All About Bedbugs

Good night, sleep tight. Don’t let the bedbugs bite.

The popular children’s rhyme gets it right: Bedbugs do most commonly feed on humans at night while they’re sleeping (though they can sometimes bite during the day), and they’re the type of pest you really don’t want to have to deal with. (1)

Bedbugs (or Cimex lectularius and Cimex hemipterus, their scientific names) are blood-feeding parasites that can be found all around the world. You mostly hear about them in urban areas or places with a great deal of occupant turnover, such as hotels, apartment buildings, and college dormitories, because that’s where they spread most easily. (1)

Bedbugs were nearly extinct after World War II thanks to the use of dichloro-diphenyl-trichloroethane (DDT). The United States banned DDT in 1972 because of its negative environmental effects, and the less-effective pesticides that came after it, along with a rise in international travel and immigration, has contributed to the bedbug resurgence we’re experiencing today. (3)

What Do Bedbugs Look Like, and How Do I Know I Have Them?

Bedbugs are reddish-brown insects that feed on blood, primarily blood from humans. (4) Bedbugs crawl, but cannot fly or jump like many other insects do. (1) Also unlike cockroaches and flies, bedbugs have no relationship with cleanliness and can be found in the cleanest homes and hotel rooms, says Scott Svenheim, an associate certified entomologist with Truly Nolen Pest Control in Tucson, Arizona.

“Many people believe that bedbugs are too small to see with the naked eye,” adds Jerry Lazarus, president of Braman Termite & Pest Elimination. Not so: Adult bedbugs range in size from 1 to 7 millimeters. But they’re very good at hiding. To spot them, you’ll have to catch them moving to or from their hiding spots, which can be hard to do, since they’re most active while people are sleeping. They have six legs and their bodies are small and flat, which makes it easy for them to hide within the cracks and crevices of your home.

Female bedbugs produce about one egg per day. The eggs are white and are very hard to see without magnification, Lazarus says. The eggs take about one week to hatch in rooms that are between 70 and 80 degrees Fahrenheit (F). The nymphs that hatch from those eggs look like adult bedbugs, but they’re smaller and are translucent until they have their first blood meal, Svenheim says. (1) The nymphs take about five weeks to mature, and during those five weeks they shed their skin five times, each time after feeding. (5)

Learn More About How to Know You Have Bedbugs

Bedbug Bites Can Be Intensely Itchy — or You May Not Even Notice Them

Bedbugs are sneaky insects. They bite in the middle of the night (usually about one hour before dawn), injecting an anesthetic and an anticoagulant that makes it painless and unlikely that you’ll feel a thing. After feeding for about five minutes, the bugs will retreat back to their hiding places.

For most people, the first sign of bedbugs is bites on the body. The bites will show up in any place that’s exposed while you sleep, such as the arms, legs, back, and neck.

More on Bug Bites

What Bit Me? Spot These 11 Bug Bites

You could have a single bite, but more often it’s three bites in a row, forming somewhat of a line—what’s colloquially called “breakfast, lunch, and dinner” and is a telltale sign of bedbugs.

Bites can look different from person to person. “In some people, they can cause allergic reactions, although some people don’t react at all,” Lazarus says. In most cases, a bedbug bite looks a lot like a mosquito bite — a red, itchy bump on your skin that appears within 24 hours of your being bitten.

Though the idea of having bedbugs in your home can be troubling, the bugs themselves don’t pose a threat to your health (nor do their bites). (1) “These bites can’t spread disease to humans, but they can be itchy and uncomfortable,” says Steve Durham, president of EnviroCon Termite & Pest in Tomball, Texas.

You likely won’t need to visit a doctor as a result of getting bitten by a bedbug. (6) Usually, the bites will heal within two weeks on their own, though you may want to apply an anti-itch cream or corticosteroid cream to the area to relieve itchiness. (7)

If you experience an allergic reaction or the area shows signs of infection, such as if the area oozes pus, it may be time to visit a dermatologist. He or she will likely prescribe an antihistamine and corticosteroid to treat an allergic reaction, or an antiseptic or antibiotic ointment for an infection.

Learn More About Identifying and Treating Bedbug Bites

Bedbugs Are Notoriously Tough to Get Rid Of (But You CAN Do It)

“One of the main reasons people fear bedbug infestations more than most other pests is because they are notoriously tough to get rid of,” Durham says. That’s why many people turn to professionals for help. “Most do-it-yourself attempts end in failure and frustration, since over-the-counter products can be misapplied and infested areas can be easily missed,” Lazarus says. “Often, this means spending a lot of your own money and time and still having a problem.” (Plus, failure to correctly use DIY extermination products can be dangerous to your health and those you live with.)

