Since bed bugs inflict numerous bites that cause extreme skin irritation, mainly itchiness and swelling, it seems unlikely that a person could live within an infested home and not realize it, but recent research says otherwise. Not long ago, a study was conducted that aimed to trace the source of bed bug epidemics. Since bed bug infestation rates are particularly high within apartment buildings, the study’s authors surveyed apartment tenants who had experienced a bed bug infestation. The study’s results revealed that 50 percent of bed bug infestations occur in apartment units where the tenets had been unaware of the pests. These sorts of infestations likely contribute to bed bug epidemics, as tenants in these infested apartments unknowingly spread bed bugs everywhere they go. Many people may not know that they are living within bed bug infested conditions despite sustaining irritating bites, but in some of these cases, these people assume that their symptoms are due to a skin condition, and not bed bug bites. According to experts, waking up in the morning with irritating skin symptoms that did not exist the night before is a dead giveaway that bed bugs are infesting a house. However, making this determination can be difficult in some circumstances.
Bed bug bites do not appear much different than many other common arthropod bites, but bed bugs prefer to bite around the neck, shoulders, arms and face. While most people will experience itchiness and swelling in response to bed bug bites, these symptoms may not appear for up to two weeks following the first several bites sustained. Of course, very few people experience no bed bug bite symptoms at all. Obviously, these factors can make it hard to determine if bed bugs are active within a home. When waking up with any sort of skin irritation that seemed absent the day before, simply inspecting a mattress with a flashlight for bed bugs may reveal the pests if they are indeed present. Although bed bugs are said to be excessively small and hard to notice, adult bed bugs are actually the same size and color of apple seeds, usually found along mattress seams or small cracks and crevices near the bed. When bed bugs are suspected of infesting a home, residents should contact a pest control professional specializing in bed bug extermination immediately for removal of the insects. Bed bugs are extremely difficult to eradicate on your own.
