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Bed Bug Feeding Blood
The Bedbugs are live strictly by feeding on the blood of humans and other warm-blooded animals. The name 'bed bug' is derived from the insect's preferred habitat infesting houses and especially beds or other common areas where people may sleep. Bedbugs, though not strictly nocturnal, are mainly active at night and are capable of feeding unnoticed on their hosts.
Bedbugs are bloodsucking insects. They are normally out at night just before dawn, with a peak feeding period of about an hour before sunrise. Bedbugs may attempt to feed at other times if given the opportunity and have been observed feeding during all periods of the day. They reach their host by walking, or sometimes climb the walls to the ceiling and drop down on feeling a heat wave. Bedbugs are attracted to their hosts by warmth and the presence of carbon dioxide. The bug pierces the skin of its host with two hollow feeding tubes. With one tube it injects its saliva, which contains anticoagulants and anesthetics, while with the other it withdraws the blood of its host. After feeding for about five minutes, the bug returns to its hiding place. The bites cannot usually be felt until some minutes or hours later, as a dermatological reaction to the injected agents, and the first indication of a bite usually comes from the desire to scratch the bite site. Because of their natural aversion for sunlight, bedbugs come out at night.
Although bedbugs can live for a year or eighteen months without feeding, and purportedly up to three years in the case of the species Oeciacus vicarius (the cliff swallow bug), they normally try to feed every five to ten days. Bedbugs that go dormant for lack of food often live longer than a year, while well-fed specimens typically live six to nine months. At the 57th Annual Meeting of the Entomological Society of America in 2009, it was reported that newer generations of pesticide-resistant bedbugs in Virginia could survive only two months without feeding .Vermin and pets may also complicate a barrier strategy. Bedbugs prefer human hosts, but will resort to other warm-blooded hosts if humans are not available, and some species can live up to eighteen months without feeding at all. Anaphylactoid reactions produced by the injection of serum and other nonspecific proteins are observed and there is the possibility that the saliva of the bedbugs may cause anaphylactic shock in a small percentage of people. It is also possible that sustained feeding by bedbugs may lead to anemia. It is also important to watch for and treat any secondary bacterial infection.[citation needed] Systemic poisoning may occur if the bites are numerous.
Bed bugs feed on humans, usually at night when they are asleep. They feed by piercing the skin with their elongated mouthparts, which consist of two styles that normally fold under their body when at rest but fully extend during blood-meal feeding. One stylet has a groove that carries saliva into the wound, while the other has a groove through which body fluids from the host are taken in.
A single feeding may take up to 10 minutes, and feels like a pin prick, but because feeding usually occurs at night when people are asleep they are not aware they have been bitten until afterwards. However, saliva injected during the feeding can later produce large swellings on the skin that itch and may become irritated and infected when scratched. Swelling may not develop until a day or more after feeding, and some people do not show symptoms. Bed bugs currently are not considered to be disease carriers.
Bed bugs can go without feeding for 80 to 140 days. Older stages of nymphs can survive longer without feeding than younger ones, and adults have survived without food for as long as 550 days. A bed bug can take six times its weight in blood, and feeding can take 3 to 10 minutes. Adults live about 10 months, and there can be up to 3 to 4 generations of bed bugs per year.
All people are not equally sensitive to bed bug bites, so while some victims break out in rashes from the bites, other people may not display symptoms. When a reaction does occur, the results of feeding can be mild (a simple red spot) to severe (rash or even hives). Bed bugs have been discovered to harbor 28 different human pathogens, but fortunately, the transmission of these diseases to people has not been demonstrated. Dark blood spots on sheets and bedding may indicate bed bug feeding. Bed bugs will sometimes excrete while they are feeding. This results in darker (reddish or brownish) spots or smears placed on bed sheets, pillowcases and mattresses, or in nearby areas. This material is composed mostly of digested blood and the stains care very characteristic.
