Bedbug bites can be a year-round nightmare. In this article you will learn how to distinguish bedbug bites from mosquito and flea bites and why a person does not feel anything at the time of the bite.
Let’s answer the popular question: “Is it true that even two people sleeping in the same bed can have completely different reactions to these bites?” We will also tell you how to relieve yourself of itching after a bite and prevent new ones from appearing. Forewarned - forearmed! Let's start!
Contents:
- The most important facts about bed bug bites
- Bedbug bites symptoms and differences
- What places do bedbugs like to bite?
- How do bedbugs bite?
- Allergy to bedbug bites
- How to treat bedbug bites?
The most important facts about bed bug bites
Do bedbug bites itch?
During a bite - no. You don't feel anything. You don't feel pain when you bite because the bedbugs inject a temporary analgesic under your skin to help keep you from feeling pain.
How long do bedbugs bite?
From 3 to 10 minutes - this is how long one full feeding lasts. It starts with the appearance of medium to large spots (swollen or flat) on any part of the human body (the most common places include the face, neck, arms and hands). Also, with the appearance of spots, itching and redness appear.
Bites from house bugs are often confused with bites from other insects. Sometimes they are mistaken for infectious rashes on the human body or even for injuries. And the true reason is determined in the very last place. There are cases when dermatologists confused bedbug bites on the body with chicken pox or an allergic reaction. Although for experienced entomologists, recognizing bites after bedbugs is not particularly difficult, since they have a distinct, specific appearance. It will not be superfluous to know the characteristics of bites for ordinary residents of apartments or private houses. The faster you recognize the presence of parasites in the room, the more effective the fight against these insects will be.
Parasites cannot tolerate strong odors. They confuse the insects. The bug cannot detect a person, and being in such a room becomes unbearable.
During pregnancy
Insect bites during pregnancy do not have a negative effect on the fetus. However, the fact of a bug bite is unpleasant for the expectant mother. It is known that the use of a number of medications during pregnancy is prohibited. Below are drugs that are suitable for both pregnant women and young children.
- Bepanten. Promotes rapid healing of the skin and restoration of its structure.
- Rescuer. It is an antibacterial ointment that ensures rapid resorption of inflammation.
- Ointment "Star". The most affordable remedy that has an anti-inflammatory effect.
- Advanta. Has an intensive effect on allergic reactions.
- Fenistil. Allows you to eliminate pain.
What do bedbug bites look like on adults?
Externally, bedbug bites on the skin resemble mosquito bites, but they are more painful and have clear edges.
If an adult is bitten by a bug, then a small, round, red swelling with a pronounced bump in the middle will appear on his body.
Multiplicity and grouping are the distinctive features that characterize bedbug bites on human skin. This is due to the fact that while feeding, each individual makes not one, but five or seven bites on the human body, sucking blood from each puncture. If the bites are located on the same line, then you can confidently conclude that you have been bitten by bedbugs. This arrangement is typical only for these parasites. As a rule, the distance between each subsequent bite made by one individual is from three to four centimeters. When studying what bedbug bites look like on the human body, remember that insects do not feed in an organized manner, but collectively. In other words, a large number of bites may appear on a person’s body in the morning, located close to each other. But in each group specific tracks will be clearly visible.
Before going to bed, apply a few drops of lavender, chamomile, lemon balm or St. John's wort essential oil to your body. You can add two or three drops to the cream.
It is worth noting that experts identify several dozen types of bed bugs. But individuals of each species bite people in almost the same way. All bedbug bites on the human body look the same, and the differences between them can only be seen with a microscope.
Can a bug bite only once?
After seeing a single bite, people wonder if it is a bug, how many times one bug can bite, and whether this is evidence of the presence of parasites in the house.
An adult bedbug requires 7 mg of blood, which is twice its own weight. It is impossible to obtain such a volume in one go. You have to make several punctures at a short distance from each other, and the bug gradually swells and changes color. A bedbug larva needs 1–2 mg to satiate itself, so it limits itself to one bite. Moreover, it is more difficult for them to make punctures in human skin than for adults.
