Adult size: About 1/4 inch long, oval-shaped, flattened appearance.
Color: Reddish-brown; becomes redder in abdomen after feeding.
Diet: Exclusively feeds on blood, typically human.
Behavior: Primarily nocturnal, emerging at night to feed.
Reproduction: Females can lay one to five eggs a day and more than 500 in a lifetime.

Other Bed Bug Facts

• Bed bugs can survive for several months without eating.
• Bed bugs can withstand a wide range of temperatures, from nearly freezing to 122 degrees Fahrenheit.
• Bed bugs draw blood for about 3-10 minutes while feeding before hiding again to digest.
• Bed bugs can ingest about 6 times their own weight in blood.
• Bed bug eggs and nymphs are so small that a microscope is often needed to find them.
• Bed bugs are a global problem and can be found in all 50 U.S. states.

Bed bugs hide during the day and avoid places with movement and light during the night. They use carbon dioxide we exhale, warmth, and moisture to locate their hosts (us!).

Bed bugs tend to feed on exposed areas of humans such as the face, neck, arms, and hands. Humans are not disturbed while bed bugs are feeding because bed bugs inject anticoagulants and an anesthetic through their saliva, which usually leads to an allergic reaction in the form of a welt or lump at the bite location. After feeding, bed bugs defecate wet/dry and sticky materials that leave reddish-black spots on mattresses or nearby furniture. Blood stains and/or fecal material on mattresses, bed sheets, pillowcases, boxsprings, or nearby furniture are good clues to the presence of bed bugs.

Bed bugs prefer to nest on wood, paper, and fabric surfaces, but they can also live on stone, metal, or plastic surfaces. In homes, bed bugs can be found almost anywhere, but mostly in seams of mattresses and boxsprings, inside mattress coils, cracks in bed frames, legs and hidden edges of bedside furniture, dressers, behind hanging pictures, wood paneling, door and window frames, and under loose wallpaper.

Bed bugs can quickly crawl short distances and are easily transported unknowingly. In apartment buildings, bed bugs can travel from one apartment to another in every direction. In many instances, infestations are introduced when infested items such as bedding, furniture, or packing materials are transported to new areas. Also, travelers can transport bed bugs everywhere they go in clothing, luggage, and laptop or electronic cases.

Bed bugs are a public health pest. While bed bugs have not been shown to transmit disease, they do cause a variety of negative physical health, mental health, and economic consequences. Some of these effects include itching, allergic reactions to their bites, which can be severe, and lack of sleep.

• Check secondhand furniture, beds and couches for any signs of bed bug infestation before bringing them home.
• Use a protective cover that encases mattresses and box springs to eliminate many hiding spots. The light color of the encasement makes bed bugs easier to see. Be sure to purchase a high-quality encasement that will resist tearing and check the encasement regularly for holes or a cover that has been pre-treated with pesticide to control bed bugs.
• Reduce clutter in your home to reduce hiding places for bed bugs.
• Vacuum frequently to remove any successful hitchhikers.
• Be vigilant when using shared laundry facilities. Transport items to be washed in plastic bags (if you have an active infestation, use a new bag for the journey home). Remove from dryer directly into bag and fold at home (the dryer on high heat can kill bed bugs).
• If you live in a multi-family home or building, try to isolate your unit by installing door sweeps on the bottom of doors to discourage movement into hallways, and seal cracks and crevices around baseboards, light sockets, etc., to discourage bed bug movement through wall voids.