Each blood-sucking insect has its own peculiarities of nutrition. AND bed bugs here is no exception. In the way the bugs bite and what consequences their bites cause, there are quite a few specific details that not only earned these insects general hatred, but also attracted the attention of scientists to them.
Anatomy of a bite: feeding the bug under the microscope
The bedbug has a piercing-sucking device specially adapted for feeding with blood, into which its two jaws have turned. This whole organ looks like a small pointed tube, strong enough to pierce a person’s skin, but unable to pierce a dog’s skin. Therefore, on large pets, bugs do not parasitize. And to the question of whether the bugs bite, it is worth answering that they rather prick.
The proboscis itself, outside the feeding process, is pressed by the insect against the lower part of the cephalothorax, making it invisible.Bed bugs and some of their relatives even have a special groove on the cephalothorac, which serves as a special sheath for the injection instrument.
During the bite, the bug breaks through the skin with a proboscis and tries to reach the blood vessel with it. When he succeeds in this (and due to his ability to sense the push of blood in the capillaries, he does it skillfully), the parasite draws in 1-1.5 μl of blood.
In the proboscis of the bug, there are two channels: one for the absorption of blood, and the second for the introduction of saliva into the wound, which acts as an anesthetic. As a result, adult bed bugs bite painlessly for their prey.
After receiving such a portion of blood, the insect moves a few centimeters through the body and repeats the whole operation again. So the parasite produces a series of 3-6 bites, during which it absorbs up to 7 μl of blood. This portion is almost twice the weight of an adult insect, and it lasts for a week and a half of digestion and rest.
As a result, the bedbug eats every 7-10 days. But how often the bugs bite depends also on their number in the room - in a strongly infected apartment a person can count more than 500 bites on the body in the morning.
Bedbug larvae feed more frequently and in smaller portions. The smallest of them are required to feed almost daily. It is interesting that when the bite larvae do not inject saliva into the wound, the itch begins to be felt by the person even during the feeding of the insect itself.
In general, bugs that bite humans are not always parasites. Known large poisonous predator bugs that feed on other insects. They have the same proboscis as the bed comrades, with which they suck the contents of their victims. By the same proboscis, they are able to bite a person during protection, which will cause severe irritation, sometimes inflammation and signs of general intoxication. Among tropical predator species are known, representing a transitional stage between predators and parasites - in addition to feeding on other insects, they can eat the blood of large animals, including humans.
Signs of a bite: how to distinguish a bedbug bite from the bites of other insects
Bed bug bites often confused with the bites of other insects. If the bites are few, then they can be mistaken for mosquitoes. Although how exactly the bedbugs bite, it gives them out quite easily, and their bites are easy to distinguish from the bites of other insects.The main distinguishing features of bedbug bites are:
- series of bites. Due to the fact that the bug misses the blood of several wounds, it leaves a kind of “path” of bites;
- the number of bites themselves. Bedbugs live in disorganized aggregations, and overnight a person is bitten by several insects at once;
- night time During the day, the bugs are inactive.
Usually, after the bugs have lived on the skin area, irritation and itching appear on the bite sites, which usually disappear within a few hours. And only in rare cases, bedbug bites can be really dangerous.
What is dangerous sting bug?
The most serious consequences of homebug bites are possible allergic reactions. In the case of high susceptibility to enzymes, introduced by the bug at the bite, anaphylactic shock may even be observed, but only a few similar cases are known. In general, the danger of bug bite does not exceed the mosquito bite.
Bedbugs are not carriers of human pathogens. Although some studies have confirmed the presence of various pathogenic bacteria on the body and in the body of domestic bugs, in the history of medicine there are no known cases of infection with any diseases caused by the bite of bugs.
In some cases, after biting domestic bugs, the victim may appear for a long time not passing skin rash. However, much more often, and especially in women, by themselves, insects crawling on the bed cause mental trauma and fear of sleep. In addition, due to the inability to sleep, when bugs are constantly pestered, the injured performance decreases and the general state of health worsens.
Sometimes the bites may not heal for a long time, and after a few days they begin to suppress, hurt, the ichor drips from them. This is an unequivocal sign that when combing into the wound infection has got. In this case, you must consult a doctor.
When and whom bugs bite more often?