What do bedbug bites look like in children?
Children are a special risk group. In apartments or private houses where house bugs live, small children will be the first to be attacked. This is due to the fact that babies have more delicate and thin skin, to which blood vessels are located very close. At the same time, body odor in children is not as pronounced as in adults. It does not cover the smell of blood, which attracts bedbugs.
Externally, bedbug bites in children look similar to the bites of adults. But, if for men this situation is not a problem and a bug bite can become almost unnoticeable by the morning, then for children the situation is different. Children's skin is very sensitive, and a domestic bug bite will leave a mark for a long time. Moreover, the areola of redness near the bite itself will be bright red and large. And if you also take into account that the place where the bugs bit is itchy, then small children will definitely aggravate the situation. Therefore, adults should use a special anti-bedbug ointment or other medications at the first suspicion.
Habitat
Water bugs live in bodies of water with standing water. These could be ponds, lakes, large puddles, or even rainwater collection tanks. They can be found in any region; for example, water striders and smoothies live in almost any climatic zone. But giant bugs are found mainly in the tropics.
Water bugs live in water, or more accurately, on water. They do not have the ability to take oxygen for breathing from water, so they are forced either not to dive into the water, like water striders, or to dive, but at the same time rise up to capture a limited supply of air. For this they have air sacs.
The overwhelming majority of species of water bugs live in fresh water, but there are also those who can live in the sea.
The lifespan of a bedbug rarely exceeds two to three years. For the winter, they come to land or hide in algae thickets. Some species are capable of freezing and hibernating, burying themselves in the muddy bottom of a reservoir.
Bedbug bites symptoms and differences
In most cases, bedbugs attack at night. And only in the morning a person notices inflamed areas on the body.
If you have bed bugs, bed bugs, symptoms and other features should be carefully studied. To do this, we highlight important key points that allow a person to determine that a mark on the skin is the result of a bedbug bite:
- severe itching and burning;
- pronounced tubercle;
- there is a red areola around the tubercle;
- number of bites from three to five in one area;
- bites are located in a straight line;
If you find similar features in bites, inspect the bed. Drops of blood or black spots may remain on the laundry.
Bed bugs that have drunk enough blood can be easily crushed by hand while sleeping. Their remains are visible on the bed.
Bedbug bites differ from flea or mosquito bites in their multiplicity. They are also more red and very painful. Unlike ticks, bedbugs, on the contrary, leave soft and small punctures. In this case, during a bite, the bug plunges into the skin almost with its head. They also differ from allergies. An experienced dermatologist will notice with the naked eye a small puncture from a bite on the red bump.
Effective treatments
If you find bite marks, the first step is to wash the affected areas with warm water and antibacterial soap.
This will help prevent the development of dangerous symptoms such as itching and bloating. Then you can use available tools, which are found in almost every apartment:
- soda solution. They need to wash the bitten area. Another option is to apply baking soda to the affected area for 10-15 minutes;
- green or black tea. If you find bed bugs bitten in the photo, apply the tea leaves to the affected areas;
- chamomile, dill or plantain. From these funds you can make an infusion for washing wounds;
- ice. It is recommended to apply to affected areas on the body.
Each of these remedies can help treat bite marks at home for a short time and prevent the development of serious symptoms. To consolidate the results of treatment, it is recommended to use ointments and balms such as Fenistil, Belogent, Iricar, Kuterid and Cikaderma. They will help heal the skin, regardless of what kind of bedbug bites you find in the photo.
If allergic reactions occur on the legs, arms and other parts of the body, it is necessary to use antihistamines such as Erolin, Lomilan, Suprastin, Cloridol and Diazolin. Before taking them, it is important to consult with a doctor, who will accurately recognize which areas of the body are itching and whether this is a sign of another allergy in the body. It is not recommended to self-medicate using pictures and instructions on the Internet, otherwise there is a risk of aggravating the development of the disease.
What places do bedbugs like to bite?