If you decide to go the professional route, there are three common treatment options the pest control expert may take:

1. Insecticide Application Use of insecticides is the most common route to get rid of bedbugs. Treating bedbugs this way requires preparation, such as washing bedding and clothing and placing items that can’t be washed in garbage bags out in the hot sun. Sometimes, a few rounds of insecticides are needed to get rid of the bedbug population entirely.
2. Heat Remediation A pest control professional will heat the infected space to temperatures that kill bedbugs, usually between 120 and 130 degrees F. This method requires much less prep work than insecticide application and usually will successfully eliminate the bedbugs and the eggs on the first treatment, so there’s likely no need for a follow-up visit.
3. Fumigation This option is less commonly available. It works by injecting a vacated building with a gas that kills the bedbugs inside.

You can also try to apply insecticides yourself, though the products available to professionals are usually more effective than those available to consumers. When choosing a product, look for one that is registered with the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and specifically lists bedbugs on the label. (8) You’ll likely need to do a few rounds of treatment, because it can be very difficult to find and kill bedbug eggs.

To successfully get rid of bedbugs, you need to be extremely thorough. “Bedbugs are excellent at hiding and will be in places where most people wouldn’t check — behind peeling wallpaper, in the rails of drawers, in hollow curtain rods, and in electronics,” Lazarus says. If even just one bedbug is left behind, you’ll still be in trouble, Durham says.

Learn More About How to Get Rid of Bedbugs

The Insecticides Used to Kill Bedbugs Can Be Harmful to People (and Pets), Too, if Used Incorrectly

It’s important to approach bedbug treatment carefully, because insecticides that are used to kill bedbugs can also be harmful to you if you’re exposed to unsafe levels. Symptoms of unsafe pesticide exposure include vomiting, dizziness, headaches, and trouble breathing. (9)

More on Safety

Insecticides and Autoimmune Disease: What Women Should Know

When they’re used safely and according to the label, insecticides shouldn’t pose a threat to you or any other family members or pets you live with, Lazarus says. Insecticides are sold as dusts, liquids, aerosols, and foggers. There are also organic and natural products on the market, though some research has found they’re not as effective at killing bedbugs as traditional insecticides. (10)

If you hire a professional to treat the bedbugs in your home, you’ll want to ask them a few safety-related questions, including:

• What insecticides do you plan to use? You can look up the products yourself (or consult your doctor or vet about them) to see if there are any precautions you need to take. (11)
• Do you have a list of references? Call the references to ask about their experience working with this company.
• Are you a certified, licensed pesticide applicator or a licensed technician?
• Do you use integrated pest management techniques? This effective approach attacks bedbugs from all angles and treats them with a combination of heat, steam, and insecticides. (12)

Watch out for insecticide products sold over the internet that come from outside the U.S. — they may contain ingredients that have been banned by the EPA, which could mean health (and potentially legal) issues for you. (13)

Learn More About How to Deal With Bedbugs Safely

To Prevent Getting Bedbugs, Be Smart About How They Spread

Bedbugs are excellent hitchhikers. They grab onto luggage and purses or find hiding spots within folded clothes to make it back to your home. Getting them is just bad luck. “There is no real reason one person would get bedbugs over someone else,” Svenheim says. “It’s just being in the wrong place at the wrong time where bedbugs exist. ”

And they can exist everywhere, from restaurant booths to seats at the movie theater to changing rooms at the mall. “It’s really about being educated about what they are, how you can get them, and doing things the right way to prevent you from bringing them back to your house,” says Eric Braun, a board-certified entomologist and technical services manager for the national pest control company Rentokil.

There are some precautions you can take to minimize the chances that you’ll end up taking home a bedbug on your next trip.

• When you check into a hotel room or settle into a home rental, inspect the space for pepper-like stains on the bedsheets and mattress seams, Lazarus says. That’s a sign of bedbug activity. If you think your room may have bedbugs, ask for a new room that’s not next to or directly above or below your original room, Lazarus suggests.
• Keep your luggage away from the bed and off the floor. Braun says not to use luggage racks or unpack your clothing into the hotel room drawers. He says it’s safest to keep your luggage stored in the bathtub.
• If you notice bedbug bites while on your trip, be sure to wash the clothing from your suitcase (whether you wore it or not) and dry on hot for at least 30 minutes for the best chances to kill the bugs before they infest your home — and use a portable steamer to apply heat to suitcases and any items that cannot go in the dryer, Lazarus says.

Frequent travelers aren’t the only ones at risk of picking up a hitchhiking bedbug. People who live in apartment buildings and dormitories also have an increased risk (because higher rates of turnover and closer living quarters increase the chances bedbugs will have the opportunity to spread). Because of this, many universities recommend students wrap their mattress and box spring with a protective cover or mattress encasement to keep bedbugs out. (14) Look for ones made of high-quality cloth, which won’t tear as easily as plastic.

