the first suspicion. You can also turn on the light abruptly in the middle of the night and most likely there will be a personal meeting with the bug.

    It has been established that 70% of people do not notice bed bug bites, however, characteristic marks remain on the body, which in no case should be ignored.

    Symptoms of bed bug bites have the following features:

    • The bites are round in shape with different diameters;
    • In the middle, a mini hole is visible, into which the proboscis stuck;
    • Spotting pink or red;
    • The affected area is swollen;
    • The punctures are grouped along the body in paths, the bug moves along the line of the blood vessel, leaving a series of 3-6
    • Bites at a distance of 2-4 cm;
    • Wounds are observed on parts of the body that are not covered by clothing;
    • Most often, a person does not feel the moment of feeding;
    • Bites can itch, itch, become inflamed – the intensity of discomfort depends on the individual reaction of the person.

    Bedbugs bite all year round, including in winter. Fresh batches of injuries on the body are found mainly in the morning after waking up. During daylight hours, the bloodsucker mostly conspires in his shelter and attacks openly only in a state of severe hunger.

    There is a version that bedbugs are carriers of infectious diseases, but there is no scientific reliable confirmation of this judgment. But it is possible that the bloodsucker is capable of transmitting microorganisms that can provoke the development of typhoid fever, brucellosis, tularemia, tuberculosis, hepatitis B, smallpox, anthrax. It is also believed that bedbug feces may contain Burnet’s rickettsiae. These are bacteria of intracellular parasites that cause a feverish state, which is accompanied by an increased body temperature, a general toxic manifestation, and sometimes atypical pneumonia.

    The main harm from bedbug bites is the deprivation of a person of good sleep and rest , the presence of unaesthetic spots on the body. This negatively affects the state of the nervous system and injures the psyche, as a result, irritability appears, productivity decreases. Life becomes almost unbearable with a strong degree of infection of the premises with bloodsuckers. As already mentioned, in advanced cases, they leave over 500 bites on the body in just one night, and this is most of the affected skin. Some people develop chronic skin rashes and a serious allergic reaction due to systematic wounds from bedbugs. The response manifestation of the body can be swelling, urticaria, tearing, runny nose, shortness of breath, up to suffocation.

    Bed bugs are nocturnal hunters that become active at night. With rare exceptions, they go out in search of food during the day. Usually during the light period they sit in their secluded hiding places. All sorts of darkened warm cracks hidden from human eyes are chosen as shelters – books, a place behind paintings and decor, upholstery of upholstered furniture, a bed frame, under a mattress, behind batteries, in holes in baseboards, bed linen seams. In places where insects accumulate, there are always characteristic dark dirty spots from excrement, black dots, shells, scales, eggs and other remnants of life. They live in any premises, regardless of the sanitary condition. They are found not only in the houses of antisocial personalities, but also in well-maintained well-kept apartments.

    At nightfall, bed bugs crawl out of their hiding place towards their host. Suck blood on open parts of the body from 3 am to 8 am . Absolutely any people, regardless of age, social status and gender, become their victims. It is believed that women and children are most vulnerable to bedbug bites. The version is connected with the fact that this category has softer and thinner skin and it is easier for the parasite to injure it. In fact, bloodsuckers also attack men. Adults are much easier to tolerate bedbug bites, and inflamed combed wounds on the delicate skin of a child will heal longer. Much less often, bedbugs attack pets and birds, as it is difficult for them to get to the vessels through feathers and wool. So as long as there are people in the house, insects will ignore animals as much as possible. Even in rural areas, bedbugs willingly leave infected chicken coops and move along with things into the house, closer to people.

    There are many myths and misconceptions about the discriminating choice of prey for feeding. Bed bugs are not gentlemen from high society, but natural parasites and they aggressively attack everyone. By nature, the bloodsucker has a very well-developed sense of smell, thanks to which they perfectly recognize the smell of a person and go to him. They can hide in clothes, and then, like this, get into another house with it. Bedbugs drink the blood of any group and the Rh factor, bite sick and drunk people. A person in alcoholic intoxication is even to some extent more reliable as a breadwinner, because he sleeps soundly and does not toss and turn, so the parasite has the opportunity to eat slowly and at the same time remain alive and unharmed.

    The main reasons why bedbugs do not bite everyone:

    Distance . Bedbugs cannot fly, but they can run fast enough. They build their nests as close as possible to humans, mostly right under the sofa. In order not to bother yourself with tiring walking in search of goodies. The first to be bitten will be the one who is closest to the bloodthirsty insect. But the parasite does not live alone. They breed at an enviable rate, every day one female lays about 5 eggs. Of these, in a month, full-fledged adults already mature. Therefore, as the colony grows, the bugs will fill the entire living space and get to all family members.

    Skin thickness . As already mentioned, women and children naturally have softer skin and, most likely, the bloodsucker will first dig into them. This does not mean that the parasites will only eat the wife or the child. The sleeping husband next to him will also get it, it’s just that the wife may have more damage. Also, those who prefer a minimum of clothing are more likely to remain bitten. A pajama suit will help protect you a little.

    Bed bugs have very developed mouthparts. To pierce tissues, an adapted proboscis extends from the front edge of the head, with which the parasite pierces the epidermis and sucks blood. There are also upper and lower jaws, resembling piercing undivided bristles in the form of two channels. Blood is taken in a wide channel, and saliva with a natural anesthetic substance is released from a narrow one at the time of the bite. Due to the natural analgesic effect, people do not feel the process of discomfort while the bug is operating on the body. In appearance, you can understand when the individual ate. Hungry insects are more nimble, have a very flattened body, which is difficult to crush mechanically. Well-fed bloodsuckers acquire a rounded shape with a full abdomen, become inactive, vulnerable to damage.

    They usually eat on a rotating schedule, about once every 5-10 days. An adult female on the hunt absorbs about 7 mg of blood, and a larva the size of a poppy seed eats 1/3 mg, as it grows older, the serving volume gradually increases. A single bite is not done, but an accessible capillary is felt for and followed in its direction, making several punctures until completely saturated. The total feeding time is within 15 minutes. Bed bugs bite the legs, arms, shoulders, neck, back of the head, back, stomach. If the desired parts of the body are covered, they easily make their way under a blanket or clothes.

    The only reliable way to protect yourself from bites is to immediately call a pest control service to kill bed bugs. It is necessary to contact specialists at the first suspicion of the presence of bloodsuckers. Employees of the SES will inspect the premises, identify all the centers of accumulations and qualitatively etch the entire colony at a professional level at a time. Processing is carried out with specialized equipment in combination with combined insecticides with a long residual effect. Spraying pesticides is carried out using a fog generator.

    Thanks to the technology, a fine chemical cloud spreads evenly over the entire area of ​​the room, penetrating even hard-to-reach places. As a result of professional processing, the breeding chain is interrupted, adults, larvae and eggs are guaranteed to die. Extermination measures are completely safe for people and animals; after disinfestation, you can sleep and live at home. The very next morning there will be no bites, since most of the bugs will die immediately upon contact with the poison. The rest of the surviving units under the influence of insecticides are first paralyzed, and then cease to exist as a result of poisoning.

    Bedbug bites do not require special treatment. Usually, the puncture site stops itching within 2-3 days, and after a week, the red spots disappear on their own. The speed of healing depends on the individual characteristics of the organism. You can relieve itching and speed up the process of skin regeneration with the help of Asterisk balm, Bepanten gel, Psilo balm, a special gel for bedbug bites. Also, the wounds can be wiped with a soda solution or apply compresses soaked in a decoction of chamomile, St.