The bug mainly bites at night and in those places where the skin is thinnest and the blood vessels are located close to the surface. Parasites are primarily attracted to exposed areas of skin, and only then do they get under clothing and continue to suck blood. Most often, vinegar for bedbugs can be found:
- on the back and shoulders,
- on the legs and arms,
- on the neck and back of the head.
Quite rarely, marks appear on a person’s face or stomach.
I had bedbugs in my apartment that were discovered after the first bites. Before going to bed, I lit an aromatic lamp with the scent of lavender, put a few drops of oil on the night lamp and put lavender sprigs under the bed. The insects stopped biting.
How do bedbugs bite?
The parasite's mouthparts resemble a proboscis. With its help, the insect pierces the human skin and sucks out blood. Blood is the food for these insects. The process is quite simple. The parasite chooses a suitable place for it and bites through the human skin. After this, he sucks some blood from the resulting hole and moves further along the body. At a distance of three or five centimeters, it again bites through the skin and drinks blood.
At one time, an insect can make five or seven bites and only then get enough.
But do not forget that only one bug makes 2-3 bites per night! How many of these live in your bed?!
According to scientists, up to several thousand bedbugs can live in one bed. But this is not the limit: there is a real case when 150 thousand bedbugs were found in a single room, most of which lived in the bed! Therefore, if at least a tenth of this army of thousands is hungry, in the morning your body may be covered with multiple red itchy bites.
Bedbugs are not afraid of light and can bite even during the day.
Despite the fact that bedbugs only come out to feed at night (usually from 3 to 8 o’clock), in exceptional cases this can also happen during the day. This happens if the bedbugs are very hungry (so you understand what “very” means: bedbugs can live UP TO A YEAR without food!). What is force majeure for a bedbug? This is the absence of people nearby snoring peacefully at night. At risk: laundries, public transport, airports, offices and any other non-residential premises.
The following follows from this fact: bedbugs will not be afraid even of bright daylight or artificial light if they want to get their portion of blood. And they will want to!
Bedbugs bite all year round
Unlike other biting insects that have certain peaks of activity, bed bugs will live in your warm bed winter and summer unless you get rid of them.
Do bedbugs bite dogs?
Yes, they bite. Sometimes the most severe suffering from bedbug bites falls on dogs, and while in the house, bedbugs can feed on their blood for a long time before moving on to you. Why is this happening? It's simple: dogs, like cats, sleep most of the day - up to 18 hours! This allows bedbugs to drink blood without any problems, either at night or during the day.
Can bedbugs bite through clothing?
It's possible. Bed bugs pierce skin and suck blood using their proboscis, but it is not designed to pierce fabric, plastic or paper. If you sleep in pajamas, this may work to your advantage, but not for long - bedbugs run quickly and will still get to open areas of the body.
How dangerous are bedbug bites?
This is the question that most worries people who have been bitten by bedbugs. According to entomologists, up to 27 viruses of various diseases can be found in bedbugs, but it has been proven that they cannot transmit diseases through a bite.
This fact cannot but rejoice. Unlike the reactions of the nervous system to bites.
Scientists confirm that frequent bites may cause sleep disturbances, including insomnia, stress and irritability. It is believed that bedbug bites can cause constant crying in newborn babies. Also, in particularly severe cases, with significant blood loss, infants may develop anemia, and if the skin is particularly sensitive, any person may experience an allergic reaction.
Attention! Despite the fact that bedbugs are nocturnal insects, they are less afraid of light than of being hungry. They will come even if you turn on powerful spotlights in the room.
How long do the bites last?
Bedbugs need fresh portions of blood every 3-4 days, but if they have already managed to actively reproduce, then the bites will not have time to heal, because more and more new ones will be added to them. Since bites may not make themselves known immediately, you are unlikely to be able to pinpoint exactly what day you were bitten. As experts state, it can take up to 3-4 days for symptoms to appear, and in some cases up to 14.
Redness, itching, and swelling of the skin usually disappear within a few days. In more severe cases, for example, when a person has been bitten by hundreds of bedbugs, it will take longer - up to 3 weeks. If the bites do not go away, or you notice an increasing deterioration in your health, immediately consult a doctor - you may have an allergy, which should be treated under the supervision of a specialist.