People living in apartments should also consider adding a door sweep to their front door to minimize the chances that bedbugs will sneak in from the communal hallway. (15) Keeping cracks around electrical work or plumbing filled also gives the bedbugs fewer places to break in. (16)

Finally, be careful not to bring bedbugs into your home through secondhand furniture by inspecting the items before you purchase them.

Learn More About How to Prevent Bedbugs

Having Bedbugs Can Come With an Emotional Toll. Here’s What to Do About It

Bedbug infestations are treatable, and the bugs themselves don’t pose a threat to your health, but having to deal with bedbugs can be very stressful.

“Having an actual bedbug infestation is pretty psychologically traumatizing in general,” says Katherine Maloy, MD, a clinical assistant professor of psychiatry at NYU Langone Health in New York City. “It’s extremely overwhelming — even just the logistics of getting your home cleaned — and it takes a very long time because the bugs have a long dormancy period in which they can go without food.” In the right conditions, bedbugs can live for more than a year without feeding.

Wondering if they’re truly gone or not can cause a lot of anxiety. People dealing with bedbugs may also experience: (17,18)

• Difficulty sleeping
• Nightmares
• Depression
• Social isolation
• Flashbacks

RELATED: When Doctors Diagnose ‘Bedbug Psychosis’

Additionally, dealing with bedbugs can make existing mental health issues worse. Researchers say the toll the experience takes on one’s mental health is similar to post-traumatic stress disorder. (19)

Dr. Maloy says if you’re dealing with bedbugs, talk to someone you trust, and visit a professional if it’s really taking a toll on your life. “It’s the same as with anything else that’s causing distress,” Maloy says. “If it’s interfering with your functioning, if it’s interfering with your life, it’s interfering with your relationships and your work, if you’re not able to function because you’re not sleeping,” she says — it’s time to seek help.

Learn More About Getting Over the Mental Distress Bedbugs Can Bring

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Everything You Need to Know About Mite and Flea Bites

What Bit Me? Spot These 12 Bug Bites

What Are Mites, and Do They Bother Humans?

Mites are arthropods, not insects, and are close cousins with spiders and ticks. (1) Most types of mites feed on other insects or on dead plant and animal material. (Dust mites, for example, feed mostly on dead skin cells.)

But there are a few types that bite or affect people: (2,3)

• Chiggers
• Scabies
• Rat mites
• Bird mites
• Northern fowl mites

Despite what you may have heard or read online, home mite infestations are fairly rare and tend to be much less of an issue than people assume, says Mike Merchant, PhD, a former professor of entomology at Texas A&M University in Dallas. “A lot of the mite stuff on the internet makes it sound like [a mite infestation is] the end of the world, but it’s not,” he says.

Can Mites Be Harmful to Your Health?

Mite bites can cause skin lumps and rashes and, occasionally, more serious reactions, Dr. Merchant says.

Among outdoor mites, the only type that frequently bites people is the chigger. The word “chigger” applies to a particular species of mite that bites during its larval stage of development, and their bite produces an intensely itchy red welt, Merchant explains. “There are not too many other mite problems outdoors,” he adds.

RELATED: Everything You Need to Know About Chigger Bites

When it comes to indoor mites that bite or cause health issues, Merchant says most spring from animal nests. “Some mites will infest the nests of birds and rats and mice, and when they become abundant, they’ll leave that site and sometimes wander into the house and bite people,” he explains. In most cases, the bites of these mites cause an itchy skin rash, which may feature small lumps or pimples.

“The skin might be very itchy or red for a few days, but then that will taper off,” Merchant says of mite bites. Ice and anti-itch creams like hydrocortisone can help control the swelling and itching. But those symptoms should resolve within a week, he says. (Nearly all species of biting house mites cannot live on human beings, and so they don’t “infest people,” he adds.)

There is one outlier: scabies. These mites infest a person’s skin in order to lay eggs and feed, and are usually only passed by direct person-to-person contact. (4) Like other mites, scabies tend to cause an itchy, pimply red rash. But unlike other mites, those rashes will continue to appear unless the person gets medical treatment, usually a prescription-only skin cream or lotion designed to kill scabies.

Dust mites can cause allergies in some people, but these tend to be of the mild, seasonal allergy variety — stuff like a runny nose, sneezing, and itchy eyes. (5) Over-the-counter and prescription allergy meds can help quell dust mite allergies.

RELATED: Everything You Need to Know About Allergies

How to Get Rid of Mites in Your Household

You don’t need a crazy whole-house treatment or fumigation. You just need to remove the animals and animal nests that are bringing mites into your home, Merchant says. “Everybody always wants a spray to solve these types of mite problems, but the real solution is getting rid of any animals nesting in your home, and animal-proofing your home,” he says. Basically, call in a home pest pro.

