Facts About Bedbugs


Bedbugs are small parasitic insects that live by feeding exclusively on the blood of warm-blooded animals. Bedbugs, though not strictly nocturnal, are mainly active at night and are capable of feeding unnoticed on their hosts.

  • Appearance:
    • Their eggs are pearly white and only 1mm long
    • Immature bedbugs are also only 1mm long and are a pale color; almost translucent
    • Adult bedbugs are about 1/4 inch long and are reddish-brown
  • Activity:
    • Bedbugs are nocturnal
    • Bedbugs are not limited to the bed or bedroom and will disperse throughout a dewelling
    • Bites do not hurt, but leave red marks
  • How They Travel:
    • They hitch rides on anyone and anything. Clothing, shoes, purses, and luggage are all potential vehicles for bedbugs to move between rooms, buildings, or cities.
    • Public transportation can transmit bedbugs readily because many people don’t know they have an infestation until it is already severe.
    • Rental furniture or the trucks and blankets you use to move furniture can all harbor bedbugs. When getting new furniture, consider inspecting it thoroughly before moving it inside.
    • If you have bedbugs in one room, assume they are in other rooms as well and inspect accordingly.
  • Food:
    • They feed exclusively on blood
    • A bedbug may go several days to a week or more between blood meals
    • Bedbugs are very resilient and survive for many months without a blood meal
  • Life Cycle:
    • Females can lay 1-5 eggs per day
    • Eggs hatch after 7-10 days
    • Egg hatch to adult stage takes approximately 1.5-2 months (but can take longer depending on environment and food)