Types of water bugs
The most common water bugs in the world are:
- water strider;
- smoothie;
- rower;
- belostoma;
- Ranatra.
They differ in appearance, size and lifestyle.
Water strider
This bug moves only on the surface of the water and does not dive under water. The water strider has a long, elongated and flattened body, three pairs of legs, with the front legs being slightly shorter, and the long hind legs allowing the bug to move very quickly through the water. The water strider uses small inhabitants of reservoirs that float to the surface or insects that fall into the water for food. Water striders can fly, but use their wings in emergencies. When the reservoir dries up, they can live on land, but it is difficult for them to move around plants or soil.
Gladysh
The smooth water bug has an oval, elongated brown body and very long hind legs, thanks to which it can move very quickly through the water. The smoothie swims, turning over on its back. However, in an inverted state, birds do not notice it. He has large eyes that allow him to see everything both above and below the water. These bugs love light very much, so in the evenings they can fly up or crawl towards sources of artificial light. The peculiarity of the bug is that it can chirp like a grasshopper. Smoothies feed on small fish, mosquitoes and other insects. The bug bites them, injects saliva with poison and enzymes inside, under the influence of which the insides decompose and turn into liquid, which the bug sucks up with its proboscis.
Grebljak
This bug is similar to the smooth one, but moves through the water with its back up. It has three pairs of legs, the hind ones being the longest. It is with them that he rows. The bug stays on the surface of the water due to a large air bubble accumulated under the elytra. He breathes air from this bubble while under water. To replenish air reserves, the bug emerges.
Belostoma
This is a giant water bug, its length reaches 10 cm. These bugs live mainly in South Asia, but are also found in the Far East. Small fish, frogs, insects, and turtles become victims of the giant bug. Its prey may be larger than the predator. The belostomy has very well developed front legs, they look like claws, with which the bug holds the victim.
Belostoma also differs from other bugs in the way it raises its offspring. The female lays eggs on the male's back. The male takes care of the eggs and carries them until the larvae hatch. He provides them with the best conditions, makes sure they are warm, and water circulates gently around them. It protects them from predators and other threats. Throughout this entire period, the male is occupied only with offspring, he cannot hunt, does not feed, and by the end of nursing he loses his strength. Most males by this time die from exhaustion.
Ranatra
This is a bug from the family of water scorpions. It looks like a thin twig. It has a very thin long body and three pairs of legs. The front legs are shorter and are a respiratory organ. Color – gray-yellow. Ranatra hunts tadpoles and fry, and does this even in a well-fed state. This bug, despite its long legs, is a poor swimmer; it moves by grabbing aquatic plants with its limbs. The presence of ranatra in a reservoir indicates that the water here is clean. This bug does not live in polluted waters.
Allergy to bedbug bites
The saliva of young individuals is considered the most dangerous. The allergen, penetrating inside, quickly spreads throughout the body. An allergic reaction can be local or general, worsening the condition of the entire body.
Allergy to bedbugs differs from other reactions in the following manifestations:
- In case of allergies, the bite mark exceeds 1 centimeter in diameter.
- A rash appears.
- Bite marks last for more than a week.
- Severe itching appears.
In addition to visual signs, other symptoms indicate the appearance of an allergy:
- Nasal congestion or severe runny nose.
- Dizziness, severe headache.
- Weakness.
- Labored breathing.
In rare cases, anaphylactic shock or Quincke's edema may occur.
How to treat bedbug bites?
As a rule, bedbug bites go away on their own after a few days. Men tolerate them especially easily. As for children, in this case certain actions should be taken. For example, you can use a special ointment for bedbug bites.
Medicines or pharmaceutical products to treat bites
If you don’t want to use traditional recipes, you can buy medicine for bedbugs:
Star
The most accessible and harmless remedy. If you lubricate the bite site with balm several times a day, the inflammation and itching will go away within a few days.
Price: 83 rub.
Bepanten gel
Suitable for people of all ages. The drug relieves itching, swelling and inflammation.
Price: 673 rub.
