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Adult Bed Bug Male Adult Bed Bug Female Bed Bug Nymph

Bed Bugs can be transported into an uninfested home by you or other people.
If you are traveling, be wary of any hidden infestations in the home or hotel you are staying at.
When purchasing used furniture, check the enviroment and the piece thoroughly before bringing it home.
Bed frames and matresses make excellent places for Bed Bugs and their eggs to hide.
Bed Bugs also hide in luggage, clothing, pillows, boxes, and any other container when moving between places.
Bed bugs will move betwen apartments via cracks and voids in adjoining walls as well as holes for pipes and wires.
If you have an infestation, check you neighbors house or apartment.
Bed bugs can go months without feeding, therefore, they may already occupy a "clean" apartment or home.

Bed Bugs are suspect if the following are appearant :

Residents complaining of bug bites when they wake up.
Dark brown or reddish fecal spots are appearant on linens, matresses, or the walls near the bed.
A peculiar odor can be detected in heavily infested areas.
Inspect bed frames, creases and folds in bedding, matresses and particularly the seams and tufts of your mattress and box springs.
Inspect pleats of your curtains, beneath loose wallpaper by the bed, in corners of dressers and desks, spaces in wicker furniture, behind cove molding, and any items on or around the floor.

Bed Bug Pest Control Solutions :

Call a professional pest control company.
Clean infested rooms thoroughly, as well as the rest of your residence.
Scrub infested areas with a stiff brush to dislodge the eggs.
Vacuum cracks and crevices to remove bed bugs.
Dismantle and thoroughly clean bedframes.
Remove desk drawers and turn furniture over to clean all hiding places.
Clean up clutter on the floor and around the residence - clutter provides excellent hiding places for Bed Bugs.
Encase matresses and boxsprings in special matress bags, make sure all holes are repaired with permanent tape. Any Bed Bugs trapped in there will eventually die.
Pull the bed frame away from the wall and tuck bedding in so it has no contact with the floor.
Place frame legs into dishes or cups of mineral oil.
Caulk and seal all holes where pipes and wires penetrate the ceiling, walls, or floors.
Fill cracks around baseboards and cove molding.
Check with your neighbors about possible infestation of their residence.

Cimex lectularius
Characteristics:

Nymphs (Hatchlings) are the size of a poppy seed
Normally 1/4 inches long / Engorged - up to 3/4 inches
Oval and flat in shape
Generally brown in color, after eating they turn a dark red color
Piercing mouthparts inject a salivary fluid containing an anticoagulant that helps them obtain blood
Exoskeleton
Bed Bug nymphs (hatchlings) have 5 major feedings before maturity, they molt in-between each feeding leaving behind a cast exoskeleton

Piercing Mouthparts Bed Bugs Feeding

Cluster Of Bed Bugs Stains and Excrement Left Behind

Eggs Shedded Exoskeleton

Habitat

Bed Bugs most abundant in rooms in which people sleep
Bed Bugs are most active at night when people are sleeping
Bed Bugs hide in and around beds, in clutter around the room, cracks, crevices and holes, loose wallpaper and covemolding

Diet

Bed Bugs feed on blood, preferably human but in a pinch, animal blood will suffice

Effects of Bed Bug bites

Repeated exposure to Bed Bug bites can cause anemia in children
Consistent exposure to Bed Bug bites over a period of several weeks will cause a sensitivity to the saliva of these bugs
Additional exposure to Bed Bug bites can cause a slight to extreme allergic reaction
The affected person should resist scratching the skin lesions caused by Bed Bug bites

Reproduction

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