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Bed Bug Knowledge Library

Below is a list of important Bed Bug PDF documents.

Bed bugs are small, brownish, flattened insects that feed solely on the blood of animals. The common bed bug, Cimex lectularius, is the species most adapted to living with humans. It has done so since ancient times. Bed bugs are mentioned in medieval European texts and in classical Greek writings back to the time of Aristotle. Other bed bug species prefer to feed on wild hosts, especially bats and birds.

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Where do bed bugs occur?
Bed bugs and their relatives occur nearly worldwide. Bed bugs became relatively scarce during the latter part of the 20th century, but their populations have resurged in recent years, particularly throughout parts of North America, Europe, and Australia. They are most abundant in rooms where people sleep, and they generally hide nearest the bed or other furniture used for sleeping. Bed bugs are most active in the middle of the night, but when hungry, they will venture out during the day to seek a host. Their flattened bodies allow them to conceal themselves in cracks and crevices around the room and within furniture. Favored hiding sites include the bed frame, mattress and box spring. Clutter around the room offers additional sites for these bugs to hide, and increases the difficulty in eliminating bed bugs once they have become established.

Adult bed bugs are about 3/16-inch long and reddish brown, with oval, flattened bodies. They are sometimes mistaken for ticks or cockroaches. The immatures (nymphs) resemble the adults, but are smaller and lighter in color.Bed bugs do not fly, but can move rapidly over floors, walls, ceilings and other surfaces. Female bed bugs lay their eggs in secluded areas, depositing 1, 2 or more eggs per day and hundreds during a lifetime. The eggs are tiny, whitish, and hard to see on most surfaces without magnification (individual eggs are about the size of a dust speck). When first laid, the eggs are sticky, causing them to adhere to surfaces. Newly hatched nymphs are straw-colored and no bigger than a pinhead. As they grow, they molt (shed their skin) five times before reaching maturity. A blood meal is needed between each successive molt. Under favorable conditions (70-80°F), the bugs can complete development in as little as a month, producing three or more generations per year. Cooler temperatures or limited access to blood extends the development time. Bed bugs are resilient. Nymphs can survive months without feeding and the adults for more than a year. Infestations therefore are unlikely to diminish by leaving premises unoccupied. Although C. lectularius prefers feeding on humans, it will also bite other warm-blooded animals, including dogs, cats, birds and rodents.

Bed bugs are small, flat, oval, wingless insects (about one-fifth of an inch) that crawl at a steady rate and are visible to the naked eye. Similar to mosquitoes, Bed bugs bite humans to feed on blood; however, unlike mosquitoes, they do not transmit disease. Hardy creatures that can live for up to 18 months without feeding, Bed bugs can withstand extreme temperature changes. Being nocturnal insects, their daytime hiding places include crevices, bed frames, mattresses and box springs, behind electrical outlet covers and picture frames, inside drawers of furniture, within pleats of curtains, in clothes discarded on the floor, and in other spaces where they are not easily detected. They are called Bed bugs because they thrive best in beds where people sleep. A rash or bite mark with accompanying blood spots on linens are typically the first signs of a Bed bug presence.

If the above description fits the bug you found, then you do in fact have bed bugs. But first you need to inform yourself of the variousbed bug spraysout there and how to use bed bug repellents, is your next step.

Bed bugs are a growing, worldwide problem emanating from increased global travel and decreased use of pesticides. Bed bugs have been found in five-star hotels, college residences, hospitals, and virtually all other types of housing throughout the United States. Given the nearly 30,000 students and international summer visitors who live in Stanford University's residences each year, we are fortunate to have experienced very few Bed bug cases since the issue resurfaced on a large scale in the United States a few years ago. Our peer Ivy League and University of California schools have also reported cases of Bed bugs.

Here is some advice for you to avoid having bed bug bites. First, by covering up your body, you are helping to prevent bed bug bites. Bed bugs do not like to burrow under clothing. You may be able to avoid bed bug bites by wearing pajamas that cover up as much of your skin as possible. Secondly, it is important to note that if you are using insect repellents to keep bed bugs out, this will not help. Third, some have found that using mosquito netting that has been impregnated with permethrin, a pesticide, may help to protect you against bed bug bites while you are sleeping.

