Do bed bug bites get bigger: Bed Bug Bites on Humans | Get Rid of Bed Bugs

21.09.202317.07.2023 by alexxlab

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Bed Bug Bites on Humans | Get Rid of Bed Bugs

Bed bug crawling on hand

Bed bugs feed on blood as their only source of nutrition. In order to mature into adults, they must feed once during each of their immature stages. Adult females also need blood in order to produce eggs. Although bedbugs do bite humans, they are not known to transmit diseases to people.

What do bed bug bites look like?

Blood spots found on one’s sheets, bites and the presence of bed bug feces and cast skins are some of the indications of a bed bug infestation. Bites are commonly found on the parts of the body that are more likely to be exposed to bed bugs during sleep – the hands, neck, face, shoulders, legs and arms. While not always the case, bed bug bites are often grouped together in a small area and at times may occur in a line or a zigzag pattern. Bites normally look like small, flat or raised areas that may become inflamed, itchy, red or blistered. Bed bug bite reactions don’t always appear immediately after you’re bitten and may take a few days to begin causing symptoms. However, not everyone reacts to bed bug bites in the same manner.

The size of bed bug bites varies with a number of different factors. Bed bugs inject an anti-coagulant along with their saliva when they pierce the skin to take a blood meal. This anti-coagulant is mostly responsible for how a person reacts to the bite and determines the size of the bug’s bite. Since people will have various sensitivities to the bed bug’s bite, the size of the bite will vary, as well. Another factor that influences the size of a bed bug reaction is the number of times a person is bitten. Bite reactions of people bitten many times are also variable, and their response may be either more or less intense as the number of bites increases.

Bed bug bites on skin

Bed bugs pierce human skin with elongated beaks through which they extract blood. Bed bug bites are not initially painful and can go unnoticed for hours or days. This allows bed bugs to withdraw human blood for up to 10 minutes with each feeding. Bed bug bites occur most commonly on exposed skin, such as the upper body, neck, arms and shoulders.

Symptoms of Bed Bug Bites

Some individuals who are bitten by bed bugs develop itching, red welts or swelling the day after being bitten. However, bites may not become obvious for several days or at all on some individuals. Many people do not react at all to the bite of a bed bug—many bites leave no mark and go completely unnoticed.

Unlike those of other insects, bed bug bites may sometimes appear in tight lines of multiple, small, red marks where multiple bed bugs have fed along an exposed area. Bed bug bites can cause itchiness. Initially, a victim may detect a slight burning sensation. The burning area then develops red bumps, known as papules or wheals (rash). In extreme cases, bites may swell dramatically or turn into blister-like skin inflammations.

If you develop a rash after being bitten by a bed bug, avoid scratching the affected area. If the rash persists or becomes infected, contact a medical professional immediately.

How do bed bugs bite?

Bed bugs are blood feeders that depend on blood for their food source, so they must consume blood for survival.

One bed bug will usually take more than one bite. Once a bed bug inserts its mouthparts and finds a suitable blood vessel, it will begin feeding. However, finding the right blood vessel may take more than one injection into the skin. In addition, bed bugs are very sensitive to movement by the host they are feeding on. Therefore, if a sleeping person moves, a feeding bed bug will probably withdraw its mouthparts and begin its search for a blood meal on another part of the body. It’s important to remember that the number of bites a person receives is not indicative of the number of bed bugs that feed on that person.

Are bed bug bites dangerous?

Scratching bed bug bites and failure to keep the bites clean and disinfected may lead to a secondary infection that can cause further swelling and bleeding. Children, the elderly, and individuals with weak immune systems, particularly those who are bedridden, may develop secondary infections that result from bed bug bites.

Do bed bugs bite dogs or cats?

Bites on dogs and cats will look much like bites on people, and the pet owner may actually suspect a mosquito or flea bit the pet. As with people, bed bugs do not stay on pets, but return to a protected harborage site after feeding. In addition to bites, the presence of the bug’s feces, cast skins and the animal’s irritation at night are also indicators of bed bugs biting pets. Therefore, one of the best things to do is inspect the pet’s bedding and frequently groom the animal while being vigilant for the telltale signs of bed bug presence.

