All you can eat
Bed bugs can live up to a year without feeding, but typically feed on blood from humans and other warm-blooded hosts every five to 10 days.
Early morning snack
Peak feeding time for bed bugs is 1-2 hours before sunrise.
3 squares a day
A single bed bug may leave multiple bites on a person, creating a linear or clustered pattern on the skin.
Creepy, not dirty
Having bed bugs in your home doesn’t mean the residence or the residents are unclean.
Heat seeking missiles
Bed bugs are attracted to humans by their exhaled carbon dioxide and body heat.
Seeing is believing
Bed bugs can be seen with the naked eye, though adults are small – about the size of an apple seed.
Under the magnifying glass
Bed bugs' bodies are reddish-brown, have six legs and are shaped like an apple seed.
Scratch and sniff
A room infested with bed bugs may have a pungent, sweet smell.
Common areas, common problem
Bed bug infestations are more common in multiple-family dwellings, such as apartments, nursing homes and dormitories.
Pet hotel
Besides humans, bed bugs may feed on animals, including dogs, cats and other household pets.
Blood hounds
Dogs trained for bed bug detection can help locate infestations when they cannot be seen by the human eye. Keep in mind that dogs cannot find bed bugs that may be up high.
Be fruitful and multiply
A female bed bug can lay up to five eggs a day and from 500 to 700 in a lifetime, which typically is about a year.
Founding bothers
Bed bugs have lived in the United States since the 1700s when they were brought to the new world by European settlers.
Why now?
Bed bugs started their comeback in the United States in the 1970s. Some theorize that greater world travel and reduced use of broad-spectrum pesticides contributed to the resurgence.
Stowaways
You are just as likely to come in contact with bed bugs in a five-star hotel as you are in a hostel. It is possible to come in contact with bed bugs during travel both inside the United States and internationally.
