Ecoguard

Bedbugs are small, elusive, and parasitic insects. They live strictly by feeding on the blood of humans and other warm-blooded animals. The name 'bed bug' is derived from the insect's preferred habitat infesting houses and especially beds or other common areas where people may sleep.Bedbugs, though not strictly nocturnal, are mainly active at night and are capable of feeding unnoticed on their hosts. Bed bugs have flat bodies and may sometimes be mistaken for ticks or small cockroaches. Adult bed bugs are reddish brown in color, appearing more reddish after feeding on a blood meal. Nymphs are clear in color and appear bright red after feeding. The wings of bed bugs are vestigial, so they cannot fly.

Approximately 3/16-inch long. Adults grow to 4–5 mm in length and 1.5–3 mm wide

 

Bed Bugs feed on blood and have mouthparts that are especially adapted for piercing skin. Like most blood sucking arthropods, they inject saliva during feeding, which has anticoagulant properties. bed bugs respond to the warmth and carbon dioxide of a host and quickly locate a suitable feeding site. Most feeding occurs at night, and they generally seek shelter during the day. However, bed bugs are opportunistic and will bite in the day especially if starved for some time. They can survive for long periods without feeding. While their preferred host is human, they will feed on wide variety of other warm-blooded animals including rodents, rabbits, bats, and even birds.

 

Generally bedbugs hide close to where their host sleeps. They wait until the host is deeply asleep before responding to his/her body heat and quickly move in to feed.Bedbugs may test pierce(bite) several times before settling for 3-5 minutes to fully gorge on blood. They then retreat to a safe hiding place. Sometimes bed bugs in need of a blood meal will attempt to feed during the day.

 

Being a cryptic species, bed bugs shelter in a variety of dark locations; mostly close to where people sleep. These include cracks and crevices such as mattress seams, sheets, floorboards, behind paintings, in carpets, behind skirting, within bed frames and other furniture, and behind loose wallpaper. bed bugs are often found in hotels and may move from room to room on people’s luggage. Blood spotting on mattresses and nearby furnishings is often a tell tale sign of an infestation.

 

BITES-Most observed bites consist of a raised red bump or flat welt, and are often accompanied by very intense itching. The red mark is the result of an allergic reaction to the anesthetic contained in the bedbug's saliva, which is inserted into the blood of its victim. Bites may not become immediately visible and can take up to nine days to appear. Bedbug bites tend not to have a red dot in the center such as is characteristic of flea bites. In some cases, allergic reactions to the bites may cause nausea and illness. People commonly respond to bed bug infestations and their bites with anxiety, stress, and insomnia. Individuals may also develop skin infections and scars from scratching the bedbug bite locations.