Bed Bug Facts
What you need to know about bed bugs…
- They can remain dormant for at least 35 days.
- They are very fast and agile.
- They are nocturnal.
- In addition to mattresses they also infest furniture, baseboards and appliances.
- They can infest 5-star hotels and even extremely clean homes.
Description:
The adult bed bug is 3/16 inch long, oval, flat, and rusty-red or mahogany in color. The bed bug is flat and thin when unfed but becomes more elongate, plump, and red when it is full of blood.
Biology:
As the female bed bug lays her eggs (i.e., one to five per day and 200-500 within her lifetime); she uses a clear substance to attach them in cracks and on rough surfaces. Under ideal conditions, eggs hatch in about seven days and the nymphs molt five times, taking a blood meal between each molt. Development time from egg to adult can be 21 days. The adult can live for almost one year, typically 70 days.
Habits:
The bed bug hides in cracks and crevices during the day, preferring to rest on wood and paper surfaces instead of stone and plaster. It leaves these areas at night to feed on its host, which include humans, birds, and family pets. The blood meal requires three to ten minutes and usually goes unnoticed by the victim. After feeding, the bite site may become inflamed and itch severely in sensitive people.
Although the bed bug has been associated with over 28 diseases, transmission has not been conclusively proven. Over time, the resting areas become filled with the molted skins, feces, and old egg shells of the resident bed bugs. These areas have a characteristic “stick bug” smell caused by secretion emitted by the bed bug.
