Bed bugs are very tiny reddish-brown insects that feed on human blood. They are about 5mm in length and can survive up to a whole year without food.
You may have heard this a million times at night “do not let the bed bugs bite” and if you always wondered what it was, now you know.
Why Bed Bugs Are Harmful?
One may think that as the name “bed bug”, they would be found only in bed, but that’s not the case. They usually hide in any place they could find, especially if that place is dark. Someone who has bed bugs can bring them to your house.
Dealing with bed bugs may become a nightmare if the infestation is severe. One may not fear their bites but the irritation and unrest that they cause. Knowing that you have bed bugs in your house, you might think about them getting inside your ear, mouth, hair, and private parts. However, they can not enter into human body parts.
In the present time, bed bugs are one of the growing emergencies in the world. Moreover, you probably have them without being aware of that. One may think that as the name is a bed bug, they would be found only in bed, but that is too unreal to be true. They usually hide in any place they could find, especially if that place is dark.
Bed bugs could be very irritating if they attack you, especially at night. They move at such a fast pace that it is almost impossible to catch them. Their bites cause itching, and swelling of that area, leading to some other secondary infections. So that is why you should always beware of bed bugs, and in case if there is a bed bug infestation, then the help of professionals would be inevitable.
Although bed bugs do not transmit any kind of disease, they could be harmful in terms of causing restlessness and irritation. So one would better take precautions before bed bugs could find a chance to cause any harm.
Can Bed Bugs Get into Your Private Body Parts?
There is almost no evidence showing that bed bugs could enter the private parts of the human body. It is doubtful to get them inside your private parts because they quickly get what they need by remaining outside the body, so why would they bother to get inside the private parts?
Bed bugs feed on the blood by piercing the skin of the body. They are attracted to CO2 that is emitted while we are exhaling.
The signals that they receive for feedings like CO2, body warmth, and attraction to the smell are all transferred through the surface of the human body. Hence, the chances of bed bugs getting inside the private parts are scarce.
They could affect private parts’ surface, but there is almost no evidence showing that they would get inside the private parts. Some people fear that they might go inside their ear, nose, mouth, or private parts, but there has not been any case of this kind. They may cling onto your hair, but that is also not for a more extended period, unlike lice.
So rest assured these kinds of things are unlikely to be true. Physically, bed bugs might not hurt you other than itching and swelling; they do not cause any further harm. The psychological effects that you get from bed bug infestation are more irritating and difficult to deal with.
How to get rid of them?
The simplest way to get rid of bed bugs is by using heat. They cannot survive a temperature higher than 46 degrees Celsius. Even though both eggs and adults cannot get through high heat, it does not mean that they will die in summer when the temperature would be relatively high.
The reason is, although the weather could be very high in summer but the places where bed bugs hide possibly have low temperatures, specifically inside your house. They could go into the diapause process where they shut down their metabolic activity and possibly could survive very high temperatures.
Previously, pyrethroids were used to kill bed bugs, but due to their harmful effects on human beings, they were banned. Moreover, bed bugs can develop immunity against these chemicals. Steam could be useful in killing them, but bed bugs need to contact steam to be killed. If you have a bed bug infestation at home, then you should consult a professional exterminator.
So the only way to get rid of bed bugs is to deal with them with patience and a lot of care. Take care of those things and areas where they are likely to hide like clothing, shoes, beds, and sofas. However, the best option is to contact a professional to deal with them.
But the procedure could take a lot of time, so you have to go through the methods to get rid of them for more than one or two times.
FAQs
Are bed bugs capable of spreading diseases?
No, they are known to be very clean feeding insects, and they do not spread diseases.
Is it necessary to go to the hospital for bed bugs bite?
It depends to what extent they have affected you. If the situation is quite tricky, you must consult a doctor; otherwise, it is unnecessary.
Are the bed bugs quite sensitive to light?
They are sensitive to light in the sense that they like to hide in dark places. That is why you are unlikely to find them in areas having more light.
Is heat treatment effective for bed bugs?
Heat may kill bed bugs but not all of them. How would heat reach the bed bugs inside the mattress?
Do they feed only on human blood?
No, they feed on the blood of almost all mammals. Animals could also be affected by them.
Are pets affected by bed bugs?
Yes, there is a very high chance that the pets in your house are carrying bed bugs.
What are the symptoms of bed bugs bite?
The symptoms of bed bugs bite are irritation, itching, red spots, and eventually swelling of the area where they bite.