Bed Bug Identification
Bed bugs are oval-shaped, reddish-brown insects that are only the size of an apple seed. Their bodies look more red and engorged after a blood meal. Eggs are white, oblong, and only about 1 mm long.
Bed bugs can be found in a variety of areas in your home, including mattresses, baseboards, upholstered couches, power outlets, picture frames and even the cracks and crevices in your wall!
A few of the signs that indicate you may have a bed bug problem include noticing small red or brown spots on your bedding or suffering from red, itchy marks on the skin from bed bug bites.
Bed bugs can travel around easily by hitching a ride on just about anything! Bed bugs often spread through traveling or in used furniture. They can jump onto suitcases, purses, and more.
You can best tell apart carpet beetles and bed bugs by the appearance of their larvae. Carpet beetle larvae look fuzzier and more stout than bed bug larvae, which can appear like tiny worms.
To feed, bed bugs indeed bite their hosts. Bed bug bites usually occur overnight or whenever their host is at rest. Bites aren’t painful, but they may result in red, itchy marks on your legs or arms day later.
Bed bug bites are often confused for other types of bites. A bed bug bite often has a very bright red center with a lighter, swollen bump surrounding the bite. Although rare, rashes or welts can form.
Bed bug bites are considered to be one of the itchiest bug bites. As with most insect bites, it’s important to resist the urge to itch, which will just hinder the healing process or make the bites worse.
Bed bugs may be a major nuisance pest, but they aren’t considered dangerous. Their bites do not transmit disease, and they don’t typically cause any structural damage to your property.
Unlike many types of biting pests, bed bugs are currently not known to transmit disease. However, they have been found to be able to carry several disease organisms on their bodies.
