Allbedbugs.com Bed Bug Blog and Guide - Tag Archive

Do bed bugs have anything to do with being unclean?

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Bed bugs are not picky eaters, nor do they discriminate on location. Bed bugs have been documented and observed to infest homeless shelters, to nicer upper-end hotels such as the Hilton in Cincinnati. In fact, hotels and hostels are a popular “hot spot” for bed bug activity due to the frequency of people coming in and out of the building. Watch the Hilton Cincinnati video below:

Having an unclean home full of clutter will only give bed bugs more locations for hiding and safe harborage. Next time your friends or family tell you to shower because you have bed bugs, or clean up your house (although both are a good idea with or without a bed bug infestation), you can safely assure them that doing so will not rid you of bed bugs.

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How long do bed bugs live?

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Depriving bed bugs of blood meals is not an efficient way for getting rid of bed bugs. In fact, an unfed adult bed bug can live up to one year without feeding on blood, as reported by several bed bug experts.

Close view, high quality picture of adult bed bug.

High quality image of adult bed bug, back view.

A well fed bed bug can live longer than one year, although it is currently hard to find documentation of what the average bed bug life expectancy is. Perhaps longer than one year, obviously – but considering that they are resilient and very adaptable pests, I would not be surprised if a single bed bug could live longer than several years or more with an abundant supply of blood meals.

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Bed Bug Hiding Places

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Detecting a bed bug infestation early is very important. It will give you time to do some research online about bed bugs, choose the right pest control and pest control methods, and act quickly so that termination is swift and bed bug numbers are low. Bed bugs are capable of hiding in numerous places. Virtually every place in your home is not safe from their harborage. Whereas bees and hornets make shelter in a nest, bed bugs find shelter in your belongings.

Bed bugs hiding within the frame of a chair.

Check your bedding for bed bug activity. Check your entire mattress thoroughly for bed bugs, your frame if you have one, mattress covers and sheets, blankets, pillows and your headboard. Once bed bugs have found a host, they will generally seek shelter within 10 to 15 feet of the host’s resting location.

Bed bugs do not have a schedule for hiding. They come out for feeding whenever they detect a human presence (via your body temperature and breathing) or when they are hungry. Bed bugs can be observed during all hours of the day. A popular time for them to feed however, is when you are most vulnerable: in your sleep. This never worked for us, but we have heard that setting your alarm several hours before dawn and having a flash light handy. Immediately when you wake up, shine the flash light all over your bed covers, blankets, pillows, etc. – and look for movement.

Bed bugs on the edge of a rug. Note bed bug fecal stains: the dark black masses.

Finding bed bug hiding locations is not as easy as it sounds. They often hide in areas unreachable to humans – a common place bed bug exterminators (PCOs, Pest Control Operators) target is actually inside electrical socket plates. Bed bugs can climb walls, so hiding behind picture frames, bookshelves, cabinets and etc., are a very possible option for them. Also look in other furniture such as couches, carpets, upholstery, chairs, etc. Finding bed bugs hiding in your home is a practice in patience and diligence.

A group of dead bed bugs.

Go into your search routine knowing that no place is safe. This will help you be thorough in your search and help you in locating bed bugs for your pest control operator. Finding bed bugs is only a part of the solution – by helping verify your infestation and to gauge the severity. Killing bed bugs individually, even on a mass scale, is not a thorough way for exterminating a bed bug infestation.

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Bed Bug Reproduction Cycle

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courtesy of bed-bug.org (click to enlarge)

Bed bugs multiply very quickly and can turn a small infestation to a large one in a matter of a month or two. Adult Bed bugs engage in a mating technique called traumatic insemination. A female can lay between 1 to 5 eggs per day, while the eggs naturally take between 1 to 2 weeks to hatch into nymphs – depending on the temperature. There are 5 nymphal stages and bed bugs must have a blood meal to molt into their next stage. The entire molting process takes approximately 1 to 2 months total, depending on frequency of feeding. Each molt also causes the bed bug create a cast skin, essentially a mold of its old skin (think snakes).

So far there has been no studies on whether egg hatching is expedited by factors such as climate or weather, although it is generally understood that warmer temperatures expedite the hatching process while colder climates lengthen the hatching time.

The bed bug eggs are tiny and oval shaped like larva, nearly microscopic and stick to surfaces via a natural adhesive the bed bugs secrete. They are a pearl/milky white color and can be observed especially in favorite hiding locations. Generally, bed bugs prefer to lay eggs in milder, more cool locations. Locations such as within computers or electronics would prove to be a disruptive location for eggs due to the variation in heat and the common moving and use of such equipment. Again, bed bugs prefer stationary, cool areas such as in a bed frame, or deep within normally non-visible locations within furniture. Places such as behind wall paintings and decorations such as vases should also be checked.

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Bed Bug Habits and Characteristics

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Top view, adult bed bug.

Bed bugs are small, brownish red, oval shaped pests that live on blood (like mosquitoes). They vary in size, between 1 mm (nymphs) to 4 mm (adults) and vary in width (1 mm to 2 or 3 mm). Bed bugs are not nocturnal by nature, the old saying “sleep tight, don’t let the bed bugs bite” is popular only because bed bugs are more frequently known to feed on us at night during sleep, when we are at our most vulnerable.

We have observed bed bugs, quite nonchalantly, out and about during the day time when the sun is out. I also noticed adult bed bugs were less afraid when visually caught by me, whereas bed bug nymphs (babies) were more quick to scurry and seek shelter when I caught them out and about. Although this might be unique to my situation, this may help you in locating them.

Bed bugs hiding in the seam of a mattress

Bed bugs hiding within the seam of a bed mattress. A common hiding spot for bed bug adults and nymphs alike.

Bed bugs are very flat (when unfed) and this allows them to hide in virtually any location in your home – particularly true in older homes where deterioration and wear-and-tear are commonplace. Bed bugs are capable of hiding anywhere, in books, clothes, blankets, pillows, furniture, etc. However, they prefer to hide and seek shelter close by your bed, where they know you will be and where they are accustomed to feeding on you at night.

Bed bugs are attracted to CO2 (Carbon Dioxide), the bi-product of natural human breathing. Bed bugs are also attracted to warmth, because they are aware it is a sign that blood is available.

Bed bugs are “pure” pests, meaning they serve no purpose in the world – other than to live and feed on blood.