The exception here, again, is the scabies mite; in addition to getting medical treatment, you can take steps to eliminate the mites from your household. Scabies mites don’t survive very long when they’re not on human skin. Vacuum your home the day you start treatment and decontaminate your bedding, clothing, and towels by washing these items in hot water and drying on high heat. You can also dry-clean or seal these articles in a plastic bag for at least 72 hours.

When it comes to dust mites, on the other hand, it’s almost impossible to get rid of them all. But frequent home cleaning and dusting, installing HEPA air filters, and buying bedding that can be washed in hot water and that resists dust accumulation can limit allergic reactions.

What Are Fleas, and What Do Flea Bites Look Like?

Fleas are blood-sucking insects that live on mammals — often dogs, cats, or other furry pets. (6) Fleas are brown and wingless. And while they’re small, usually around an eighth of an inch, they’re big enough to see or even feel with your hand, Merchant says.

While they prefer animals to humans, fleas can migrate off pets and onto their owner’s skin. “Usually flea bites are on the lower legs because the fleas get into the carpet and then jump up as we’re walking past,” Merchant explains.

What does a flea bite look like? Like many other types of insect bites, flea bites produce small red bumps that may be itchy and that tend to appear in groups of three or more. Again, ice and hydrocortisone can help relieve symptoms, which tend to be short-lived — a week or less.

More Serious Health Complications Can Arise if You Have Mites or Fleas

Like all biting or stinging insects, mites and fleas can occasionally cause serious allergic reactions, including problems breathing or a swollen limb or throat. Those symptoms warrant a trip to the emergency room.

Also, anything that causes itchy skin or open sores can allow in bacteria, which could lead to a secondary infection. (7) If you notice swelling, pain, or a mite or flea bite that seems to be getting worse after a day or two, or if you have a fever or other flu-like symptoms, talk to a doctor. Those could all be signs of a bacterial infection.

Finally, both fleas and mites can transmit some potentially serious diseases to humans — namely types of typhus and spotted fever — though these transmissions are very rare. Symptoms include headaches, fever, rashes, and delirium. (8)

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Insect bite prevention

No summer is complete without insect bites. This is not only unpleasant, but sometimes dangerous to health.

The immune system of each person reacts to bites in different ways: from swelling, itching and pain to anaphylaxis. An anaphylactic reaction can develop after a bite from any insect. Fortunately, this is rare, but people who have experienced any kind of allergic reaction before should be especially vigilant.

An anaphylactic reaction occurs at lightning speed. A person feels weak, then symptoms quickly increase: difficulty breathing, increased heart rate, loss of consciousness.

If an anaphylactic reaction occurs, emergency medical attention is needed, as this condition is life-threatening.

A milder allergic reaction to insect bites manifests itself in the form of itching, inflammation of the bite site. When there are many such bites, it causes great discomfort. Often there are complications – the addition of a secondary infection.

5 common insect bites in summer

Mosquito bites are accompanied by severe unbearable itching – this is a reaction to the proteins contained in the saliva of the insect.

In some tropical countries, mosquito bites can transmit diseases such as malaria, Zika fever, Dengue fever, yellow fever.

Wasps, bees and hornets have stingers for self-defense. The sting contains a poisonous substance that enters the bite site, causing severe pain and burning. At the site of the bite, swelling, inflammation, redness and itching may appear. The most dangerous complication of such bites is anaphylaxis. The stings of bees, wasps, bumblebees and hornets are very dangerous for children.

Horseflies attack in hot stuffy weather. Their bite is quite painful, it can cause a sharp burning sensation. Often there is a feeling of itching, inflammation and swelling in the bite area. There may even be a bruise.

There are about 4,000 species of biting midges . The smallest of the flies that attack humans can range in size from 1 to 3 mm. Despite their tiny size, midge bites can be irritating and even cause local pain.

Flea bites leave small sores on the skin, usually several, next to each other, often on the ankles and legs.

First Aid

• apply cold
• remove tip
• clean with antiseptic solution
• do not scratch
• if necessary, drink an antihistamine (recommended by a doctor, respecting the age dosage)

Seek medical attention immediately, if you have had a severe allergic reaction to an insect sting in the past, or if you experience one or more of the following symptoms:

• sudden urticaria
• swelling of the face
• labored breathing
• dizziness
• fainting

Basic precautions for preventing insect bites

Remain calm and walk away slowly if there are wasps, hornets or bees nearby – do not wave your arms and do not try to drive them away.

Wear closed clothing, do not walk barefoot on the grass.

Apply insect repellant to exposed skin or clothing as directed – repellants containing 50% DEET (diethyltoluamide) are most effective.