About Bed Bugs

Bed bugs lay cream colored eggs. The eggs are cemented to rough surfaces in their hiding places. A female bed bug can lay 5-10 eggs per week and up to 500 eggs in her lifetime. Within 10 days of the egg being laid a 1st stage nymph will emerge. A nymph must go through 5 stages before becoming an adult. It will only take 5-8 weeks for a nymph to reach full maturity and become an adult.

Bed bugs are a blood-sucking insect that prefers to feed on humans while we sleep. People react very differently to bed bug bites. Some people experience small itchy red bumps similar to mosquito bites. Other people have a more severe reaction that leaves large red welts, while others simply have no reaction at all. Another factor complicating the bed bug bite is a delayed reaction. Some people may not experience a symptom for up to 9 days after they are bitten. There is no evidence to show that bed bugs transmit infectious diseases.

Bed bugs live in groups or clusters in a single hiding place. They will seek a hiding place close to their food source. The bed bug responds to carbon dioxide, our breath, while we are sleeping. The most common hiding place will be in the mattress seams and tags or under corner guards and staples of the box springs. If the food source moves from the bed to sleep on the couch to escape being bitten, the bed bugs will follow.

Bug sprays, bug bombs, foggers, etc. are insufficient treatment for bed bugs. These treatments will not eradicate bed bugs from your home. Bed bugs have built a resistance to common pesticides and chemicals. These treatments will just force the bed bugs out of their hiding places and spread the infestation.