How do bed bugs reproduce?

A female bed bug only needs to mate once in her lifetime. She is then capable of laying up to 500 eggs, or about 5 per day. After the eggs are laid, it only takes 6 to 20 days for them to hatch. A single bed bug can increase to over 5,000 bed bugs in just six months.

What does a bed bug look like?

Adult bed bugs are almost ¼" long (about the size of an apple seed), brownish and paper thin and have a flat oval shaped body enabling them to hide in literally any place that they can wedge their bodies into.

The nymph is a miniature replica of the adult but straw-colored and microscopic and slightly larger than a pinhead.

The eggs are white and difficult to see on most surfaces without magnification. Individual eggs are about the size of a dust speck. When first laid they are sticky causing them to adhere to surfaces.

How do bed bugs survive?

Bed bugs are extremely resilient and the adults can survive over a year without feeding. This is one reason why infestations are unlikely to diminish by leaving the premises unoccupied. While mainly active at night, they bite people while they are sleeping. Attracted to their host by heat and carbon dioxide, they feed by piercing the skin with an elongated beak through which they draw blood. Engorgement takes about 3 to 10 minutes, yet the person seldom knows they are being bitten. Immediately after feeding they crawl off and reside elsewhere to digest their meal. In 3 to 5 days they will begin searching for another meal.

How do I know if I've been bitten?

Symptoms after being bitten vary with the individual. Around 70% of people have no reaction to being bitten by a bed bug, while some people can have a severe reaction. Symptoms are extremely similar to that of a mosquito bite.

Where do bed bugs live?

Bed bugs prefer to hide close to where they feed. However, if necessary, they will crawl several feet to obtain a blood meal (bed bugs can move rapidly over floors, walls, ceilings and other surfaces). Initial infestations tend to be around beds, but the bugs eventually may become scattered throughout the bedroom, occupying any crevice or protected location. They can hide in extremely small crack and crevices making it difficult to locate breeding sites. Bed bugs may also spread to adjacent rooms or apartments.

How do bed bugs spread or travel?

It often seems that bed bugs arise from nowhere. The bugs are efficient hitchhikers and are usually transported on luggage, clothing, beds, furniture and other items. This is particularly a problem for hotels, dormitories and apartments where turnover of occupants is constant. Once introduced, they often spread throughout a building. The bugs travel from room to room or floor to floor either by crawling or via a person. The level of cleanliness has little to do with most bed bug infestations. Pristine homes and apartments have plenty of hiding places and an abundance of warm-blooded hosts.

How do you get rid of bed bugs?

Exterminating an infestation requires persistence and the services of a professional.

Bed Bug Tips for Travelers

Concerned travelers may want to get in the habit of checking their hotel room for signs of bed bugs. This practice would entail examining the bed sheets and upper and lower seams of the mattress and box springs, especially along the head of the bed. Some professionals also suggest removal and examination behind the headboard, which is a frequent hiding place of bed bugs in hotel rooms. Headboards are heavy and cumbersome, however, and an untrained person should not attempt removal themselves.

If bed bugs are discovered, travelers should request another room, preferably in another area of the building. If possible, try to capture a live specimen to show the hotel management.

Vigilant travelers should elevate suitcases off the floor on a luggage stand, tabletop or other hard surface. Never place a suitcase on a bed. When returning home from a trip, do not take your luggage inside your home. Wash all clothing (even unworn clothing) in the hottest water possible and dry on the hottest cycle for at least 30 minutes. Inspecting or vacuuming luggage upon arrival home is less useful since it is hard to spot bed bugs inside a suitcase. If a suitcase is infested, it can either be treated or discarded.