Bed bugs had been kept under control in most industrial nations in the last century with the development of appropriate pesticides. However, as people become more global in their travels and insects of all caliber become more resistant to chemical treatments, bed bug infestations have become common in some of the finest hotels and homes in the world. The good news is that bed bugs do not transmit diseases. They do, however, leave nasty welts or blisters where they bite, which later become red and itchy.

In the case of apartments and/or adjoining homes, bed bugs are able to travel by way of water pipes, wall voids, gutters and wiring. Rodents, birds, and bats can serve as alternative hosts. If a nearby habitat (see below) is the source of the insect, then it should be carefully moved away from the building and the bed bugs' entryway should be blocked. Otherwise, bed bugs have likely been introduced accidentally or are traveling between homes. Transmission of disease by bed bugs is highly unlikely, though they can harbor pathogens in their bodies. Their medical significance is mainly limited to the itching and inflammation from their bites, which can be addressed with antihistamines and corticosteroids to reduce allergic reactions and antiseptic or antibiotic ointments to prevent infection. Detecting bed bugs may be as easy as realizing you are waking up with sore spots or itchy welts, often in a line. This being said, the offending insect can rarely be identified solely by the appearance of the bites, since they can resemble bites caused by many other kinds of blood feeding insects, such as mosquitoes and fleas. Find the insects and identify them, either using the description above or by taking a specimen to an entomologist.

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How dangerous are bed bugs to humans?

Most bed bugs feed on their hosts while they are asleep. The host supplies them with blood in a painless way, never knowing it is happening. While feeding they inject a small amount of saliva into the host's skin. The more they feed on one particular host, say a human, over a period of several weeks, the more sensitized that human becomes to their saliva. Until eventually the host develops a mild to intense allergic response.

People who have become sensitive to bed bug bites - their saliva - have lesions similar to mosquito or flea bites. Most humans will think they have been bitten by some insect, such as a mosquito, and never realize who the true culprit was.

The most active time for a bed bug is about one hour before sunrise - the peak time for feeding. However, they will try to feed at any time of day or night if they are hungry enough, and if the opportunity is there. They prefer nighttime and hate sunlight.

They will reach their host either by crawling straight towards them, or climbing a wall and then across the ceiling until they feel a heat wave - when they jump down onto their host. The bug is attracted to the host by both its warmth and the presence of C02(carbon dioxide).

It pierces the skin of its host with two hollow tubes. One tube injects saliva which contains anesthetics, so that the host feels nothing, and anticoagulants, so that the blood flows out freely. The other tube sucks the blood in.

Feeding takes about five minutes, after which the bug returns to its hiding place. Bites are not noticeable by the host until at least a few minutes or some hours afterwards. Hosts, for example humans, will be aware of a bite after scratching it. Often bites may not be noticeable for several days.

Bed bugs will feed every five to ten days. They can, however, last for several months without feeding. If there is no food around they can become dormant for over a year. A well fed bed bug has a lifespan of about six to nine months.

How do bed bugs reproduce?

Bed bugs reproduce bytraumatic insemination, also known ashypodermic insemination. The males have hypodermic genitalia which pierce the females anywhere on their abomen and ejaculate sperm into the body cavity. The sperm diffuse through the insides and reach the ovaries, resulting in fertilization.

The female bed bug lays approximately 5 eggs in one day and about 500 during her lifetime. Eggs are about 1 mm long and are visible to the naked eye. They have a milky-white tinge.

The eggs take about two weeks to hatch. The nymphs (baby bed bugs) start feeding as soon as they hatch, and pass through five molting stages before reaching maturity. During each molting stage they need to feed once. It takes about five weeks to reach maturity at a room-temperature environment.

Bed bugs can only reproduce when they have reached maturity.

What happens when I get bitten?

When you are bitten a raised red bump of flat welt (also called a papule or a wheal) will appear, often accompanied by very intense itching. The anesthetic contained in the bed bugs saliva causes an allergic reaction which results in the red bumps. They look very similar to mosquito bites, but last a lot longer. Signs and symptoms of bug bites will only affect the surface of the skin.

Bites can sometimes take up to nine days to become visible. Unlike flea bites, bed bug bites do not usually have a red dot in the center.

Bed bugs, like fleas, tend to bite in rows. There are likely to be two or three bites all in a row. This is probably because the bed bug is disturbed while feeding, and then comes back about half an inch further down for its next bite; or perhaps it had been trying to find a good vein, and needed several attempts.

