What are bed bugs?
- A blood-sucking insect
- Most active at night
- Usually feeds at night
Bed bugs are not known to transmit disease, but they cause secondary infections after people scratch their bites. Result in stress, loss of work, loss of sleep and financial burden.
Bed bugs life cycle
- Egg (1mm long)
- First stage larvae (1.5 mm long) takes a blood meal then molts
- Second stage larvae(2mm long) takes a blood meal then molts
- Third stage larvae(2.5mm long) takes a blood meal then molts
- Fourth stage larvae(3mm long) takes a blood meal then molts
- Fifth stage larvae(4.5mm long) takes a blood meal then molts
- Adult(5.5mm long) takes repeated blood meals over several weeks, females lay up to 5 eggs per day, continuously.
Signs of bed bugs
- Bites
- Blood spots
- Shed skins
- Dead bed bugs
- Live bed bugs
Got bed bugs? Now what?
The first responses should be to:
- Report the problem to a certified pest control company.
- Do not attempt to apply over the counter products to control the issue, this may hinder the pest control technicians effectiveness of treatment and cause bugs to go deeper into hiding.
- Follow instructions provided by pest control technician prior to and after treatment.
Adult Bed bug
Bed bug Feeding on Host
Bed bug
Signs of Bed Bugs