Bed Bugs

Bed bugs are small oval-shaped and flat insects. They can grow up to 5mm long, changing colour from cream to brown as they mature. While they need to feed on blood to grow, they are resilient and can live for up to a year without a feed.

Bed bugs tend to live in cracks and crevices in and around your bed, especially in mattress seams and travel on clothing, furniture, bedding and luggage. They prefer to feed on humans but will also feed on other warm-blooded animals. They mainly feed at night.

While they do not transmit diseases, bed bugs are upsetting and can be hard to get rid of.

What are bed bugs?

What are the signs and symptoms of bed bugs?

Signs of a bed bug infestation include:

• Regularly waking with bites

• Bed bugs on your mattress, bed frame, and other furniture

• Brown spotting (bed bug faeces) or blood spots on your mattress

• A musty, sweet smell with large infestations

• Bed bug bites can cause red, itchy spots that are often found on legs, arms, and shoulders. Some bites can become infected. Some people do not react, while others may not react until up to 9 days after they are bitten.

 Very occasionally, people with multiple bites have lost so much blood they became anaemic. Some doctors believe bed bugs may trigger allergies and asthma.