Psilo balm
Works like Bepanten gel.
Price: 239 rub.
Comparative table of remedies for bedbug bites
| Product | Type of impact | Price |
| Star | Relieves itching and symptoms of bites | 83 RUR |
| Bepanten gel | Heals damaged skin | 673 RUR |
| Psilo balm | Heals damaged skin | 239 RUR |
| If you have a severe allergy, be sure to go to the doctor | comprehensive approach, competent treatment | Depends on honey. insurance |
Treatment of a severe allergic reaction
The question of what to apply to bedbug bites when a severe allergic reaction occurs deserves special attention. If you are allergic to bedbug bites, treatment should be prescribed by a doctor. The specialist will prescribe antihistamines. This may be a cream, ointment or tablets. Most of the prescribed drugs are hormonal drugs. Therefore, it is important to correctly determine the dosage and course of treatment. Self-medication in this case is unacceptable.
Folk or home remedies for treating bites
If you don’t know how to treat bedbug bites, pay attention to traditional medicine. There are several home remedies that can help you cope with bites and alleviate their consequences:
- Redness and itching will become less severe if you rinse the bite area under cold running water.
- A bath with the addition of a decoction of St. John's wort, calendula and chamomile will help relieve the inflammatory process.
- Use alcohol to disinfect the affected skin area.
- You can lubricate the bite site with aloe juice or apply pieces of ice to it.
- Laundry or tar soap, as well as soda, are good for bites.
Remember! Bed bugs get used to the unpleasant smell. The use of aromatic oils is a prevention of bites.
How to get rid of it at home
To combat parasites, you need to prepare the room: remove the mattress from the bed, remove pictures from the walls, remove the carpet, disassemble the closet with clothes. To treat furniture, window sills, walls and floors with baseboards, folk remedies with decoctions of mint, wormwood, and chamomile are used. Boil these herbs in water and spray the resulting liquid onto insect habitats.
If there are too many places where bedbugs accumulate, and treating the furniture with a herbal decoction did not help, then chemical agents are used to help successfully fight them:
- Gektor. Apply the powder to the nests of parasites. Avoid getting the product wet.
- Executioner. The bottle is mixed with 0.5 liters of water and sprayed onto problem areas. Carry out treatment once every 5 days.
- Insecticide. Spray the product at a distance of 20 cm from the place where parasites accumulate. After this, close all windows for several hours and then ventilate the apartment.
- Battalion commander Before using the drug, put on gloves and a mask and remove residents and pets from the apartment. The balloon is sprayed onto problem areas. Repeat the procedure after 14 days.
- Karbofos. The product is mixed with water (dosage 30 g per 3-5 liters of water) and applied to areas where bedbugs accumulate. The procedure is repeated after 3 weeks.
Important! Do not use Dichlorvos to control bed bugs. This remedy will not give much results, because it is intended only for cockroaches and ants.
In order not to encounter the problem of bed bugs again in the house and not to think later about how to get rid of them, follow the following preventive measures:
- Always check new furniture, especially if you bring it from other people.
- Fill cracks in walls and floors. Replace parquet with laminate, do not allow wallpaper to peel off, and do not hang carpets on the wall.
- Never use discarded furniture. It is advisable not to even sit on it, since there is a high probability of infection of the entire apartment through contact of things.
If you encounter parasites, do not rush to get upset and look for a new place to live. It is quite possible to remove bedbugs; the main thing is to be patient and purchase modern products that these insects are afraid of.
Consequences of bites for the body as a whole
It is impossible to predict the consequences. Each organism is individual, as is the reaction to a bite. It is worth noting that children of bedbugs cause the same harm to humans as adults. If bedbugs have left bites on the body, they must be disinfected. Otherwise, an infection may develop on the wound, which will lead to a severe deterioration in the general condition.
After bedbugs leave bites on a person’s body, itching and burning appear, causing irritability, insomnia and even depression. You must immediately relieve the itching and begin exterminating insects.
How to relieve itching
It's no use scratching. Firstly, this only helps for a while, and secondly, scratching damages the skin, the wound becomes larger and takes longer to heal. You can accidentally introduce some kind of infection into scratching and harm yourself even more.
