BED BUG
Bed bugs get their name from their habit of feeding on human hosts in bed. They are excellent hitchhikers, easily transported and are found in many different types of dwellings, which makes them difficult to control. For this reason, it is crucial that you learn how to identify bed bugs.
Bed bug infestations continue to plague residents of the Caribbean. 95.6 percent of pest professionals treated for bed bugs in 2018. Do you know much about bed bugs?
Bed Bug
Appearance
Bed bugs are around 5 to 6mm long before a blood meal extending to about 7mm when fully engorged.
Oval and flattened from back to underside with thick, well-developed legs. Bed bugs do not have wings.
Their mouths are pointed for piercing and sucking.
Adult bed bugs are rusty red-brown in colour.
Eggs are whitish cream, getting darker as they hatch to larvae.
Their shed skins are lighter brown and look like flaky exoskeletons.
Lifecycle
Bed bugs lay 200 – 500 eggs over a 2 month period in batches of 10 to 50.
The adult female must have a blood meal before egg-laying.
The eggs are usually laid in crack and crevices and can be attached to items of furniture or fittings in clusters by a transparent substance.
There are 7 stages to the lifecycle from egg to fully grown adult which can be from 45 days but may be up to a year.
The typical life span of a bed bug is about 50 days to over a year depending on favourable conditions.
They can survive for weeks to months without feeding.
Habits
Bedbugs feed on human blood and are attracted to body heat and CO2 from sleeping humans.
They inject an anesthetic when they pierce the skin, so the bite can go unnoticed at first.
They are found in cracks and crevices, headboards, behind peeling wallpaper, broken plaster, light switches, under carpets and skirting boards etc. so they are near to people for feeding.
Bed bugs usually visit their host for a blood feed just before dawn. When alarmed they move quickly and emit an odour.
Signs of Bed Bug Infestation
Dark/black stains - on the mattress and surrounding area from bed bug excreta.
Sweet scent - An unpleasant, sweet, sickly scent.
Small dark spots - Small dark blood spots on bedding known as 'faecal pellets'.
Live insects - despite being small (adult are only 4-5mm long) it’s possible to spot live bed bugs and shed skins.
Blood spots - on the sheets or mattress.
Where to Look
Bed frames and headboard crevices
Mattress seams
Carpets and underlay
Skirting boards
Between wooden floorboards
Behind peeling wallpaper and in cracked or broken plaster.
Inside electrical sockets and fittings
Wardrobes, Drawers and Cupboards
Bedside tables