As their name precedes them, bed bugs are in fact a species of insect that takes up their environment in mattresses and sheets belonging to humans. Bed bugs are parasites that live off one thing and one thing only, blood. They tend to enjoy the blood of mammals but generally, they are particular to the taste of human blood. Their name is derived from their tendency to live and reproduce in the mattresses of humans and do most of their feeding at night.
The scientific name for ‘bed bugs’ is Cimex lectularius. A category that is specific to parasites that feed on warm-blooded mammals. They have a long, brown, flat body that is about the side of an apple seed and despite popular belief, are incapable of flying. They can however move across floors, walls or ceilings extremely quickly. Female bed bugs lay eggs hundreds at a time and will continue to do so for their entire lifespan.
They vary in different sizes throughout their life span as well:
Stage 1: Nymph (1.5 mm)
Stage 2: Nymph (2 mm)
Stage 3: Nymph (2.5 mm)
Stage 4: Nymph (3 mm)
Stage 5: Nymph (4.5 mm)
Bed Bugs can leave lasting effects on you and your home
- Bed bugs carry tons of bacteria on them, but they do not spread disease
- While their bites are not particularly harmful, they do happen to leave annoying red bumps all over the area that they decide to feast. The bites can also be extremely itchy and uncomfortable
- Blood stains on bedding materials like sheets and mattresses
- Constant wonder if you are going to wake up with red bite marks all over you or one of your loved ones
Don’t Let the Bed Bugs Bite!
As cheesy and cliche as it sounds, the traditional bedtime farewell is as accurate as it suggests. Though it has yet to be proven whether the spread disease or not. Bed bugs will cause irreparable amount of furniture damage as well as damage to your psyche.
In general it is best practice to check for bed bugs at anytime of the year. But as the temperature rises outside, so does a bed bug’s energy level. They will continue to feed and continue to reproduce until you exterminate them. Unfortunately, off the shelf, store bought solutions will not solve a bed bug infestation. The best way to eliminate these blood sucking pests from your home is with the help of a professional exterminator.