To reduce itching, you can use essential oils with a cooling effect, make a cool compress, or lubricate the area with special anti-itch ointments or gels.
If there are a lot of bites, an allergic reaction to them may occur. To reduce discomfort, you should take antihistamines. It is advisable to consult a doctor for a prescription.
Bedbug bites in children
Above we described in detail what a bedbug bite looks like on the body of an adult. Parasites leave a similar mark on the bodies of young children. It is worth noting that insects bite small children more often than adults. This is due to the physiological characteristics of the child. Babies have more delicate skin and blood vessels are located closer to the skin.
Danger for children
The danger of bites for children is the high risk of an allergic reaction. The parasite's saliva contains a dangerous poison, which, when bitten, penetrates the child's skin and instantly spreads throughout the body. If the baby has a tendency to allergic reactions, then the consequences of the bite can be quite severe.
Another danger is the desire of children to scratch the bite. As a result, a wound forms on the baby’s body, on which other infectious diseases can develop.
Symptoms
After a domestic bug bite, redness appears on the child’s body, which is very itchy. In the middle of the red spot you can see a small bump. The number of bites ranges from three to five pieces. They are located in a straight line. Children become whiny, nervous and constantly scratch the bite sites.
Do bedbugs bite through clothes?
To understand whether a house bug can bite through clothing, you just need to know how its mouthparts work. The parasite makes a puncture in human skin with its proboscis, which is only 0.7 mm long.
Proboscis
Its small size does not allow it to reach the human epidermis through clothing. Moreover, the fabric has a denser structure than human skin and the insufficient elasticity of the proboscis prevents the bug from piercing the material.
When a bug lands on clothing, it tries to get under it or run for cover.
How to protect yourself from bedbug bites?
There are many myths on the Internet about what remedies help protect against bedbug bites. Here are the two most common myths:
- Repellent sprays will protect you from bites. Not true. Repellents can help against the bites of mosquitoes, ticks, and some other insects, but the bugs didn’t care what you sprayed on yourself.
- Insecticidal "bedbug bombs" can kill insects and thereby prevent their bites. Not true: unfortunately, they also don’t work, because the smoke from the insecticide cannot get into those hidden places where bedbugs are buried. Moreover: having felt such a chemical attack, the bedbugs will hide even deeper into their crevices - and then it will become even more difficult to get rid of them!
To protect yourself from their bites, you need to use only products tested and approved by scientists. And don’t forget: you need to get rid of not only adults, but also larvae and even potential adult biter eggs.
But not everything is so simple: you cannot destroy bedbugs with any one method. Along with thorough cleaning, you need to comprehensively use other methods, for example, an electronic bedbug repeller .
Here are 3 main steps:
- use bedbug detectors to identify the presence of bedbugs in the house and even their routes.
- “dress” your mattress in a special mattress protector to cure an old mattress or protect a newly purchased one from bedbugs.
- purchase an effective anti-bedbug spray to treat infested areas in the house.
Remember: up to 150 thousand bedbugs can live in your bed! So don’t delay and start the fight right now!
Prevention
There is no 100% effective protection against bedbug bites; if parasites have already appeared, they will need to be destroyed. The best way to do this is to hire a professional pest control company. Since bedbugs are highly mobile, you need to understand that removing them from an apartment may not give lasting results - they will return from neighbors, come through the ventilation system, etc. For this reason, it is better to carry out disinfestation together.
Before the complete extermination of insects is completed, wet clean the floors, move the sleeping areas away from the walls, change the bed linen and wash it in hot water. Pillows and mattress will need to be carefully checked and ironed with steam. Make the new bed so that it does not touch the floor; if possible, place small containers filled with water under each leg of the bed. Bedbugs don’t like the smell of tobacco – you can take this into account.
In hotels (especially cheap ones) and trains, bedbugs are not uncommon. Always carefully inspect the room where you plan to spend the night; if alarm bells appear, take the items you traveled in to the dry cleaner or wash them at high temperatures.
