What are Bed Bugs?
Bed bugs are small, oval-shaped insects that feed exclusively on blood. They are typically found near sleeping areas, most commonly in or around beds—including mattresses, box springs, bed frames, and bedding. In addition to these usual habitats, they may also reside in furniture crevices or within various textiles and upholstery.
Primarily nocturnal, bed bugs emerge at night to feed on the exposed skin of sleeping individuals. They are skilled hitchhikers, capable of discreetly attaching themselves to suitcases, shoes, clothing, or bags, facilitating their transport from one location to another. People are often unaware that they have unintentionally relocated these pests.
Feeding habits of bed bugs
Bed bugs are blood-sucking pests that rely on their victims’ blood for survival. In addition to blood, they require water, which they extract from water vapor in the surrounding air. These parasites are attracted to their hosts primarily by carbon dioxide, body heat, and specific chemicals released from the human body.
They attack while their victims are sleeping, typically feeding on exposed skin. Vulnerable areas include the face, arms, hands, and the neck region. Bed bugs are remarkably resilient and can endure extreme periods of starvation—an adult bed bug can survive for up to a year without feeding
How serious a bed bug bite can be?
Bed bugs do not invariably feed on humans; however, exposed skin offers an opportune target for these hematophagous insects. They sustain themselves by piercing the skin with an elongated proboscis, extracting blood in a manner that often goes unnoticed by the host. A single feeding session may last up to ten minutes, typically proceeding undetected.
The severity of allergic reactions to bed bug bites varies significantly among individuals. While the initial bite is generally imperceptible, it often develops into pruritic (itch-inducing) welts. These bites usually cause localized swelling without discoloration. However, when multiple bed bugs feed simultaneously on a confined area, erythematous (reddened) spots may appear.
Habitat of Bed Bugs
So where do they live? Bed Bugs are not limited to a particular area and can be found just anywhere. They have been found at apartments, hotels, schools, colleges, offices, stores, clothing stores, homes and even on public transport vehicles by pest control companies.
Bed bugs can conceal themselves in minute cracks that are often close to their host’s environment. That’s the reason they are mostly found in an around bed areas such as on mattresses, closets, picture frames and wallpapers. They have also been known to survive in temporary habitats like suitcases, backpacks, and seats of cars, buses, trains and metros.
If you are unable to get rid of these pesky creatures, contact us now and we shall clean your premises of these blood sucking beasts.
