Bed bugs are notorious hitchhikers. There are countless stories of people who spend the night, just once, at a friend’s house and bring them back home. There are call centers that report bed bugs crawling over somebody’s arm, and movie theaters who all of a sudden have to fumigate the property because of a bed bug issue.
The main problem our society faces regarding bed bugs is that many of us don’t think we will ever encounter them, we have no idea what they look like and really don’t care. This lack of knowledge contributes to their spread. We are much better off if we can identify these bugs when we encounter them.
There are three different stages in the development of a bed bug: eggs, nymphs and adults. Each has distinct features we should remember for proper identification.
Bed bug eggs are:
- About the size of a pinhead
- Nearly pearl-white in color
- Marked by an eye spot if they are older than five days
Nymphs or younger bed bugs are::
- Smaller than an apple seed (depending how old they are)
- Whitish-yellow to nearly transparent, unless they have recently fed
Adult bed bugs are:
- About the size of an apple seed
- Brown with a flat, football shaped body
- Balloon-like, reddish-brown and inflated looking if they have recently fed
- Stinky, with a “musty-sweet” odor
Bed bug eggs are almost impossible to identify with the naked eye. Based upon their coloration and the surfaces they are laid upon, they are rarely found in any numbers less than several dozen together.
If you think that you may have a bed bug issue, please call University Termite & Pest Control Professional to schedule an appointment immediately.
