Bedbugs
Bed bugs (Cimex lectularius) are small, wingless, oval-shaped insects that grow to about 5–7 mm in length when fully adult—roughly the size of an apple seed. Their bodies are reddish-brown and remarkably flat, allowing them to squeeze into gaps as thin as a credit card. After feeding on blood, they swell and become darker, almost purple-red. Unlike many pests, bed bugs do not jump or fly; they crawl quickly and are expert hitchhikers, travelling on luggage, second-hand furniture, clothing, and even handbags.
Bed bugs feed exclusively on blood, preferring humans but also biting pets, bats, and birds if necessary. They are nocturnal and emerge from hiding at night, attracted by body heat and the carbon dioxide we exhale. A bed bug pierces the skin with two hollow feeding tubes: one injects an anaesthetic and an anticoagulant, the other sucks blood. Because of the anaesthetic, most people feel nothing at the time of the bite. A single bed bug can consume several times its own body weight in blood during a 5–10 minute feed, then retreat to digest for days or weeks.
These pests can survive almost anywhere in the home where people rest or sleep for extended periods. Although they are most strongly associated with bedrooms, they are frequently found in:
- Seams, tufts, tags, and piping of mattresses and box springs
- Cracks in bed frames and headboards (especially wooden ones)
- Behind loose wallpaper, skirting boards, and electrical socket plates
- Inside upholstered furniture—sofas, armchairs, recliners
- Under carpets and along carpet edges
- In curtains, folds of clothing left on chairs, and even inside clocks or smoke alarms
They do not need dirty conditions to thrive; luxury hotels, spotless apartments, and hospitals all suffer infestations. All they need is a host to feed on every few days and tiny crevices to hide in during the day.
Signs of a bed bug infestation
- Bites: Most people react with small, red, raised welts that itch intensely. Bites often appear in lines or clusters (“breakfast, lunch, and dinner”) on exposed skin—arms, legs, neck, shoulders. Some individuals show no reaction at all, making detection harder.
- Blood stains: Tiny rust-coloured or dark red spots on sheets, pillowcases, or pyjamas from crushed engorged bugs or from feeding.
- Faecal spots: Black or dark brown pinhead-sized dots (digested blood) left on mattresses, bed frames, and walls. These are most noticeable along mattress piping, seams, and corners.
- Cast skins: As nymphs grow, they shed pale yellowish skins five times before becoming adults.
- Eggs: Tiny (1 mm) pearly-white eggs glued in clusters in hidden crevices—often 200–500 per female over her lifetime.
- Live bugs: Seeing the insects themselves, especially just before dawn when they are most active.
- Musty-sweet odour: Larger infestations produce a distinctive sickly-sweet smell from their scent glands.
Why bed bugs are so difficult to eliminate
- A single mated female can start an entire infestation.
- They can survive 6–12 months (sometimes longer) without feeding.
- They hide in the tiniest cracks and are active mainly at night.
- Eggs are resistant to many insecticides and are often glued out of reach.
- Over-the-counter sprays and “bug bombs” usually make the problem worse by scattering the bugs to new areas.
Give SWAT a call today for a free, no-obligation quotation. Our technicians are fully trained and equipped to find and eliminate even hidden infestations quickly and discreetly.
Sleep tight—and let the professionals make sure the bed bugs really don’t bite!