Do I Have Bed Bugs

Bed bugs: do I have them? Are these bed bug bites?

What bed bugs (or bedbugs) look like depends partly on their life stage and whether they’ve just had a blood meal or not. You need to know that the adults are about the size of an apple seed, and the youngest nymphs can be the size of a speck of dirt. In other words, very difficult to see. The unfed nymphs are light-colored, whereas a bed bug that has fed will be red, rust, or brown in color. 

They also hide well. They can be very thin (like a piece of paper) and can slip into cracks. They may be hiding in places you do not think anything can get into. Though they prefer to feed late at night (around 3-5 am seems to be ideal), they may bite you without your knowledge, during the night or day, in bed or while you sit in a chair or on a sofa. You can be bitten for months and months without seeing an actual bug dead or alive. And bed bug bites can be hard to identify, and can look like several other conditions–and they don’t look the same on everyone. 

Here is a photo used with permission from Stephen L. Doggett, Senior Hospital Scientist in the Department of Medical Entomology at the University of Sydney and Westmead Hospital. This is their bed bug site. He’s also the principle author or the Code of Practice for the Control of Bed Bug Infestations in Australia,which can be downloaded from the same site. We thank Stephen L. Doggett for giving us permission to post this helpful photo!

Where can I learn more?

This is a highly informative PowerPoint presentation by Harold Harlan, a well-known bed bug researcher. You will be able to gain a lot from it even though it is obviously meant to accompany a presentation. Warning, if you click the following link, a PPT presentation will be downloaded. You need PowerPoint, or a compatible program, to view it. Harold Harlan’s PowerPoint.

These are some links to Bed Bug Fact Sheets from university extension services and entomology departments:

University of Sydney (warning: link will open PDF )

Harvard University Public Health site on Bed bugs and Harvard’s environmental services department’s Bed Bugs page (for photos of eggs, bugs and so on).

Armed Forces Pest Management Guide to Bed Bugs (written by Harold Harlan)

Here are some photos from Lou Sorkin–the set includes first instars, youngest hatched bed bugs, about 1 mm in size, feeding.

Other things that might be bothering you

Bed bugs are rapidly spreading right now, but these other closely related species may also be the source of your woes:

Bat Bugs (Wikipedia entry with photo). More bat, bird, rat bug information to come when we find it.

Less closely related are bird mites (U of Sydney page on bird mites) and scabies mites. Many of us are erroneously treated for scabies in the first instance; doctors can test for scabies and you should get them to do this before treatment if at all possible. You’ll be praying it’s scabies anyway, and hey, if you’re lucky, you’ll be right. (I wasn’t.)

It’s worth ruling out fleas (yes, even if you don’t have pets!)  This Bedbugger.com FAQ on fleas explains how to detect fleas and gives helpful DIY trap and treatment ideas from some of our pest experts.

This PDF from the University of Kentucky outlines a number of insect and non-insect causes for unexplained itching. Click to load PDF.

Non-insect causes include: allergies to cosmetics, animals, chemicals of all kinds may cause similar symptoms. There will, obviously, be no bed bug feces, bugs, or cast of shells in this case. See dermatologist and/or allergist.

Hot-tub folliculitis: apparently time in a hot tub can lead to a special bacterial infection that also looks a bit like these other conditions. Again, see your doctor.

Delusional Parasitosis is a condition in which people think that insects are crawling on them and biting them, when they are not. Although this American Entomologist article by Nancy C. Hinkle is entitled “Delusory Parasitosis” (click here to load a PDF), it also outlines how very realenvironmental, physical, and other conditions can cause similar symptoms to a bed bug infestation, including itching, crawling sensations (formication), skin conditions and rashes. While it is true that people are occasionally mistakenly diagnosed with Delusory Parasitosis (and later discover their symptoms to have been caused by bed bugs or another cause), it is a common condition.

If you think you have bed bugs but have not got a bed bug specimen, you should take steps to verify whether you do have bed bugs or another medical, pharmaceutical, or environmental cause. Enlist the help of PCOs and entomologists in identifying any insects or cast-off shells you find. You should at the very least see some bed bug feces (which can appear as small black specks or sometimes stains on the bed). Experienced PCOs can often identify the presence of bed bugs by such evidence. In the absence of any bed bug evidence, be persistent about seeing your physician and preferably a dermatologist as well, until someone is able to help you.

Detecting Stealthy Bed Bugs

Many varieties of bed bug monitors are available now to help you (or your pest management professional) determine if you have bed bugs.

Active monitors actively attract bed bugs using Co2, heat, pheromones, or kairomones.

However, those options were quite costly. There are now much less expensive active monitors which still work to attract and trap bed bugs, for detection purposes.

“Detecting Bed Bugs Using Bed Bug Monitors,” written by Changlu Wang, outlines options for detecting bed bugs, including instructions on how to implement a DIY dry ice monitor Wang’s office developed.  You can download it for free from the Rutgers website. Keep in mind, the dry ice monitor requires a certain level of knowledge (in handling dry ice) and dry ice can be costly and difficult to obtain. 

Luckily, in March 2010, a brand new active bed bug monitor debuted, one which uses C02 like the dry ice DIY monitor mentioned above, but which is much easier to assemble and run, using refillable C02 pellets instead of dry ice.  The Bed Bug Beacon, designed by David James (who also invented the Packtite and Bed Bug Blue) is also priced under $50, and you can refill the pellets cheaply for longer or repeated use. 

Passive Monitors

You or your PCO may also decide to employ a passive or interceptor bed bug monitor. Right now, the most common are probably the Climbup Insect Interceptors and BBAlert Passive monitors.

Climbup (TM) Interceptors catch bed bugs which leave or climb onto the piece of furniture. You place disks under the legs of beds, sofas, chairs, etc. You can get a set of four for under $22, or a dozen for under $60. (Make sure you get one for every leg of the item you want to use them with.)
They will be a helpful detection device in many cases. And they are great for people who don’thave bed bugs yet, as they would detect bed bugs which come in to feed on you via attached apartments or houses. Note some complaints have come from people using these on thick carpeting, which may cause them to crack more easily.

If you want something to trap bed bugs climbing onto or off of the bed, but the ClimbUp Interceptor does not suit the design of your bed legs, the Bed Bug Barrier may be another option.

David Cain of bed-bugs.co.uk has designed a passive bed bug monitor which is now being marketed as the BBAlert Passive.  It is designed to be attached to various types of beds and serves as an attractive harborage for bed bugs.  When bed bugs harbor there, you will soon find fecal traces, cast skins, or even bed bugs upon routine inspection of the monitor.  It can then be removed and placed in a sealed bag to be shown to a pest professional, landlord, etc.  

Finally, canine scent detection dogs are now being trained to sniff out bed bugs. Canine scent detection can be an effective option. They are not 100% effective, but can be better than a human visual search. It is crucial to understand that training methods vary. Canine dog handlers should know how to carefully search for a bed bug or egg in the vicinity after a dog alerts. Otherwise, you have no way of verifying whether you might have a false positive.