Bedbugs

 Bed bugs are small, brownish, flattened insects that feed solely on the blood of animals. Although the common bed bug usually prefers feeding on humans, it will also bite other warm-blooded animals when available, including dogs, cats, and rodents. Adult bed bugs are about 3/16” long and a reddish-brown, with oval-shaped, flattened bodies. They are sometimes mistaken for ticks, cockroaches, or other household insects. The immature bed bugs (nymphs) resemble the adults in appearance, but are smaller and lighter in color. Bed bugs cannot fly, and they don’t jump like fleas do ― but they can crawl rapidly over floors, walls, ceilings and other surfaces. As bed bugs grow they molt, shedding their skin five times in total before reaching full maturity. A full blood meal, which takes between 3 and 10 minutes, is needed between each successive molt. Bed Bugs are very resilient, difficult to get rid of, and can survive up to a year without a blood meal when not in a warm temperature environment. Bed bugs are nocturnal, meaning active mainly at night. During the daytime, they prefer to hide close to where people sleep. Their flattened bodies enable them to fit into extraordinarily tiny crevices. These areas are marked by dark spotting and staining, which is the dried excrement of the bugs. Unlike flea bites for example, which occur mainly around the lower legs and ankles, bed bugs feed on any skin exposed while sleeping. The welts and itching are often wrongly attributed to other causes, such as mosquitoes.