Flea Bites vs. Bed Bug Bites

While bed bug bites and flea bites may look similar, there are a few ways to tell the difference between them. Although treatment is necessary for flea and bed bug infestations, the process and strategy differ. If you’re noticing flea or bed bug bite symptoms on you, your pets, or children, here are a few things to keep in mind when trying to identify which pest you’re dealing with:

How to Identify a Flea Bite

These bites closely resemble those of a mosquito as they’re often randomly placed, have a dot shape, and feature a dark red center from a flea’s puncture bite
Become less swollen as time goes on
Immediately itch
Can turn into an open sore

How to Identify a Bed Bug Bite

Bites from a bed bug are red, raised, and flat due to an allergic reaction from bed bug saliva
Bed bug bites on humans display in a straight row, typically consisting of a few bites (but not always)
Can take a few days to show up as bed bugs feed every 7–10 days
Gradually itches as time goes on

Bed Bug Bites vs.

Spider Bites

Typical of tiny biting pests, we often don’t see them until they’ve already bitten and symptoms appear. To know which course of treatment is required to effectively get rid of a potential bed bug or flea infestation, you need to properly identify which bug you’ve encountered. A solid way to decipher which type of bite you’re experiencing is learning how to tell the difference between bed bug bites and spider bites. Here are a few things to keep in mind:

How to Identify a Spider Bite

Feature two small holes due to spider fangs
Typically only one or two bites
Pretty rare as most spiders only bite when threatened
Bites from more dangerous spiders also include symptoms such as nausea, muscle cramping, and difficulty breathing

When trying to figure out whether you’ve been bit by a spider or a bed bug, take a look around to see if you can find any telltale signs of a possible infestation. For help getting rid of bed bugs and spiders, contact your local Orkin branch.

How to identify Bed Bugs?

Learn what Bed Bugs look like, and how to detect if you have a Bed Bug Infestation.

How do you get Bed Bugs?

Find out how Bed Bugs infiltrate your home and where they are attracted to.

How serious are Bed Bugs?

Learn about Bed Bug bites. their feces and how they can impact your health.

What Orkin Does

Learn how Orkin handles Bed Bugs, homeopathic cures and the cost of Bed Bug extermination services.

Call us877-819-5061

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How Do You Get Rid of Bedbugs?

To Get Rid of Bedbugs, Step 1 Is Confirming You Have Them

Jerry Lazarus, owner of Braman Termite & Pest Elimination in Massachusetts, says before you freak out, it’s important to confirm you’re dealing with a bedbug issue. “People may misidentify harmless bugs as bedbugs and launch a full-on attack when their home is not infested,” he says.

That could end up costing you a lot of time, money, and stress.

First, try to locate some telltale signs you have a bedbug problem, such as:

A sweet, musty odor — this odor tends to come with an infestation, rather than early on when just a few bugs are around. (1) Lazarus says there are dogs trained to sniff out bedbugs, and they have a 97 percent accuracy rate in detecting the bugs.
A live bedbug — they’re usually most active about an hour before dawn and found at the corners of the mattress. (2)
Blood spots or discarded bedbug skin on or around your mattress.
Bites that look similar to those from a mosquito.

If You Have Bedbugs, Call In the Professionals for Extermination

Once you can confirm you have bedbugs or you have a strong suspicion that you do, you’ll want to hire a professional to confirm that is the case and get rid of the bugs. That’ll be the quickest way to get rid of the problem, and likely will be the cheapest in the long run.

How to Prep Your Home for Bedbug Extermination

Usually you will need to do some prep work before the experts come in to actually treat your home and exterminate the bugs. If it’s a mild bedbug problem, you won’t have to do as much since the bedbugs are likely only around the areas where you sleep. (3)

Common prep includes:

Remove bedding and clothing and wash and dry them at a minimum temperature of 120 degrees F. At the very least, you should place these items, in addition to toys and shoes, into a dryer that is set to the hot temperature setting for 10 to 20 minutes. (Heat kills bedbugs and bedbug eggs.)
Move your bed away from the wall and put on a bedbug-proof cover, which may be called an encasement or liner. You’ll want to do the same for your box spring if you have one. Unless you have a severe infestation, you may not need to get rid of your mattress. Your exterminator can help you decide if that’s a good option. Either way, it’s important to wait until after treatment is complete to bring a new mattress into your home to avoid it becoming infested, too. (4,5)
For all of those items that won’t fit in the dryer, place them in garbage bags and set them in a hot, sunny spot outside or inside a hot car for a day or so. Ideally, the temperature will reach at least 120 degrees F to successfully kill the bugs.

