Bed Bugs
How to tell if it is a bed bug ?
The bed bug is an insect that is visible to the naked eye. It cannot fly and moves fast. Having an oval-shaped flat body, it also has a brownish-red color and a slightly striped aspect.
A presence of bed bugs is not related to a lack of hygiene. Those insects show also no risks regarding diseases transmission.
What are bed bugs?
The specie Cimex lectularius is the one attacking mainly humans, the other species being attracted to other mammals or birds. This specie only feeds on blood. Reaching adulthood, they usually measure from 4 to 7 millimeters long, about the size of an apple seed.
Females lay white eggs about the size of a pinhead. They can lay from 200 to 500 eggs through their life, individually or grouped, hatching around 10 to 14 days after. The larva then measures 1 to 2 millimeters.
Where can bed bugs be found?
These insects are essentially active during the night and avoid light. They cannot fly, therefore only making short distances, usually being transported with an object in which they are staying (bedding, suitcase, bag, clothe…).
Bed bugs cannot only be found in beds or pillows but also in couches or padded chairs, furniture, rugs, curtains’ seam, behind baseboards or clocks, inside phones, radios, televisions or computers, behind power switches, inside cupboards…
How to detect a bed bug infestation?
A building or room infestation is usually noticeable through a presence of cutaneous lesions due to bug bites, visible on the skin; little black spots of 1 to 3 millimeters, which are bugs’ dejections on sheets, mattress, lattice and/or walls; blood trails on sheets due to crushed bugs.
What are the symptoms of a bug bite?
Bed bugs usually remain close to a bed, hence their name, since they are attracted by the carbon dioxide rejected by a sleeping body. They anaesthetize the skin in order to bite without pain; the bites then cause cutaneous lesions appearing as red bumps, measuring from 5mm to 2cm, with a red dot or light blister in their center. These papules are usually cause itches, accentuated in the morning. They usually appear on uncovered parts of the body, such as the arms, the legs, the back or neck. Generally, 3 or 4 bites can be found aligned. Depending on the person, these can disappear within hours, or cause an allergic reaction though hives.
At the beginning of an infestation, it often occurs that only one person gets bitten, if they are the one releasing more heat.
How to treat a bug infestation?
Swiss Dog Team do not endorse bed bugs disinfection. Once our teams have done the detection, you will be able to reach another disinsectization company, which will advise you regarding the adequate treatment. Our advice is to always reach to professionals, in order to get rid of the bugs as fast as possible.