Bed Bug Bites

Bed bug bites are becoming a common occurrence at Hotels, Apartments, Dorms and in Homes around the world. On this page you will learn, what they look like, where they are found and other important information.

• Small, oval insects up to a quarter inch in length.
  
  
• Wingless insects, that do not fly.
  
  
• Have flat bodies and are reddish/brown in color.
  
  
• Look similar to ticks or small cockroaches.
  
  
• Live by feeding on the blood of humans and animals.

• In Beds, including mattresses, box springs and bed frames.
  
  
• In curtains and cracks in wallpaper.
  
  
• Dressers and end tables or any furniture.
  
  
• Most commonly found in places where people sleep.
  
  
• Bed bugs can live for months without feeding, so they can also be found in vacant houses.
  
  
• They live in crowded living areas in all kinds of sanitary conditions.

• Moving furniture, bedding and other items from one residence to another.
  
  
• Moving suitcases, boxes or other goods from a hotel to your home.
  
  
• Buying and wearing infested clothing.

• A bite similar to a flea or mosquito bite.
  
  
• Itching and swelling from bites. (See How to Treat Insect Bites)
  
  
• Blood on sheets and pillows.
  
  
• Bite areas may become infected if scratched.
  
  
• Discomfort, sleeplessness, anxiety and embarrassment.

• Dark fecal spots on bed sheets, mattresses and bed frames.
  
  
• Egg casing and shed skins in crevices or cracks near beds.
  
  
• Seeing live bed bugs.
  
  
• Unexplained bites on your body.
  
  
• Evidence of bed bugs under wallpaper, behind picture frames, couches, other furniture and articles of clothing.

• Low odor spray, dust and aerosol insecticides for bed bugs.
  
  
• Discarding mattresses and other heavily infested items.
  
  
• In-casing mattresses with special plastic bags.
  
  
• Deep-cleaning of infested surfaces with stiff brushes to remove bed bug eggs.
  
  
• Dismantling furniture or bed frames for more thorough cleaning.
  
  
• Using powerful vacuums for cracks and crevices.
  
  
• Filling cracks and crevices in walls, floors and mouldings.
  
  
• Hiring companies with special heating equipment to raise the temperature in infested areas to 140 degrees F (bed bugs and their eggs are killed at 115 degrees F).
  
  
• Using special bed bug sniffing dogs to sniff out infested areas.

• Examining hotel beds and mattresses for signs of infestation.
  
  
• Inspecting anything new or second-hand that you bring into your home (including luggage from your last trip).
  
  
• Having a professional exterminator inspect your new home before moving in.