Bed bug Bite-Pictures, Symptoms, Treatment

Bed bug bite is the result of a bite from a bug that is oval, small and does not fly. The bed bug belongs to the Cimicidae insect family. Of these, 3 species bite humans. The adult bed bug grows to a length of 5 to 7 mm, while the juveniles or nymphs are small measuring only 1.5mm. Bedbugs have flat bodies which are often mistaken as small cockroaches or ticks. They feed by sucking blood from either animals or humans. The adult bug is reddish in color and the redder it gets after feeding on blood. The smaller ones which are the nymphs appear clearer than the adults and after feeding on blood they have bright red color. The wings of the bed bug are not fully developed so they cannot fly.

Where can you find bed bugs?

They were commonly found before WWII and then rarely seen after the DDT pesticide started between the year 1940 and 1950. They increased in numbers again after the restriction on stronger pesticide was implemented. There are reports saying that the bedbugs can be found in areas with poor sanitation or they can live near mammals, specifically bats and birds that are nesting near houses; but they can live longer in cleaner environments as well. They happily thrive, however, in crowded areas, particularly living quarters.

They can also live in any area within the home especially in small cracks in the furniture, textiles or the upholstered furniture as well. They are generally found on areas where people sleep such as beds, mattresses, bed frames, and box springs although they do not infest on sleeping surfaces of the beds compared to the small crevices and cracks. Other places where these bed bugs can be found are on carpet edges, curtains, wallpaper cracks especially near beds, corners inside the dressers and also the insides of wicker furniture. These bedbugs can live long without feeding for months so they are especially seen in vacant homes as well.

Symptoms of bed bug bites

The bed bug bite is a result of the bedbugs sucking blood from humans. They are especially active during the night and bite any parts of the skin which is exposed while the person is sleeping. The common areas for bedbug bite on the human body are arms, hands, neck and face. The bed bug bite is painless and unnoticeable at first. There is a reasonable time delay between the incident of biting and the symptoms showing, sometimes even up to 9 days. The common signs of a bite are raised, flat or small bumps and oftentimes itchiness, swelling and redness follows. When the bite area is scratched, it can be infected. One peculiar aspect of the bites is that they are lined up in row, about 3 to 4 bites. Specialists of infectious diseases refer to these bite signs as “breakfast – lunch – dinner” due to the series of feeding the bug does from one site to another.

Bed bug bites are often not noticed as they are mistaken for mosquito bites, flea bites or other kinds of skin conditions because they look quite similar from each other. These bugs have glands that leave their secretions that give off odor. Likewise, they also leave dark fecal specks on the bed sheets and in their hiding places as well. These bugs were not proven to transport infections to people, although certain researches have identified them to carry trypanosomiasis or commonly known as Chagas disease. Further research is being conducted to give proof to these bugs being carriers of diseases.

Treatment for bed bug bites

There is no required treatment for a bedbug bite although there are certain creams that can be applied if the itchiness is severe. Oral antihistamines which can relieve itchiness may be an option to help relieve the symptoms. Steroid creams are also an option. If the bitten area is exposed and becomes infected because of heavy scratching, antibiotics may be required.

Prevention of bed bug bites and eradication of bed bugs

Preventing bedbug bite is not an easy feat. First is if you want to eradicate the whole infestation out of your home, you will need a professional of this field: a pest-control expert. There is a wide range of aerosol insecticides, mild odor dusts and sprays that can eliminate bed bugs. These chemicals must be applied on all the areas where you find bed bugs are infesting, particularly in small crevices or cracks where they can run or hide. If you hire pest-control experts, they may advise you to either disinfect or discard the mattress you are using if necessary. Most of the time the mattresses are discarded since these cannot easily be treated with the insecticides.

The experts may recommend or advise you to do a thorough cleaning of the house like scrubbing off the eggs inside infested areas, filling up the crevices or cracks in the walls, moldings, and floors; dismantling the frames of beds and furniture, covering mattresses with special bags or use a very powerful vacuum on crevices and cracks.

In order to prevent a bedbug bite, you will need to identify the areas that these bugs are infesting and avoid those areas because it usually needs proper treatment in order for them to be completely eliminated.

What does a bed bug bite look like?

Bed bug bites do not inflict any pain. Generally, people do not even realize that they have been bitten by the bug. This is because the bites normally takes place at night during sleeping hours. Bedbugs are very energetic during night hours. They nourish on any part of the exposed skin including arms, legs, back, chest, and so on. Their bites resemble mosquito bites. They pierce the skin and extort blood. Generally, the bites react to a confined area. The reactions and symptoms of a bed bugs bite are itching, swelling, and a red lump. In case your skin is free of any complications at night, but you wake up with an itchy feeling and lumps, then bed bugs are the main reason.

They nourish within three to ten minutes. While nourishing they introduce a small amount of saliva into the skin. It is noted that some people experience symptoms identical to mosquito bites, while some people hardly have any effect to these bites. But constant exposures to being bitten results in people becoming severely allergic. The abrasion on the skin cannot be identified as bed bug bite or mosquito bite.