Understanding bed bug behavior

Understanding bed bug behavior

It is pertinent that you know the little pestilence that is causing so much havoc to your home and family. The first line of defense in combating bed bugs is getting to know their behavior. The knowledge of how they act and behave can be very vital in winning the war against them.

Interesting bed bug behavior

Bed bugs mostly feed at night. What this means is that they have their breakfast, lunch, and dinner in one sitting when they feed on humans at night. They move across your exposed body to find the sweet spot that nourishes them; they take several bites ranging from one to twelve when they are feeding. Their bites are usually identified by the straight line they form.

The bedbug dine and dash

The anesthetic and anticoagulant present in the saliva of bed bugs mean you won’t even notice when they bite you and start sucking your blood. It takes them about three to ten minutes for them to be well fed with your blood.

Immediately after eating, bed bugs swiftly move back to their hiding spots to rest, digest the blood, grow and reproduce eggs. Typical hiding spots include; Crevices, cracks, carpets, box springs, books, behind picture frames and so on. Study shows that bed bugs hide about eight feet from their victims. They usually come back five to ten days for another blood meal.

What attracts humans to bed bugs includes; the CO₂ we exhale, the warmth and moisture our body exudes, all of which they can spot a couple of feet away.

The more, the merrier

Bed bugs have a simple life plan; invade, feed and multiply. This simple plan is what makes them very deadly. So, as they are done feeding, they scurry back to their hiding spots and start an intense mating session.

One single bed bug can lay up to 7 eggs in a day and about 500 in a lifetime. You read that right, 500! And the bad news is that they will all be fed on your house.

Immediately after the eggs hatch, nymphs emerge, and the next point of call is for them to feed immediately on blood. The Nymph stage is accompanied by five stage molting process before adulthood. The molting process is identified by shedding of skin with each development stage. These abandoned skins are often an indication of a bed bug infestation in your home. With each meal, the Nymphs grow in size, and they become darker in appearance. If the conditions are right, it takes about six weeks for an egg to mature into an adult. Under the right circumstances, a bed bug can live up to ten months and all they do in that time, is feed, rest and reproduce.

From the little knowledge gotten about bugs, it shows that they will continue to reproduce and expand their infestation if you don’t take evasive actions. This is the reason you need a professional pest controller to handle your bed bug problem. Bed bugs can be very stubborn and difficult to control. They can go up to twelve months without feeding if the temperature is very cold and also, they can be very resistant to over the counter insecticides. The difficulty in controlling them is why you need a professional bed bug controller

Signs of bed bugs

Bites are not the only sign of a bed bug infestation in your home; there are other clues to look at for if you want to catch those little pests. Some of these signs to look at for include

• Shed skins

• Blood stains on fabrics and clothing

• Fecal stains and bed bug feces

• Reddish-brown color on mattress

• The smell of dirty wet towels

• Eggs

• Live bed bugs.

Put a call through to your local pest controller if you encounter any of these signs.