Bedbugs travel easily and quickly along pipes and boards, and their bodies are very flat, which allows them to hide in tiny crevices. In the daytime, they tend to stay out of the light, preferring to remain hidden in such places as mattress seams, mattress interiors, bed frames, nearby furniture, carpeting, between the pages of books, baseboards, inner walls, tiny wood holes, and/or room clutter. Bedbugs can be found on their own but will more often congregate in groups once established. They tend not to travel further than 100 feet (30 m) from their host to feed and will usually remain close to their blood supply in the same bedroom or living quarters where people sleep.
Exact nesting locations of a typical infestation can vary greatly as bedbugs will often attempt to hide themselves within a wide range of tiny areas or spaces, within cracks and crevices, or simply in darker locations where they are out of plain sight. Such hiding spots may not always be immediately obvious to an inexperienced searcher'”although bedbugs will indeed be much easier to find and locate once an infestation has become concentrated. A single intricate bed frame or mattress can hold a wealth of choice areas for bedbugs to hide so careful, meticulous inspection is a must. A standard mattress, however, is most likely to house bedbugs along the sewn piping material running along the outer edges on both the top and bottom sides of the mattress. The common bedbug is also most likely to hide in certain sections or parts of various types of beds if the segments are, in fact, present (i.e., hiding in the wooden head or footboard, for example, if the bed has one). Bedbugs may also quietly nest themselves under the cover of various materials and lie completely still for long periods making detection even more difficult.
where they may then feed (i.e. unless the couch had been effectively segregated or isolated beforehand to prevent bedbugs from crawling onto it). Then, upon the sleeping host providing a blood meal, it could be expected that the engorged bedbugs will attempt to make the couch itself their nesting location'”with the bugs congregating under the sofa, in the seams and folds of the fabric, in the crevices, in the creases atop and behind the headrest, amongst the armrests, in the cushions, in the wooden assembly, etc. Bedbugs usually will not wander too far from their meal. And this process of searching out a host, honing in to feed, then hiding in immediate and nearby crevices can take place over the course of a single night and, in such a manner, a couch or an upholstered chair may become heavily infested with bedbugs within a very short time. An effective isolation of lounge furniture and/or taking steps to avoid sleeping on couches (esp. in high risk environments) will help to prevent this.
Minimizing potential nesting locations (such as through the removing of, disposal, and/or bagging of various clutter often surrounding the typical bed'”i.e. both on, around, and under it) can make it easier to pinpoint the remaining areas where bedbugs may be hiding. But such additional hiding spots are often times unique to each case of infestation since virtually any small space or crack in a given room can be useful as a nesting site to bedbugs'”so long as it is close to the host. Unchecked, bedbugs will eventually expand their overall nesting locations into nearby furniture such as dressers or nightstands, in drawers, in the cracks of picture frames, in screw or nail holes to bedroom fixtures, behind mirrors, etc. Then into the carpet, or under rugs, up the walls, and into the corners and such'”the potential for nesting sites among such a wide range of appliances is numerous. Within a single bed, bedbugs may nestle themselves in the mattress (along the tufts, folds, and seams), in the supporting box spring, platform, or bunkie board, in the framed support structures as well as in the cracks where the individual parts and segments are attached. They may hide amongst the remaining bed frame (in the headboard, footboard or hollows of the siderailings and bed posts), within rips and tears or holes in the bed, under the base/platform, in between the bedding between the layers of sheets and mattress covers (etc.), in the wheels of the bed, among the bunk ladder assembly, under bed skirts, in the bedcoverings, etc. Complete disassembly and subsequent treatment of the entire bed frame may be necessary to reveal all nesting spots when bedbugs are present. A thorough inspection would also include checking the entire room for telltale signs of harborages and inspecting the surrounding flooring, baseboards, and walls, etc.
