Interesting facts about Bed Bugs
- “Bed Bugs” (Cimex lectularius) small oval shaped
insects feed on human blood, becomes a nightmare if not controlled timely and
effectively.
- An adult of a “bedbug” is about 1/4th of a inch and is oval and
flat.
- They like to hide areas having easy approach to the naked body parts of host
such as neck, shoulders, arms, feet, waist line. These areas in a typical bed
are headboard, foot board, seams of mattress, box spring, frame and night
stand. But in badly infested situation they can hide on farther spaces such as
base boards, electrical penal, dresser base hinges and cracks voids crevices,
wall voids, under carpet edges.
- A Bedbug turns to an
adult Bed bug after passing through six stages of their life out of which five
stages are of nymphs.
- A bedbug sheds its
skin every time it passes a stage of its life. That way an adult have to shed
its skin five times in order for it to become adult and capable of reproducing.
One blood meal is required before it is able to shed its skin each time. The
process of shedding skin is called molting.
- Bedbugs are attracted to their
prey/host by sensing carbon dioxide and temperature of the air around.
- Before sucking blood bedbugs
inject an anesthetic secretion which does not allow its prey to feel sensation
of biting at the time of biting. Usually prey notice bedbug bite after bedbug run away to the nearest hiding area after performing
all that action.
- Since “bedbugs” have no wings
so they cannot fly but they are fairly quick in crawling/running
