Is a Bed Bug Bite Dangerous?

Bed bug bites are itchy and may lead to infection when scratched. The bed bugs are discriminating eaters. They prefer any part of the body that has good blood flow.  With their wingless, brownish ultra thin bodies, bed bugs start to become a problem when they become hungry for blood. An adult bed bug can absorb around seven times its own body weight in blood.

The warmth of a nearby body is what attracts them but they cannot detect a food source that is around 5-10cm away. They use their highly developed mouthparts to bite and suck blood from the skin of an unsuspecting person.

Feeding time can last as long as seven minutes or as short as one minute. And the bed bug immediately retreats to its hiding place after feasting and then lays eggs again.

Bed bugs bite can cause itchiness and swollen rash (bed bug rash). And this rash does not heal fast and the bed bug bite is far more itchy than mosquito bites.

A person will realize that he has been bitten by a bed bug only when he discovers the large welt in the affected part of the body. These welts eventually develop into a tiny red mark that will stay for at least two to three days. A bed bug bite can also be distinguished by the orderly way the welts are formed, unlike mosquito bites that have a random pattern. The affected area of a bed bug bite should never be scratched in order to avoid infection. It should immediately be washed with soap and water.

A starving bed bug looks far more different compared to one that is well fed. Young bed bugs or nymphs resemble the adults but have a yellowish color after molting. A nymph can develop into a fully grown bed bug for as fast as one month depending on how much it is able to eat. They typically stay in their homes in between meals and are only forced to go out if they are starving.

Bed bugs do suck blood but they are have not been linked to the transmission of any disease. So although they are a nuisance, they currently do not pose a medical threat to humans.  Unlike mosquitoes, which transmit and transfer diseases from one person to another, bed bugs’ bites are not that as serious. Scientists have found that bed bugs’ stomachs have linings and peptides that will not allow bacteria, fungi and viruses to thrive. However, there are some who can get skin infections and scars from scratching the bite of bed bugs.

Caution: Pay close attention to bed bug bite on children. Children have less control in scratching an itch. And scratching a swollen bed bug bite would scrape the skin and may lead to an infection.

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