Bed Bugs: Bites but No Bugs?!?!?
What's biting me? Is it Bed Bugs?
Edited by Owen from Dr. Richard Cooper’s article – Bed Bugs: A New Day
Dr. Richard Cooper, a frequent speaker at industry trade shows and educational events, shares his recommendations for implementing a successful bed bug program. Dr. Cooper is a well-known pest control consultant with more than 35 years of industry experience. He is the owner and president of R. Cooper Consulting, an independent firm providing consulting services in urban entomology and pest management. Cooper also holds a research position in the Urban Pest Management Lab at Rutgers University, Department of Entomology.
This tiny pest has plagued humankind throughout recorded history, but the pest management industry has learned a great deal in recent years. Go beyond biology and behaviour in the following piece, which covers client preparation and cooperation, inspection tips and tricks, management versus elimination, and more.
The common bed bug, Cimex lectularius L., is about 4.8 mm long and 3.2 mm wide, broadly oval and flat. It is brown to reddish-brown in colour, with a three-segmented beak, four-segmented antennae, and vestigial wings. Prior to feeding, nymphs appear translucent or pale in colour. Bed bugs have very thin, vertically flattened bodies covered with short, golden-coloured hairs.
Bed bugs are nocturnal insects that feed exclusively on blood, which is required for their development and reproduction. Humans are their primary host, but bed bugs will also readily feed on birds and other animals (Usinger 1966).
PERFORMING AN INSPECTION
When dealing with active infestations, inspection and the implementation of control measures go hand in hand and are often done simultaneously rather than as separate activities. For a comprehensive review on inspections and monitoring, refer to Vaidyanathan and Feldlaufer (2013) and Cooper and Wang (2018a).
The most common type of inspection is a visual one. Bed bug traps are another tool that can assist in detecting and monitoring bed bug activity. Regardless of the methods used, it is important to recognise that it is virtually impossible to declare a dwelling 100% bed bug-free using current inspection tools and techniques.
WHERE TO LOOK
Most bed bugs are found in close association with sleeping or resting areas. It is important to identify all areas being used as sleeping and/or resting areas, as these will influence how the infestation is distributed. Specifically, check under fabric bed base boxes or beneath wooden slats in futon-style beds. Headboards are also a favourite hiding place for bed bugs.
While beds are the most commonly infested areas, infestations are also frequent in upholstered furniture such as sofas or chairs where people may doze off or sleep. Don’t overlook desk chairs used for long periods, especially at computers. Infestations under carpet edges, as well as on, under, and behind baseboards and floorboards, should be expected when people are sleeping on the floor.
CONFIRM BEDBUGS
If bed bugs are suspected, the first step should be to confirm whether an infestation actually exists. They are often suspected due to physical symptoms (e.g., itchy welts). In the absence of a biting insect, an inspection should be carried out to look for signs of their presence.
Evidence may appear as faecal deposits (black marks), cast skins (shells), live insects, or eggs (2mm long white cylinders). The use of bed bug monitors, such as pitfall-style interceptors, is highly effective for detecting bed bugs as they move in search of a blood meal. When populations are reduced to very low levels, these interception devices are not only useful in detecting low-level activity but can also aid in eliminating the infestation.
If you inspect the areas mentioned above and there is an active infestation, live bed bugs are typically overt and easy to find.
Dr Cooper confirms that bites are NOT useful for diagnosing what insect you have. Bites only reflect how reactive your body is. Bites in a line are not diagnostic of bed bugs as fleas can also bite in a line. Often people with severe bed bug infestations have no VISABLE bites, as their body is not reactive to bites from insects.
Blood in the bed sheets may have other causes besides Bed Bugs and by itself is not diagnostic of Bed Bugs.
Please note: that live bugs must be found in order to confirm an active infestation of bed bugs.
I STILL HAVE ITCHY WELTS BUT NO BUGS?
If you don’t find bed bugs but continue experiencing itchy welts, you may want to rule fleas in or out. Remember, fleas can exist in homes and businesses without cats or dogs. You can do this by purchasing a flea trap from a local hardware store for around NZ$40.
Care should be taken when examining suspected evidence of bed bugs to avoid misidentification. German cockroach faeces can resemble those of bed bugs but differ in texture—cockroach droppings are rough, while bed bug faeces (dried blood) are smooth and will smear when dabbed with a damp cloth. Cockroach droppings will not. Immature cockroaches are frequently found in the same environments as bed bugs and can be misidentified by those without proper training.
Silverfish life stages are also sometimes found on the floor near beds and can be confused with bed bug life stages.
Psocids (Booklice), a common structural pest in home where moisture is an issue and resemble first instar bed bugs and can be misidentified if not examined carefully.
Uncommonly, bird mite bites may also be mistaken for first instar bed bugs.
UNEXPLAINED BITES
If no bed bugs can be found, the flea trap yields nothing, and the welts continue, then the bites are unexplained. The next step is to contact your GP to explore non–pest-related causes of the itchy welts.
