Bed bugs | healthdirect

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Bed bugs are small insects that feed on your blood, often causing itchy bites. They tend to live around your bed and travel on clothing, furniture, bedding and luggage. While they do not transmit diseases, they are upsetting and can be hard to get rid of.

Bed bugs are oval-shaped and flat. They can grow up to 5mm long, changing colour from cream to brown as they mature. While they need to feed on blood to grow, they are resilient and can live for up to a year without a feed.

Bed bugs tend to live in cracks and crevices in and around your bed, especially in mattress seams. They prefer to feed on humans but will also feed on other warm-blooded animals. They mainly feed at night.

Signs of a bed bug infestation include:

Bed bug bites can cause red, itchy spots. These are often found on your legs, arms and shoulders. Some bites can become infected. Some people dont react, while others may not react until up to 9 days after theyre bitten.

Very occasionally, people with multiple bites have lost so much blood they became anaemic. Some doctors believe bed bugs may trigger allergies andasthma.

Bed bug bites tend to clear up on their own, or with simple first aid measures. Read about treating insect bites.

See your doctor if you are concerned about your bites. Your doctor may recommend steroid creams or antihistamines if your bites are very itchy or severe. If a bite has become infected, your doctor may prescribe antibiotics.

It can be hard to get rid of bed bugs. You will need to buy a product designed to kill bed bugs. But if there is an infestation, you may want to call a pest control company.

You will need to treat all areas where the bed bugs hide, including under the mattress and in all cracks and crevices. Thoroughly vacuum the whole area and remove the contents of the vacuum in a sealed plastic bag.

You should wash all clothing and bedding that may have been contaminated with bed bugs at 60oC.

You can help prevent infestations by:

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Last reviewed: February 2019

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Bed bugs | healthdirect