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Bed bug against a white background - Keep bed bugs away from your home with General Pest Control in Middleburg Heights

Bed Bug

Actual Size: Less than 6 mm

Characteristics: Reddish-brown to mahogany with an oval flattened shape.

Legs: 6

Antennae: Yes

Wings: No

Habitat: Found in homes, apartments, hotels, hospitals, academic institutions, corporate offices, shopping centers, theaters, and even public transportation.

Habits: 

  • Bites are painless and frequently go unnoticed.
  • They feed on the blood of humans, other mammals, and birds. 
  • Each female bed bug can lay about 200 eggs.
  • When agitated, bed bugs emit a musty, sweet scent from their scent glands.


Bed Bugs in Cleveland

Bed bugs are found in all 50 states. They are nocturnal insects that rely solely on blood for sustenance. They feed on the blood of humans, other mammals, and birds. These insects primarily feed at night while hosts are asleep, resulting in small, hard, swollen, white welts on the skin. The welts soon become inflamed and itch. Bed bugs are elusive, hiding in cracks and crevices to avoid detection. They will typically feed at night when their hosts are asleep. Bed bugs can survive for over a year without feeding on blood. Their bites are essentially painless, often going unnoticed during feeding.

Bed Bug Habitat

Bed bugs tend to live in clusters and are commonly found in areas where people sleep or spend extended periods resting. They are typically transported unknowingly as people travel, hiding in the seams and folds of luggage, overnight bags, bedding, furniture, and other hiding spots. You can find bed bugs in homes, hotels, apartments, schools, medical facilities, and various other public places. They particularly favor cracks, crevices, or seams in headboards, mattresses, luggage, backpacks, and upholstered furniture. They can also be found in dresser frames, cracks along and behind baseboards, behind picture frames, loose wallpaper, drapery pleats, electrical outlets, along pipes, window frames, door moldings, and just about any other narrow crack or crevice in a room.

Bed Bug Behaviors, Threats, or Dangers

Bed bugs are not known to spread disease and are not considered dangerous, but allergic reactions to several bites may necessitate medical attention. Their saliva causes the skin to become irritated and inflamed. It takes about three to five minutes for the bed bug to become engorged and then it will crawl away to a hiding place in a crack or crevice to digest its meal. The initial signs of a bed bug infestation can be bite marks on the skin or small brownish spots on the bed. Bed bugs often gain entry through secondhand furniture and bedding, luggage, or other items moved between places, or via pipes connecting nearby apartments or hotel rooms. The increase and ease of international travel has provided bed bugs plenty of hosts to travel with. 

When a bed bug infestation is suspected, contacting a professional bed bug exterminator is highly recommended.

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