Bedbugs bite almost always at night and in the early morning. Special studies were conducted to answer the question whether the bugs bite during the day, and it turned out that the peak of the parasite's activity falls on the early morning hours - from 3 to 7 in the morning. The bright part of the day insects hiding in shelters.
By itself, the light is, albeit a slight, but a deterring factor for bedbugs. In principle, they can eat in the light, especially in the morning, but during this period the frequency and number of bites decreases,and insects try to hide in their shelters.
To the question whether bugs bite everyone, we can definitely say: yes, all people. And the conventional wisdom that they are less concerned with men, and even more so because they selectively bite carriers of a certain blood group, are erroneous. And that's why.
Men, because of their denser skin, do not always feel the bites of bedbugs, especially if they are few. In addition, bed bugs are most strongly attracted by the smell of blood. In women, with their thin skin, the smell of blood from the vessels spreads further and faster, and parasites feel it first of all.
There is no connection between the frequency of bites and the blood group: simply carriers of the first and second groups are generally larger, and therefore the wrong impression may be created that they are more likely to suffer from bedbugs.
The areas of the skin where the bed bugs bite are most often located on the back, legs and arms. They are usually left open in a dream. Insects are easy to get under the clothes, but they prefer the bare areas of the body. And if the bug bites on the body have appeared, it makes sense to treat them for the speedy healing and easing of itching.
Treatment for bedbugs
Treat bedbug bites follows only in those cases when the rash and local inflammations that have appeared in their place do not disappear within two or three days, or cause too pronounced painful sensations. Then they should be processed:
- any alcohol-containing drug or tincture to relieve pain;
- take a choice of suprastin, diazolin, diphenhydramine or any other antihistamine. This will help relieve inflammation;
- wash the bitten parts of the body with warm water and soap;
- treat the bites with any soothing ointment or natural oils: fir, tea tree oil, sea buckthorn.
In no case can not comb the place of bites. The wounds themselves will open and there will be a risk of infection inside. With the development of a generalized allergic reaction, you should use the previously taken and usual for each person anti-allergens and consult a doctor.
How to protect yourself from bedbug bites?
The most reliable way to protect against bedbugs is a complete disinsection of the home. Today, for a similar procedure, the industry produces a large number of chemicals,However, disinsection by special professional teams will be even more reliable and effective.
It is important to understand that bugs are mobile creatures. Throwing them out of their apartment will not give a full guarantee that they will never appear in it again: from their neighbors in ventilation, and in summertime - on the outer walls of the house, they can easily move to the apartment again. Therefore, pest control is better to start organized in several apartments.
Separately, it should be said about travelers. About what to do if the bugs bite in cheap hotels, said almost every guidebook. Nevertheless, these insects continue to surely spoil the most romantic evenings on independent trips.
To avoid unpleasant entomological excesses, you should first carefully examine the room in which you plan to sleep. In principle, if there are no bugs or their eggs in the bed and mattress, then it will be possible to spend the night in such a room. To guarantee protection against bites, it will be enough to put the legs of the bed in basins or cups of water - this will be an insurmountable barrier to parasites.It is also good for reliability to be plentifully sprinkled with deodorant before going to bed: for one night such a measure will scare away most of the not very hungry insects. However, when spending the night for more than three days, hungry bugs will neglect disgust for strong smells and will come to feed all together. Therefore, the best way to protect against bedbugs on a trip will be the choice of not the cheapest and dirtiest hotels.
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Thanks for the exhaustive information! :) On your site I found everything I wanted to know about! We have recently got bugs in the apartment. I hardly sleep at night, and my husband do not care! Than just not poisoned. And with ointments, and gels, and liquid substances, it helps, of course, but for a maximum of three days! :( It’s useless to call the SES to persecute all the apartments (the house is a former hostel)! But alone it is useless ... maybe you advise?
Normal diflofos or device that is inserted into the outlet (such as a mosquito Raptor), but it is valid on day 14.
I do not know what to do. Every night, and it happens during the day, some insects invisible to my eye bite me, an allergy develops to bites, and itches terribly. Now I am pregnant, and it is impossible to take antiallergic. Bite only me, husband - no. I looked at the photo of the bites, very similar to bedbugs, but I examined the bed and did not see any insects.
Tell me what helped you, I have the same situation. Washed and smoothed everything. They sifted through everything, but there was no trace, but at the same time I was bitten almost every night, but no one else.