About 50% of people who are bitten show no symptoms at all and do not know it happened. This makes it more difficult to prevent or identify potential infestations. Some individuals, however, may become ill and nauseous. It is possible get skin infections and scars from scratching the bites.

When people know they have an infestation of bed bugs in their house they tend to become alarmed. Research, however, indicates that bed bugs do not transmit disease, even though they do bite and take blood. Infections will occur as a result of scratching, and not from a pathogen passed on from the bug.

Very rarely, some people may have an anaphylactic reaction to bed bug bites. It is possible to have an asthmatic reaction when they shed skin as they grow and die; but cases are very rare.

Mechanical Control

Trap and remove host animals and nests. Scrub infested surfaces with a stiff brush to dislodge eggs, then vacuum. If possible, dismantle bed frame, turn over furniture and remove shelves from desks and bureaus to look for hiding insects, vacuuming to remove insects from crevices.

Bed bug Standford

Bed bug Unwanted Pests

Bed Bug Life Cycle

A few bed bugs can become a large infestation quickly. One female bed bug may produce up to 500 offspring during its lifetime, and three generations can live per year. Imagine how many bed bugs you'd have in a year if just one reproductive pair finds its way into your home. As with any pest, knowing its life cycle will help you eliminate it.

When bed bugs (Cimex lectularius) have adequate available blood sources they also have a shorter lifespan. Bed bugs who feed regularly have a lifespan of ten months, while those without adequate feeding can live a little more than a year. If a blood host is available, bedbugs can live to see three generations of offspring ready willing and hungry to prey on their human hosts. For a few people bed bugs represent nothing more than a nuisance. For many, however, repeated exposure to the bed bug saliva--which they secrete when feeding on you at night--can create an allergic reaction resulting in extreme discomfort. The bites can resemble other blood-feeding insects such as mosquitoes or fleas, so it can't be determined whether or not you have an infestation. Other than an itchy allergic reaction, bed bugs pose no other threats.

Bed bugs (females) deposit three to eight eggs at a time. A total of 300-500 eggs can be produced by a single bug. Their eggs are 1/25'³ long and curved. They are often deposited in clusters and attached to cracks, crevices or rough surfaces near adult harborages with a sticky epoxy-like substance.

Eggs typically hatch in a week to 12 days. The freshly hatched nymph is beige-colored before feeding, and then turns a redish color after getting a blood meal. There are 5 nymphal stages for bed bugs to reach maturity, which usually takes about 32-48 days. Adult bed bugs can survive for up to seven months without blood and have been known to live in empty buildings for up to one year.

To win the war against bed bugs, it is important to know the bed bug life cycle and to understand their procreation and reproduction habits. Bed bugs reproduce in the normal manner, yet their cycle of reproduction is very high. Theoretically the female bed bug can lay up to twelve eggs a day with the average being around five.They like to lay their eggs in dark, uneven places, in tiny crevices. The reason why they probably earned the title 'œbed bug' is because a bed is the ideal environment for them to lay their eggs.

Once the eggs have been laid, they can take from six to seventeen days for them to hatch with the average being eleven days. The newly born, but not too cute bed bugs are known as nymphs. Like any newly born baby they need to eat and to the best of knowledge available to science, bed bugs do not breast feed. The nymphs go out looking for food and the best source is that warm chunk of human flesh and blood sharing their bed which makes an ideal source for food.

If they nymphs do not find a source for food then quickly they will die. However if they find one, they are on the gravy train. Their development will be rapid, growing to a full sized adult within 21 days. They will thrive and reproduce in the warm environment of a bed, with their evening meal being delivered to it every 24 hours or so.

The life cycle stages of a bed bug are egg, nymph, and adult.

Bed bug females lay about 200 eggs, usually at the rate of three or four a day, in cracks and crevices in the floor or bed. Eggs are placed in cracks, crevices and other isolated and protected shelters. Females lay eggs after a blood meal. Eggs will hatch in one or two weeks into Nymphs. Newly hatched bugs(Nymphs) begin feeding immediately. At room temperature, and with an available food supply, the nymphal period will last 14 to 30 days. They shed their skin (Instar)five times before becoming adults. Bed bugs will mate soon after becoming mature, so the time from egg hatch to egg laying will be 4 to 9 weeks, under favorable conditions.