Bed Bugs - What are Bed Bugs?


Bed bugs are back and are increasingly more prevalent in homes across America with new cases having increased 500% over the last few years. These blood sucking parasites, which grow to ¼" in length and feed on warm blooded animals, have made their way to the U.S through the suitcases and clothing of foreign travelers. Even if you don't travel overseas, you may still bring one home after being in contact with an area that is infested, staying in a hotel, cruise ship or shelter infested with bed bugs. Bed bugs can be brought home from just about anywhere and have also been known to be picked up at restaurants, movie theaters and hospitals. Having gone from a bed time rhyme to a reality, it seems as if these pests are here to stay.
Bed bugs are nesting parasites that feed on their host for five to ten minutes at a time before returning back to their hiding place. A bed bug can be identified by its round body and flat profile. The color of the bed bug changes before and after feeding ranging from a brown to a dark red or even orange color. Bed bugs can drink three times their weight in blood, lay five eggs per day (the size of two grains of salt) and even live up to a year.

Most bed bug attacks occur right before dawn when the host is in its deepest sleep. Carbon dioxide given off while breathing directs the beds bugs to the host where they begin to feed. An anesthetic is injected by the bed bugs so the host never notices them; an anti-coagulant is then used to keep the blood flowing until feeding is completed. Most serious bed bug infestations can total thousands of bed bugs in a single bedroom attacking the host cumulatively up to five hundred times a night.

Bites look like little red bumps, flat welts or skin lesions. Skin rashes are also common with bed bug bites. Based on the latest research, there is no reason to believe that diseases are passed through bed bugs, but their appetite for blood can leave you itching and scratching. Their feces can also cause issues for people with allergies and asthma.

At Bed Bug Supply we offer the most effective “do-it-yourself” bed bug treatment and prevention solutions. Call today to speak to one of our bed bug experts at: (866) 238-9868



Written by at Bed Bug Supply.