Back in the early 1990s, the United States was relatively bed bug-free, but as world travel became more accessible, these tiny parasitic insects made their way over from underdeveloped countries. Today, bed bug infestations can occur anywhere from residential settings to luxury hotels. Bed bugs are incredibly hard to kill, have a ravenous appetite, and, let’s face it, they’re disgusting. After all, their only source of nutrition is human or animal blood. The good news is that bed bugs also reproduce slowly and they aren’t that much of a health concern.

Considering their length at 1 to 7 millimeters, and that bite marks can take up to 14 days to develop on some people, we don’t notice the 500 bites a night bed bugs can give us. They can also survive up to three months, starting from their lasting helping of blood. Although their bites are often considered a nuisance due to itching and loss of sleep, they do not carry disease. In fact, the only concern we have to worry about is excessive scratching that can lead to a secondary skin infection.

We are transportation for bed bugs, but not our bodies. They tend to hide in tiny crevices in our luggage, backpacks, and pocketbooks where it’s cool. Our bodies, on the other hand, produce too much heat for their liking. Heat is also an effective way to eradicate a bed bug infestation. Kicking the temperature in a room up to 113 degrees Fahrenheit will kill any bed bugs. Just make sure you’re not in there with them. Bed bug infestations are generally handled with insecticide spraying by a landlord or professional pest control company.

Be on the lookout for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s signs of a bed bug infestation:

  • the bed bugs’ exoskeletons after molting
  • bed bugs in the folds of mattresses and sheets
  • rusty–colored blood spots due to their blood-filled fecal material that they excrete on the mattress or nearby furniture
  • a sweet, musty odor