Bed Bugs
Medical Author: Melissa Conrad Stöppler, MD
Medical Editor: William C. Shiel Jr., MD, FACP, FACR
What are bed bugs? What do bed bugs look like?
Bed bugs are small, oval, wingless insects that reach
about 1/4 inch in length. They belong to the insect family Cimicidae, which includes three species that bite
people. Bed bugs have flat bodies and are reddish-brown in color. They may
sometimes be mistaken for ticks or small cockroaches. Bed bugs feed by sucking
blood from humans or animals. They do not develop wings and cannot fly.
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| What does a bed bug look like? |
Where are bed bugs found?
Bed bugs were common in the U.S. before World War II and became rare after
widespread use of the pesticide DDT began in the 1940s and 1950s. They remained
prevalent in other areas of the world and, in recent years, have been
increasingly observed again in the U.S. Increases in immigration and travel from
the developing world as well as restrictions on the use of stronger pesticides
may be factors that have led to the relatively recent increase in bed bug
infestations. While bed bugs are most likely to be found when sanitation
conditions are poor or when birds or mammals are nesting on or near a home, bed
bugs can also live and thrive in clean environments. Crowded living quarters
also facilitate the spread of bed bugs.
Bed bugs can live in any area of the home and can reside in tiny cracks in
furniture as well as on textiles and upholstered furniture. They tend to be most
common in areas where people sleep and generally concentrate in beds, including
mattresses, box springs, and bed frames. Other sites where bed bugs often reside
include curtains, the corners inside dressers and other furniture, cracks in
wallpaper (particularly near the bed), and inside the spaces of wicker
furniture.
Since bed bugs can live for months without feeding, they can also be found in
vacant homes.
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| Picture of a bed bug |
Next: What about bed bugs in hotels? »
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