Cimex
lectularius probably received its
name of “Bed Bug” because they are commonly found where humans
sleep. However they can also be found on buses
and trains, in theaters, restaurant booths, locker rooms, and even
in office spaces. They often seeks refuge during the
daylight, and usually feed at night, most often between 1AM and 5AM,
though not limited to those times. They can hide in many places
within living spaces in cracks and crevices such as headboards,
picture frames, mattress buttons, box springs, pillows, clock radios
and electronics, and the crevices of a wooden frame that could have
a slight gap. Bed Bugs were not
known as migratory insects in the past, but have adapted and now
freely travel from room to room and apartment to apartment with the
potential to infest entire buildings in a short period of time. We
have compiled a list of facts to better understand the nature of
these pests.
Bed bugs (females)
deposit three to eight eggs at a time. A total of 300-500 eggs can
be produced by a single bug.
Their eggs are 1/25? long and
curved. They are often deposited in clusters and attached to cracks,
crevices or rough surfaces near adult harborages with a sticky
epoxy-like substance.
Eggs typically hatch in
a week to 12 days. The freshly hatched nymph is beige-colored before
feeding, and then turns a redish color after getting a blood meal.
There are 5 nymphal stages for bed bugs to reach maturity,
which usually takes about 32-48 days. See diagram below.
Nymphs must feed on a
blood meal to grow. They shed skins as they grow, in a process
called molting. Adult bed bugs can survive anywhere from seven
months to one year without blood and have been known to live in
empty buildings for up to one year. Nymphs have tiny translucent
bodies are barely visible.
Bite reactions vary from person to
person depending upon how allergic an individual is to the bed bug
saliva injected at the time of the feeding. This saliva acts as an
analgesic and prevents the person from feeling pain or discomfort so
the bed bug can continue undetected while they feed. Furthermore,
doctors are unable to distinguish a mosquito bite from a bed bug
bite.
Evidence of an infestation will be tiny black
speckled droppings on a mattress or box spring, molted skins
castings, and eggs which are nearly impossible to see. The other
sign is obviously bites
