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)