Every night before putting their children to bed, many parents utter the words, “Don’t let the bedbugs bite.” Although many say these words each night, there are few that know that bedbugs are actually real. Bedbugs aren’t common, but they can occur in apartments, hotels, dormitories and shelters. These insects are defined as small wingless insects that feed solely on the blood of warm-blooded animals, and have evolved as nest parasites. Certain types of bedbugs may inhabit bird nests and bat roosts, but it is most commonly known that they live in the homes of people. Adult bedbugs are about 1/4 of an inch in length, and appear as oval shaped when viewed from above, but they are flattened from top to bottom.    

Bedbugs may have colors ranging from transparent or white to light tan, deep brown, and burnt orange. When the parasite drinks the host’s blood, it will appear as a dark red or black mass within the insect’s body. The phrase “don’t let the bedbugs bite” that is said before bed time, is relevant to the time they attack. Generally, they will seek out animals and people at night while the host is sleeping. It is often thought that the bedbug bite is painful, but there “biting process” is actually a painless procedure, in which the bedbug sips a few drops of blood from its host. While feeding on the host’s blood, a small amount of saliva is injected into the skin.   

Exposure to bites during a period of several weeks can cause a person to become sensitized to the saliva of the bugs, and additional bites may result in allergic responses. The bites cause skin lesions that are similar to bites of other blood-feeding insects, such as mosquitoes and fleas. So, it is nearly impossible for a physician to identify what has caused the bite, but a physician should be consulted to rule out other causes of lesions, and to offer treatment for them. Any person that is bitten by a bedbug should resist the urge to scratch the bites, because this may intensify irritation, and itching, and can lead to secondary infection. Bedbug bites are usually treated with antihistamines and corticosteroids used to reduce allergic reactions and inflammation. Bedbugs may cause some allergic reactions, but they do not transmit infectious agents, so most people who have been bitten will not suffer any unnecessary illness.  

Bedbugs most commonly hide in small crevices, and may accompany luggage, furniture, clothing, pillow, boxes, and other like objects that are moved between apartments, homes, and hotels. Any sort of used furniture, such as bed frames and mattresses may incur a greater risk of harboring bedbugs. So, it is important to consider the history of a used piece of furniture, especially items found on the street. The small insects have the ability to survive for several months without feeding, so bedbugs may be present in vacant and clean apartments. They may also travel between adjoining apartments through voids in walls, and holes that wire and pipes pass through. Cast skins of bedbugs may also be discovered in homes, on pillows and in beds. However, finding these skins simply confirms that the insects were present previously, and do not confirm that they are still present in a residence. If these cast skins are found, the residents should thoroughly search for live bedbugs, as many other small brown bugs may in inhabit the home also.

Bedbugs may only infest a small portion of a residence, and they may be evident if residents experience small bites during sleep. All sleeping areas in a home should be carefully examined for signs of bedbugs, if they are suspected. They may live in the folds and creases of bed linens, and in the seams and tufts of mattresses. Residents may also find bedbugs living in the pleats of curtains, beneath loose areas of wallpaper near a bed, and in corners of desks and dressers. Bedbugs may also leave small dark brown or reddish fecal spots on linens, mattresses or walls near beds.  If a home is severely infested, there may be a coriander-like odor present. 

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