I’m sure that most of you have heard the phrase “Good night, sleep tight, don’t let the bed bugs bite.” You might even say this to your own children as you are tucking them into bed. As a kid, I never realized that bed bugs are actually a real bug. Never for the life of me would I have ever thought that there were actually tiny, blood sucking insects that feed on people while they sleep.
Bed bugs are small parasitic insects that usually feed on humans while they sleep. Bed bugs are mainly active at night, but are not exclusively nocturnal. They are capable of feeding on their hosts without being noticed.
Bed bugs were mentioned in ancient Greece as early as 400 BC, and were later mentioned by Aristotle. Bed bugs became a serious problem by WWII. They were almost wiped out during the 1940’s and 1950’s due to strong chemicals such as DDT. DDT has since been taken off of the market, which is one of the factors that have attributed to the recent increases in bed bug infestations.
What do bed bugs look like?
Bed bugs are small, oval non-flying insects. Bed bugs have flat bodies and may sometimes be mistaken for small cockroaches or other insects. Adult bed bugs reach 5 mm-7 mm in length, while nymphs (juveniles) are as small as 1.5 mm. Adult bed bugs are reddish brown in color. They appear more reddish after feeding on a blood meal. Nymphs are clear in color and appear bright red after feeding.