It’s also possible to freeze out the bedbugs, but heating is usually a better option because the freezing-cold temperature would need to be maintained for a couple of weeks in order to be effective.

The pest control expert you hire will outline what preparation needs to be done. It’s important to follow the specific instructions the professional asks of you, as prep can vary depending on the severity of the infestation in your home and the type of treatment the exterminator will use.

The prep work will likely feel tedious, but it’s usually very critical to ensuring that the treatment works (and actually gets rid of the bedbugs).

Extermination Treatments That Kill Bedbugs

After you’ve prepped your space, the exterminator will enter your home and will likely use one of these three treatment options:

Insecticide application This is the most common way to get rid of bedbugs, Lazarus says. Oftentimes, the professional will use several different products to effectively treat the area, though it may take a few rounds to ensure removal. “The advantage to this method is that the residual insecticide will continue to offer protection for a period of time,” Lazarus says. “The biggest drawback is that the preparation for service is time-consuming and must be repeated prior to each service.”
Heat remediation For this method, the area is heated to about 130 degrees F and maintained so the heat moves into the furniture and everything else in the room. Lazarus says there’s less preparation needed with this method (you’ll likely just need to remove things that are sensitive to heat, like medication and plants). It usually takes just one treatment to effectively kill all of the bedbugs at their various life stages. Sometimes heat remediation is used along with insecticide for an extra-thorough approach.
Fumigation This type of treatment is less common than the others. You’ll need to leave the building for a few days so it can be filled with a lethal gas that’ll kill the bedbugs. It usually only takes one treatment, but it is expensive.

It’ll likely take about three weeks to completely get rid of the bedbugs. That time frame includes one week to prepare for treatment and time for a follow-up appointment in case the bedbugs aren’t all killed in the first go-around.

Treating Bedbugs On Your Own May Not Be Effective

You may be tempted to take treatment into your own hands. The nonchemical treatment options — such as heating and freezing — can help reduce the number of bedbugs you’re dealing with but probably won’t get rid of the population completely. Eggs and young bedbugs can be incredibly difficult to locate since they can be small enough to fit inside the head of a screw, Lazarus says.

Do-It-Yourself Treatments

You can also try spraying an insecticide yourself. Just make sure the product you use is intended to kill bedbugs and is made for the type of space you are using it in. Some are intended only for outdoor or garage use, rather than for indoor use in areas where you may be sleeping, cooking, and eating, among other things. And know that insecticides available to professionals are usually stronger and more effective than those that are available to consumers. (6)

Why Leaving Bedbug Treatment to the Experts Is Usually the Way to Go

Many experts agree bedbug problems are best left to professionals. “We work with many homeowners who have wasted time, energy, and a lot of money trying to find a cheaper way out when a professional exterminator could have gotten the job done right on the first try,” says Steve Durham, president of EnviroCon Termite & Pest, in Tomball, Texas.

You want to be thorough about treating the issue because to be successful, you have to get rid of every last one. “If even one single bedbug egg gets left behind, you could have another round of bedbugs on your hands,” Durham says.

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Many people associate bed bugs with slovenliness and an asocial lifestyle, but unfortunately, anyone can become their victim. Small insects easily enter the apartment from the basement or a neighboring dwelling through ventilation shafts and through cracks in the walls. In addition, you can bring the insect home in the folds of your clothes, and encounter bedbugs while traveling, especially when renting private accommodation and traveling to countries with unfavorable sanitary conditions.

Peculiarities of the attack of bedbugs

Bedbugs are blood-sucking insects, most often they attack children and women with thinner skin. Bites can be on any part of the body, but favorite areas include the face, wrists, elbows and knees.
Another distinguishing feature of bites is their linear arrangement. To get enough human blood, the bug will bite the skin several times, moving along one line. This is due to the characteristics of the jaw apparatus of the insect.

