Bed Bug Facts

Bed Bugs are spreading throughout the U.S. at an alarming rate.  They spread due to massive reproduction and the fact that they are “hitchhikers”, meaning they will attach themselves to luggage, clothing, etc. traveling wherever the unsuspecting host takes them.

Bed Bugs feed on a host (humans) at night due to their attraction to CO2 and heat. They feed on blood by injecting an anesthetic and an anticoagulant into the host to allow for better blood flow and an extended period of feeding without being noticed. On average, one bug will bite the human host up to 5 times before going back to the nest. Reactions to Bed Bug bites range from no reaction at all to hypersensitivity leading to raised, red, extremely itchy welts and possibly permanent scarring on many individuals.

The life cycle of a Bed Bug begins with an egg which hatches into a nymph (adolescent), and will shed it’s exoskeleton (or molt) 5 times into an adult. Adult females can lay 10 to 50 eggs that will hatch out in 6 to 17 days. This can mean as many as 100 insects in a one-month period per female!

Bed Bugs have been reported in every structure including Hospitals, Hotels, Houses, Apartments, Resorts, Hostels, Ships, Buses, Trains, Public Housing, Military Barracks, Jails, Prisons, Clinics, Schools, Office Buildings, and Airplanes. Quite Simply, Bedbugs live where they can feed, then hitchhike to a new place to feed, and so on. This lifestyle perpetuates the rapid growth and widespread distribution of the insect.

Health Concerns with Bed Bug Bites

Some people do not have noticeable reactions to Bed Bug bites. Unfortunately, many do react negatively to the bites ranging anywhere from allergic reactions (raised, itchy, red, welts at the site of the bite), permanent scarring, secondary infection (such as staph or skin disorders), anemia, sleeplessness, anxiety, stress, and severe and uncontrollable itching.