Bedbugs will also infest and nest in clutter that is often scattered around a typical bed'”such as in shoeboxes stored underneath or in boxed documents and photos. They may be found in nightstands as well as in objects placed on them. Or they may hide amongst clothes lying about in the room (though, it should be noted, that simply bagging all worn day clothing next to the bed every night while sleeping will help to prevent this). Bedbugs will also tend to nest in the baseboards along the bottoms of the walls, along the molding, under loose flooring or carpet, etc. And, depending on the proximity of such sites to the host and extent of the infestation, these locations should be expected. There are a multitude of other places where bedbugs have been known to hide as this list is by no means exhaustive. Where exactly it is that bedbugs go to nest may, in fact, be dependent on wherever it is that they can go'”albeit without going too far. But the extremes of their nesting locations are often relative to the numerical extent of the infestation, its source of origin, and how it is managed. Bedbugs, for example, nesting in the ceiling may indicate that they had entered the room and/or are spreading via the ceiling (i.e. possibly through the ceiling panels, vents, ceiling fixtures, pipes, etc.).
If children are in the house, bedbugs may also hide in toys and other recreational objects or in areas where younger ones play and/or nap. Bedbugs have also been found in door hinges, electrical fittings, in fire alarms, in lighting fixtures, amongst windowsills, in the cracks of plaster, behind peeled wallpaper, around curtains, in the cracks of brick and mortar, inside electronic devices, in various furniture, in floor cracks. And in blankets, purses, suitcases, lamp shades, inside speakers, under lamps, in vents, in shoes, above doorways and windows, under appliances, underneath linoleum, in storage, in books, in scattered paper, in envelopes, behind wiring, along piping (including both gas and plumbing pipes), in velcro, inside hollow doors, in ceiling fixtures, above the bed, in toys, in the ceiling, in phones, etc. -- put simply, it is possible that bedbugs may nest into any cracks or crevices that lie nearest to their hosts. Also, wicker furniture is known to be particularly targeted by bedbugs as a preferred nesting haven and should be removed in suspected areas.
Bedbugs, in some instances, can be incredibly localized in their tendency to remain generally close to their primary meal supply'”even making it possible for the sleeping quarters on the side of one room to become heavily infested while the sleeping areas of a different side in the same room can seem to get by relatively untouched. This esoteric tendency of bedbugs toward localized colonization can make detection of a growing infestation even more difficult up until the last minute. But, in any case, bedbugs will expand into nearby locations either as the infestation grows, as they are inadvertently transported from location to location and forced to hide, as they are repelled from various stimuli, or bedbug infestations will expand as they are cut off from nourishment and forced to traverse new whereabouts in search of a new blood supply.
Although bedbugs show a clear preference for hiding amongst certain materials such as wood or fabric, the nesting sites of a bedbug's choosing can literally be in any location that might allow them to remain nearest to their host and meal supply undetected. It is also possible that the nesting location may be physically on the host themselves inside their clothes'”especially if the clothes are not washed regularly or if the host is typically immobile, etc.
Bedbugs may also take refuge in unsuspected areas such as cars, luggage, moving vans, RVs, etc. And, where possible, will also feed on and nest nearby pets who may also be bitten. Bedbugs may also nest near other intruding animals that might be living within the house structure (such as near the roosting sites of bats, rodents, or birds, etc.).
Picture frames are classic hiding locations as are heating and air ducts. Also be sure to check inside clocks, phones, televisions and smoke detectors. The bottom line is that you need to treat any location if you as much as suspect activity.
Nightstands and dressers should be emptied and examined inside and out, then tipped over to inspect the woodwork underneath. Oftentimes the bugs will be hiding in cracks, corners, and recesses. 
The challenge is to find and treat all places where bugs and eggs may be present. Bed bugs tend to congregate in certain areas, but it is common to find an individual or some eggs scattered here and there. Persistence and a bright flashlight are requisites for success. Professional Inspectors sometimes also inject a pyrethrum-based, "flushing agent" into crevices to help reveal where bugs may be hiding. A thorough treatment of a home, hotel, or apartment may take several hours or days. Nymphs and adults generally feed at night and hide in crevices during the day. Occasionally people pick up bed bugs in theaters or on buses and trains. They also can bring them into their home on clothing, bedding, luggage, or firewood. 