How a bug bite manifests itself

The patient develops itchy red spots on the skin, which are arranged in a single chain. The size of these spots varies from 4-5 mm to several centimeters. Most often, a person notices marks on the skin in the morning, since bedbugs are nocturnal and attack during sleep.
The redness is accompanied by intense itching, which irritates the patient and makes him comb the skin until it bleeds. After scratching, the redness at the site of the bite increases in size, and the swelling increases.

What are the dangers of bed bug bites

Bed bug bites, known in the medical literature as chemipterosis, can cause a severe allergic reaction to a poisonous substance in insect saliva. It most often occurs in young children and allergic patients. Puffiness on the skin goes beyond the bite, and there are also systemic manifestations in the form of edema of the respiratory tract, anaphylactic shock. The intensity of the reaction depends on the individual characteristics of the person and the number of bites.

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What to do if you get bitten by bedbugs

If you notice red, itchy spots on your skin that look like bites, you should consult a dermatologist or parasitologist. The doctor will determine what caused the unpleasant manifestations, and select effective methods of treatment to quickly remove itching and redness of the skin.
For patients who do not have time to visit the clinic, an online consultation service is available. In a video conversation, you can ask the doctor questions of interest and get recommendations.

How bedbug bites are treated

Symptomatic treatment is sufficient for chemipterosis. Antihistamines and cooling agents are used to relieve painful itching. If scratching to blood and ulcers appear on the skin, treatment with antiseptics and local antibiotics may be required.
In a severe form of chemipterosis, antiallergic drugs are prescribed in tablets and injections. Usually they are used in the early days for the rapid relief of allergic reactions and the prevention of complications.
The main task of the patient is to treat the dwelling from insects. Thermal treatment of bed linen and clothes (boiling, washing, ironing), chemical treatment of a bed and other furniture. In some cases, only sanitary services will help to cope with insects.

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Home or otherwise bed bugs feed on human blood, leaving bites, redness and causing a lot of discomfort on the skin. Itching from a bite deprives a person of a good sleep, makes him aggressive, nervous, and reduces concentration. But besides this, bed bugs can cause really serious health problems. We will analyze why bedbugs are dangerous for humans and why it is necessary to immediately not only start removing them, but also take a number of health measures.

Bed bug bites are often confused with mosquito bites, so they are not given much importance. But upon closer examination, it is still possible to distinguish bedbug bites. The bug attacks a sleeping person alone and at one time it makes several bites all over the body. As a result, a kind of path of red spots forms on the skin. Bed bugs especially love baby skin. It is thin, easy to bite through, and the vessels are very close to the surface. Therefore, children are most often affected by bedbug bites. Meanwhile, as adults living in the same apartment, insects may not be touched.

In addition to the local reaction, the immune system responds to the action of the enzyme with the release of histamine. Its task is to activate leukocytes and dilate blood vessels. The opening of the vessels provides greater permeability and accelerates the work of immune cells that must neutralize the allergen. Coughing and sneezing appear – through them the body tries to remove the irritant.

Allergy as a reaction to the enzyme of the bug manifests itself in most people, even if they are not prone to it earlier throughout their lives. Any allergy is dangerous in itself. A jerky frequent contraction of the muscles of the bronchi can lead to swelling of the mucous membranes of the throat, nose and suffocation, and a sharp expansion of blood vessels can lead to a drop in blood pressure to a critically low level.

Bed bugs are fast migratory insects. They run from apartment to apartment along the floors, crawl from the street through open windows. With these movements, the body of the bug gets into the mud, clings to itself with small debris. At the same time, all kinds of bacteria can be in insect droppings. When a bug makes a wound in the skin during a bite, dirt, bacteria and viruses can get through it into the blood from the bug’s paws, body or proboscis. And any contact with human blood is the risk of infection. In addition, during its life cycle, the bug comes into contact with the blood of different people and transfers viruses from sick to healthy ones. Therefore, even one bite can be fatal and lead to the development of such diseases as: