Bed Bugs: Your Unlikely Room Mate

Have you ever experienced being alone in your room in the middle of the night, hence, you feel, and you are certain that there are other beings there with you?

You may be right. You may have unwanted room mates, or worse bed mates. Do not be scared. The unlikely beings may be insects commonly called bed bugs.

What are bed bugs?

Bed bug is one among the millions of species in the insect world. Scientifically, common bed bugs are known as Cimex lectularius.

Experts and professionals claim that the existence of bed bugs had been controlled in the  United States in the 70s and 80s. However, due to persistence and survival of bed bugs in Asia, Europe and in Africa, travellers may have carried along the parasites during travel to other countries.

Bed bugs are wingless insects. They are parasites that feed primarily on the blood of warm-blooded victims such as human and animals. The belief that bed bugs only bite humans is wrong. Your pets can also be host to the parasite.

Birds, dogs, cats, in short, every mammal that can come into contact with the infested bed or surroundings can be affected by bed bugs.

Bed bugs are so tiny, that one can hardly see it. The biggest bed bugs, however, during their final stage of maturity can reach about 1/4 of an inch or 0.6 cm long. Usually, bed bugs are oval-shaped and they appear flattened when viewed from top to bottom.

Bed bugs are usually colored deep brown or cream to white when small. There are also bed bugs that appear burnt orange in color.

Life span

After feeding on blood, bed bugs may look like dark red or black insects. That indicates that the bed bug has already stored food inside its body. Once it has fed from its prey, or host, bed bugs can last for more than a year before it needs further feeding.

Adult bed bugs can last more than a year without sucking blood. It is different for younger or baby bed bugs. They can last only a few months, or even a few weeks without food, that is, blood.

Hence, even if a bed infested with bed bugs remains unoccupied for many months, chances are the bed bugs still exist there.

Bed bugs on the average need about three to four replenishments or feeding sessions before it lay eggs and completes its life span.

Bed bug habitat

Bed bugs normally thrive in dark spots or areas in the house. Part of their protective instinct is that they live inside crevices and dark and miniscule holes where they can not easily be detected or killed.

Bed bugs can also live in beds, underneath them or inside them. They usually remain undetected during daytime. But surely, they go out and hunt for food during night time.

Bed bugs may appear smart because they know when to attack prospective hosts--- when they are asleep.

When bed bugs bite, they normally do not produce a stinging sensation. Hence, the victim will only know that he or she has been bitten after a day or two, when the skin reacts to the saliva left by the bed bugs into the affected area.

The bitten skin may itch and appear reddish. Sometimes, it is also hard to distinguish bed bug bites from the usual mosquito bites.

Control of bed bugs

Bed bugs are hard to control. There are a lot of pesticides that can kill the parasite, but it is advisable that you consult a pest control expert to exterminate bed bugs.

There are a lot of harmful pesticides that can surely kill bed bugs. But the catch is, these pesticides can be really dangerous to you, your family and your pets.

You may not want to exterminate yourself and your loved ones along with bed bugs, right? So the best thing is to contact the local pest control operators. If you are renting an apartment, it is the duty of the land lord to arrange for the necessary pest control to get rid of bed bugs.

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