While this course of action can often be understandable responses this isn't an efficient Bed Bugs remedy or cure for Bed Bugs because they will go into the walls, under the baseboards or any other Bed Bug hiding places. If a person manages to slide a credit card into a crack or crevice, a bed bug is likely to find a home and hidden place to breed for Bed Bug hiding places. Many families try unworkable home remedies for Bed Bugs or more extreme measures to get rid of Bed Bug hiding places '“ such as throwing out their Bed Bug-infested mattresses and bedding, and sometimes ripping out carpet and replacing furniture to rid Bed Bugs from their home! 
The evolution of obligate hematology (feeding only on blood) in the ectoparasitic Cimex lectularius seems to have originated and progressed from phytophagous (plant feeding) bugs that would predate by chance or accident, to predatory bugs feeding on invertebrates associated with nesting mammals or birds, to bugs that feed on the vertebrate host itself. The common flower bug, Anthocoris nemorum, which predates other insects and is occasionally herbivorous, is an example of a close relative to Cimex lectularius. Anthocoris nemorum will also pierce human skin and suck blood. In terms of bed bugs evolving to feed on humans, it has been hypothesised that bed bugs made the
Bedbugs evolved from what were once insects much like mosquitos. The atrophied remains of wings can be found upon the backs of bedbugs, and bedbugs still sometimes appear with the elongated aerodynamic body shape of a flying insect. A typical bedbug has body shape that is as flat and naroow as a credit card, which is a shape which allows bedbugs to slip through even very narrow cracks.. When a bedbug appears with the body shape of the flying bug from which bedbugs evolved, the body is not flat, but rather is tubular and more rounded.
It is believed that bed bugs originated in caves in the Mediterranean region of the world, feasting on the blood of bats. When humans began to inhabit these caves, the pests found them as an equally suitable blood source. However, because cave dwellers moved from place to place frequently, they proved to be an unreliable and inconsistent food supply for the insects. It was not until the early establishment of villages and cities that the bugs' presence became a notable problem.
Manifest logs tell of sailors complaining about bed bug infestation aboard their European ships en route to America. Because of the magnitude of the problem, travelers were eventually asked not to bring bedding with them on their journey. The bugs, however, made their way across the sea and into the homes of the new settlers. Documentation of their existence in the New World reaches back to the 17th century. By the 20th century, bed bugs were so prominent that they were considered one of the top three household pests. Some cities had infestation in as much as 1/3 of all residences. 
bed bugsa genuine threat or is this so much media hype. Some argue that journalists are feeding the frenzied paranoia of a panicked citizenry. Others point to very real statistics that show a 70% increase in reported bed bug infestations in the U.S. in the past five years. In a national survey conducted for Pest Management Professional, University of Kentucky entomologist Michael Potter found, "A whopping 91% of respondents reported their organizations had encountered bed bug infestations in the past two years. Only 37% said they encountered bed bugs more than five years ago." Pest control companies that for decades had received no calls about bed bugs are suddenly receiving dozens. In large urban areas it´s not uncommon for companies to field 100 to 150 bed bug complaints a week, according to a National Pest Management Association survey. 
Discovery of DDT´s cancer risk to humans and lethal threat to wildlife led to its banning in the early 1970s. By the mid-1990s, reports of bed bug infestations began to surface in the U.S., Canada, Australia and Western Europe. With no lethally effective pesticide available, bed bugs have multiplied and spread. "Since the mid-1990s, numbers of reported infestations have almost doubled annually," said Clive Boase, author of a bed bug study published by the Institute of Biology in London. Bed bug infestations in London have risen tenfold since 1996, Boase reported. According to National Geographic News, bed bug complaints to pest control companies increased 700% in Australia between 2000 and 2004 and 500% in the U.S. While these figures seem astonishing, keep in mind that if a pest controller received two bed bugs calls in 2000, an increase of 500% would equal 10 calls in 2004, not quite the "invasion" trumpeted in news reports. Still, last year bed bug infestations were reported in every state in the U.S., and reports are increasing exponentially each year. "This is a serious issue," Potter recently told the New York Times. "This will be the pest of the 21st century".