Thanks for the exact information, it helped a lot) And then these vampires have already overcome)
And what is this exact information, tell me? It is very important!
If you get rid of yourself - it is a waste of time and money. We brought us one odnushka twice to get rid of + bought dust and scattered everywhere. If you have neighbors from neighboring countries nearby - wait for the “guests”, they will come to you soon - checked!
Are they definitely not dangerous?
We had bedbugs. Today, the last destroyed.
And what drug did you use?
Bought a raptor. We thought it would help, but not help ((We will buy “GET” - I think that we will get rid of them.
And can there be one bite after the bug?
There are no 1 bite from bedbugs, they bite with many paths
I myself saw several bugs in the apartment, but I have only 3-4 random bites on me.
For a month, my sister and I could not understand what bites us, then we thought that we were allergic. Let's go checked to the doctor.We were told that allergies, prescribed a lot of expensive ointments (well, of course, our parents rushed to spend money), smeared with ointment, drank zyrtek. And we have calmed down, but the bites did not pass, on the contrary, new ones appeared. And one wonderful day I got up at 4 in the morning to walk with the dog, turn on the light, and they were all over the couch (they thought for a long time how they curled up, because we have a clean family, no one pines). But there were different guests in our house, because the entrance is ugly, they themselves run. Parents realized it all dichlorvos (all destroyed, leather sofa in the trash). A week went by, everything seems to be in order, but the bites, similar to klopin, began again. But in the house, they are no longer there. Tell me what to do?
I am terrified of them, I am writing to you: if I take them right away, then in all apartments, and if only in yours, there will be no sense. It will scare them away for a month or two and that's it.
I advise you to check in all the apartments, and if you have your own house, open the floor ((This is terrible.
Somebody bites me all summer long! Single bites, form a tough bump, itch very much. Can they bite bugs? Then she found a bug on the sofa, after a month of another one, dug through the whole house, did not find anything. In any case, poisoned karbofos.Tell me, can the bedbug be confused with any other insects?
It is difficult to confuse, maybe, from the neighbors crawled.
Damn, where they came from, I do not know. My husband and I bought a cot, and after that it all started, terrible.
In our SES, you can buy a tool called “Cucaracha”. Several years ago, they were taken out. It helped. They also say that Tubazid pills help. This is a tuberculosis drug.
About a month ago, bites began after midnight, accompanied by a wild itch. Moreover, these nits are not similar to those presented on this site. Single cones on the soft areas of the arms and legs. There is one more interesting fact: they only bite me alone, they don’t touch my wife, she says, nervous allergy, but I know that this creature exists. And when I catch it and take a picture, I will definitely post it on this site!
Hahaha))
The same garbage. 6 people live, and only bites me. And bites singly or a couple of times, and far from the path. Once for caviar bit and elbow. A long path. But I still caught a couple of critters on the curtain.
Some creatures appeared on my bed, my strength is gone, they prick day and night ((Oblong and like grains, white and black, they don't look like bugs ... Tell me who it is and how to fight?
Tired of these parasites. How to sleep at all? Bite me. Her husband does not touch. In general, the horror (
Tell me what to do? We live in a hostel and do not know what to do with them. What just did not try, it's still the same. Maybe something advise us? ..
Strange thing, it itches at night, even with blisters, but no bites are visible and pass in an hour. And tonight, crawling right on the clothes, the dog, but you see the hungry - crushed and no smell, traces of blood. Processed by Raptor.
By the way, until the neighbor behind the wall died (God rest with him), the battle with the bugs took place weekly. In the bed frame, on the wall under the departed wallpaper, in books on the shelves (in short, met the entire wall, even during the day). After the unfortunate event, he turned small “mashine” under the shelves and these creatures stopped bothering.
To these creatures - no pity. I am a sympathetic girl, I treat all animals incredibly gently and calmly. But for bedbugs - the maximum hatred.All my hidden sadistic inclinations are practicing on them. As I find an adult (already fed with blood), I catch and begin my experiments. I pierced them with a gypsy needle, and pulled out my paws with tweezers, in short, I throw out all the hatred on these creatures. In general, they are like zombies. You want them how much you want to “poke” - all the same. They survived even with my torn paws. While you will not smear your head off - everything is meaningless. Seriously, I am always for the protection of animal rights, but these creatures are not sorry for a drop.