Nov 12, 2011 – Sneaky Bed Bugs
QUESTION:
I have a few questions on bed bugs. Can you have bed bugs and not see brown spots on the mattress? My client is saying that she did not feel being bitten - is that not normal as you would be asleep? My client traveled within the last 15 days and might have picked up this pest.
ANSWER:
This is one more reason that bed bugs present such a challenge to us - they do not always follow the rules. Typically, most people will not detect the biting activity of bed bugs, as the bug uses its saliva to numb the bite location enough to feed undetected. I have talked with several people who have told me they WATCHED the bug biting them and feeding on them and they felt absolutely no sensation of the bug's proboscis being shoved into their skin. What someone might feel is the bugs crawling on them, but even this may not happen as the bugs often rest on the bed covers and feed on the skin exposed right at that point. What people find that alerts them to the possibility they have bed bugs is usually the red bumps that may or may not appear shortly afterward, and even this can be inconsistent, with some people showing no reaction at all and others having a very severe reaction.
When WE go into an account to determine whether or not bed bugs are present we look for several visible signs, and those dark brown/black spots are one of them. This is the fecal spot that bed bugs commonly leave behind, excreting a blood drop from their anus right after feeding. That little spot may appear on the sheets or along the mattress where the bug has wandered as it returned to its hiding place. These spots also may emit pheromones that guide the bug back to its harborage or enlist other bugs to seek that harborage site as well. These dark spots would normally be expected where you have a resident population of bed bugs, but if this is a relatively new infestation there may not be many spots yet or the bug may have dropped that spot someplace else that is less visible. So, blood spots are just one of the things we look for.
About 70% to 80% of the bed bugs in an infested room are going to be on the bed, mattress, box spring, or bed framing - in other words, right there as close as they can be to their food supply. The good news is that this helps us with our inspection, but should not be completely defining, as in a small infestation the bugs may have chosen to reside in the nearby furniture, carpet edges, or anyplace else nearby. But, we can carefully examine the folds of the mattress for blood spots, shed exoskeletons, tiny white eggs, or the bugs themselves. More difficult is to examine the box spring, as the bugs can find their way inside and hide in less obvious places.
If you cannot find any evidence I suggest you place monitor traps under the posts of the bed frame, such as one of the pitfall traps. You also can place other kinds of monitoring traps nearby along the edge of the carpet to see if any bugs find their way in and are captured. Catching this problem early on will really help you to eliminate the bugs with the least effort, although that effort is still going to be pretty extensive.
View past Ask Mr. Pest Control questions.
I have a few questions on bed bugs. Can you have bed bugs and not see brown spots on the mattress? My client is saying that she did not feel being bitten - is that not normal as you would be asleep? My client traveled within the last 15 days and might have picked up this pest.
ANSWER:
This is one more reason that bed bugs present such a challenge to us - they do not always follow the rules. Typically, most people will not detect the biting activity of bed bugs, as the bug uses its saliva to numb the bite location enough to feed undetected. I have talked with several people who have told me they WATCHED the bug biting them and feeding on them and they felt absolutely no sensation of the bug's proboscis being shoved into their skin. What someone might feel is the bugs crawling on them, but even this may not happen as the bugs often rest on the bed covers and feed on the skin exposed right at that point. What people find that alerts them to the possibility they have bed bugs is usually the red bumps that may or may not appear shortly afterward, and even this can be inconsistent, with some people showing no reaction at all and others having a very severe reaction.
When WE go into an account to determine whether or not bed bugs are present we look for several visible signs, and those dark brown/black spots are one of them. This is the fecal spot that bed bugs commonly leave behind, excreting a blood drop from their anus right after feeding. That little spot may appear on the sheets or along the mattress where the bug has wandered as it returned to its hiding place. These spots also may emit pheromones that guide the bug back to its harborage or enlist other bugs to seek that harborage site as well. These dark spots would normally be expected where you have a resident population of bed bugs, but if this is a relatively new infestation there may not be many spots yet or the bug may have dropped that spot someplace else that is less visible. So, blood spots are just one of the things we look for.
About 70% to 80% of the bed bugs in an infested room are going to be on the bed, mattress, box spring, or bed framing - in other words, right there as close as they can be to their food supply. The good news is that this helps us with our inspection, but should not be completely defining, as in a small infestation the bugs may have chosen to reside in the nearby furniture, carpet edges, or anyplace else nearby. But, we can carefully examine the folds of the mattress for blood spots, shed exoskeletons, tiny white eggs, or the bugs themselves. More difficult is to examine the box spring, as the bugs can find their way inside and hide in less obvious places.
If you cannot find any evidence I suggest you place monitor traps under the posts of the bed frame, such as one of the pitfall traps. You also can place other kinds of monitoring traps nearby along the edge of the carpet to see if any bugs find their way in and are captured. Catching this problem early on will really help you to eliminate the bugs with the least effort, although that effort is still going to be pretty extensive.
View past Ask Mr. Pest Control questions.
