There are several facts about bed bugs that you may find interesting (and some unsettling). The more you know about everyone’s most dreaded pest, the better you can do your best to avoid them.

There’s more than what meets the eye with this pesky bug, and there are many facts you’d be surprised to learn. If you want to learn some weird and interesting facts about bed bugs, keep reading for our list of 11.

1. Bed Bugs Are About as Big as an Apple Seed

Bed bugs are small, flat, are reddish-brown in color, and resemble an apple seed. They have six legs, are wingless, range from 1mm to 7mm.

An interesting fact about bed bugs that most people don’t know is that they can live several months without a blood meal. After feeding, they will be more rusty red in color.

2. Bed Bugs Are Found Across the Globe

The presence of bed bugs was once thought to be a problem only seen in developing countries. When in fact, the presence of bed bugs is spreading throughout first-world countries as well, such as the United States of America, Canada, the United Kingdom, and parts of Europe.

One of the most unsettling bed bug facts is that they tend to live within eight feet of where people sleep. However, they are capable of traveling over 100 feet in a night.

3. Females Lay Hundreds of Eggs Throughout Their Entire Life

Female bed bugs usually lay their eggs in a sheltered location. These locations range from mattress crevices and seams, box springs, under a baseboard, or in pillows.

Eggs take about four to twelve days to hatch into the first stage of a nymph. An interesting fact about bed bugs is the nymph (or young bed bug) goes through five stages before developing into an adult. Each stage required a blood meal. Fully-developed adult bed bugs live for around six to twelve months.

4. Bed Bugs Are Nocturnal

Another one of our facts about bed bugs is that they have adapted to become nocturnal. They often feed during the night and peak feeding and biting times most commonly occur right before dawn. Bed bugs take only as little as three minutes to feed before retreating to their hiding place to digest their meal.

5. Bed Bug Saliva Contains a Mild Anesthetic

‌One of the most interesting facts about bed bugs that most people don’t know is that their saliva contains a mild anesthetic. If you have ever wondered why people don’t notice or feel bed bug bites, you now have your answer.

The saliva of bed bugs anesthetizes the areas they bite. So their prey often stays asleep while bed bugs feed.

6. Bed Bug Bites Are Often Mistaken for Mosquito or Flea Bites

Unlike a mosquito or flea bite, bed bug bites do not initially hurt. However, their bites do transform into itchy welts.

Fleas tend to bite around the ankles, but bed bugs will feed on any part of the body that is exposed. Flea bites also have a red spot in the center, while a bite from a bed bugs does not.

Bed bug bites are usually mistaken with mosquito bites since they look similar. However, mosquitoes do not bite through clothing while bed bugs do.

7. Bed Bugs Prefer Warm-Blooded Hosts

All stages of bed bugs, whether adult or nymph, must take their blood meals from warm-blooded hosts. Humans are their usual victims, but they will also feed on other mammals or birds if there is no human host available.

Since most people are asleep during the nighttime, this is when bed bugs feed because their hosts don’t know they are being fed upon. Other mammals bed bugs will feed on in the absence of a human include dogs, cats, and rodents.

8. Bed Bugs Aren’t Only Found in Homes and Hotels

It’s common for people to think of bed bugs in homes or hotels, hence the name bed bugs. The truth is, bed bugs can be found and thrive just about anywhere humans are.

Some places include hospitals, office buildings, university dormitories, public transportation, movie theatres, and even laundry facilities.

9. Bed Bugs Are Elusive

Bed bugs are so great at hiding it has turned into their survival instinct. They know how to hide in mattress crevices, baseboards, box springs, behind wallpaper or electrical switchplates, and even in picture frames.

Bed bugs know it’s wiser for them to hide during the daytime, but the carbon dioxide we exhale at night time is what tempts them out of their hiding spots.

10. Bed Bugs Can Easily Be Transported From Place to Place by People

Since bed bugs are so elusive, it’s easy for people to transport them from place to place. Bed bugs can hide in overnight bags, in the seams of luggage, and in clothing folds. Another common way bed bugs are transported to different locations is when people transport furniture.

It’s common for people to not realize they are transporting bed bugs as they travel from location to location. Once they do, they infect areas as they go.

11. Bed Bugs Aren’t Found Only in Dirty Homes or Locations

It is a widespread myth that the presence of bed bugs determines the cleanliness of the living condition where these insects are found. This is common bed bug information that is not true.

Bed bugs can be found in both dirty and clean rooms. Bed bugs don’t discriminate between a 5-star hotel and a low-budget motel.

The Good and the Ugly: Facts About Bed Bugs

Facts about bed bugs range from interesting to unsettling. The good thing is the more you know about everyone’s most dreaded pest, the more you know how to avoid them.

We hope you found this article helpful. If you have a bed bug infestation you need taken of ASAP, please don’t hesitate to contact us and get a free estimate and same-day service for bed bugs.

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