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Bed Bug
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Bed bugs (Cimex lectularius) shouldn’t be confused with dust mites. Bed bugs are nocturnal parasitic bugs that feed on blood from warm blooded mammals.
Dust mites are microscopic spiders that feed on shed dead skin cells. Dust mites are not visible to the eye.
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The first thing that a Western Exterminator professional bed bug exterminator will look for are the signs of a bed bug infestation. This can take quite a bit of time, and it's why we often recommend a canine bed bug inspection, as bed bugs are crafty and can hide easily almost anywhere and bed bug dogs can seek them out more easily than people.
There are specific things that a professional bed bug exterminator is looking for, including:
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Shed skins - bed bugs go through several life cycles and they leave behind their shed skins.
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Fecal spots - bed bugs are rather rude and will leave fecal deposits that look like tiny black dots from a felt tip pen behind.
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Blood spots - the bugs can become crushed and leave behind blood spots or the wounds they leave on you can bleed a bit, too. Tiny spots of blood on sheets are a telltale sign.
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Odors - in a very heavy infestation, even a human nose can detect the unpleasant, somewhat sweet smell of a bed bug invasion. Bed bugs also give off a hormonal scent when disturbed, too. Dogs can spot these scents with smaller infestations and much easier than humans.
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Insects - if you look in the right places, like creases, cracks, crevices, you can also find the live bugs. They are small and sometimes hard to see, not much bigger than an apple seed in some life stages, but our highly trained bed bug experts can find them.
Lifecycle
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Bed bugs lay 200 – 500 eggs over a 2 month period in batches of 10 to 50.
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The adult female must have a blood meal before egg-laying.
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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.
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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.
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The typical life span of a bed bug is about 50 days to over a year depending on favourable conditions.
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They can survive for weeks to months without feeding.
Appearance
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Bed bugs are around 5 to 6mm long before a blood meal extending to about 7mm when fully engorged.
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Oval and flattened from back to underside with thick, well-developed legs. Bed bugs do not have wings.
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Their mouths are pointed for piercing and sucking.
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Adult bed bugs are rusty red-brown in colour.
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Eggs are whitish cream, getting darker as they hatch to larvae.
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Their shed skins are lighter brown and look like flaky exoskeletons.
Habits
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Bedbugs feed on human blood and are attracted to body heat and CO2 from sleeping humans.
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They inject an anaesthetic when they pierce the skin, so the bite can go unnoticed at first.
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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.
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Bed bugs usually visit their host for a blood feed just before dawn. When alarmed they move quickly and emit an odour.
