If you’re waking up with bites on your arms, legs, or other places, you may be having an issue with bed bugs. Bed bugs feed on blood, usually while people are resting. Bites alone cannot confirm a bed bug infestation, because other insects and skin conditions can cause similar marks. Bed bugs can survive for months without feeding under favorable conditions, although survival time varies with temperature, age, and other factors. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency provides information about bed bug appearance, feeding, development, and survival.
These insects are terrible, and it’s important to keep them out of your house. Your Broken Arrow Pest Control company can help if you have an issue. Let’s take a good look at bed bugs and how they operate.
Bed bugs use incomplete metamorphosis to develop. They begin as eggs, and the eggs hatch into nymphs. A nymph is a smaller, immature version of the adult bed bug. Bed bugs pass through five nymphal stages before becoming adults, molting between each stage. As a bed bug grows, it sheds its old exoskeleton and forms a larger one for the next stage of development.
Once bed bugs become adults, they can reproduce. Bed bugs mate through a process known as traumatic insemination. The male pierces a specialized area of the female’s abdominal wall and transfers sperm into her body rather than mating through the female reproductive tract. University of Kentucky Entomology discusses bed bug biology, reproduction, development, hiding behavior, and control.
When populations become crowded, female bed bugs may move away from areas with heavy male activity. Bed bugs can also disperse to new hiding locations as an infestation grows. Finding bed bugs away from the bed, including higher on walls or in other unusual locations, can be a sign that the infestation has spread, but location alone does not determine the exact population size.
If you’re having a problem with bed bugs or any other insects, it’s time to call a Broken Arrow Pest Control company that can help. TermMax Pest Control specializes in dealing with these insects. Give us a call today, and we’ll help you determine the appropriate treatment for the problem.
