Bed bugs are wingless parasitic insects that feed solely on warm-blooded animals. They cannot fly or jump, but are able to enter into extremely small locations in the home because of their flattened bodies.

Bed bugs can live for several weeks to several months without feeding, depending on the temperature.

Bed bugs can go without feeding for 80 to 140 days; older bed bugs can go without feeding longer than younger ones – adult bed bugs have been known to survive for as long as 550 days (over a year and a half!) without feeding.

Bed bugs prefer to feed on human blood, but will also bite mammals and birds.

Bed bugs typically bite at night, but if hungry enough have been known to bite during daylight.

After feeding, bed bugs turn dark red and become bloated.

This image is a distressingly up-close view of a common form of bedbug. Follow the image’s link for an even more up close and personal look at the menace.

nymph bed bug feeding – the immature body is nearly transparent, making them that much more difficult to spot.
Bed bugs have an oval body and a short, broad head. The body as a whole is broad and flat. Unfed adults are around ¼ inch (6 mm) long, brown and wingless. After feeding, they swell slightly in size and darken to a blood-red color.
The nymphs are shaped like the adults, but are yellow-white in color.
Itchy welts on skin, blood spots on sheets and/or black or brown spots on mattresses, bed frames or walls often indicate that there is a bed bug infestation.
Bed bugs have an oval body and a short, broad head. The body as a whole is broad and flat. Unfed adults are around ¼ inch (6 mm) long, brown and wingless. After feeding, they swell slightly in size and darken to a blood-red color.
The nymphs are shaped like the adults, but are yellow-white in color.
Itchy welts on skin, blood spots on sheets and/or black or brown spots on mattresses, bed frames or walls often indicate that there is a bed bug infestation.

Individual responses to bed bug bites will vary, but here are some things to look out for:

 Four types of skin rashes have been described:

• The most common rash is made up of localized red and itchy flat lesions.

• Small raised red swelling lesions are also common.

• In rare cases, people may develop large raised, often itchy, red welts.

• In people with high sensitivity to bed bug saliva, people may develop a lump filled with blood or fluid.

 Bed bugs are attracted to humans’ high body temperature and carbon dioxide production.

When bed bugs bite people, they inject their saliva into the biting area, causing the skin to become irritated and inflamed.

The skin lesion from bed bug bites may go unnoticed, or be mistaken for flea or mosquito bites or other skin conditions.

Bed bug bites most commonly occur on exposed areas of the body, including face, neck, hands, arms, lower legs or all over the body.

Bed bugs bite by piercing the skin with an elongated beak through which they draw blood.

Feeding takes from three to ten minutes although the person rarely knows they are being bitten.

Both male and female bed bugs bite.

Bed bugs have been known to cause significant psychological distress, disruption of sleep, nervousnous and agitation.

Eggs

The bed bug eggs are white and about 1 mm long, and almost impossible to see on most surfaces. The female bed bug lays about 200 eggs in her lifetime, at a rate of about 3 or 4 per day. The eggs have a sticky coating and are deposited in cracks and crevices, behind woodwork and similar hidden locations. Clusters of 10-50 bed bug eggs can be found in cracks and crevices. Bed bug eggs hatch in 6 to 17 days.

Nymphs

A newly hatched bed bug nymph will feed as soon as food is available. A bed bug goes through five molts before it reaches full maturity. Each molt takes place after a blood feed.

Adults

Adults usually live for around 10 months, but can live for a year or more. In a home, where the environment is conducive to their reproduction (their ideal breeding temperature is between 70° to 82°F), bed bugs can breed year round.

Bed bugs have a unique form of mating called “traumatic insemination”. The male penetrates the female’s abdomen with his external genitalia, inseminating into her body cavity. This sexual activity produces a wound in the female and probably endangers her longevity and productivity.

While bed bugs are not known transmit any pathogens or diseases, their bites usually result in swollen red, itchy welts.

Though bed bugs are not known to transmit disease, bed bugs can severely reduce quality of life by causing discomfort, sleeplessness, anxiety, and embarrassment.

Many people are not aware that they have been bitten, but some people may be more sensitive to the bite and may have a localized reaction.

As a bed bug is biting, it injects anesthetic saliva to numb the pain. It also contains anti-coagulant to keep the blood of its meal host flowing.

People can be allergic to bed bug bites, which can cause swelling, itchy welts and in some cases infections. These infections can be serious, especially if they are from a resistant form of bacterial pathogen such as Methicillin Resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA).

Small reddish or brownish spots on one’s linens are often the first sign of an infestation. These spots are the bed bug’s droppings.

Bed Bugs often hide in mattresses but they can also survive in furniture, behind wallcoverings and pictures/paintings. They will crawl and nest inside tiny crevices anywhere indoors, as long as there is a source of food (blood).

Another sign is swelling where a bed bug has bitten.

Bed bugs are moved into and around a dwelling through infested furniture and bedding. They can also enter a home or hotel by being carried in on clothing or luggage. Bed bugs are often carried into a home on objects such as furniture and clothing. Additionally  Bed bugs can also travel from apartment to apartment along pipes, electrical wiring and other openings.

When bed bug infestations are small, the bed bugs tend to reside near the bed. As infestations grow larger, they tend to move beyond beds into other locations such as sofas and upholstered chairs. Bed bug females may lay their eggs away from a heavy infestation to provide greater chance for survival. If the infestation is heavy, a sweet smell may be noticed in the room.

Give us a call, of course. We’re open 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. In Nashville and the surrounding areas, please call  ___________. .

Of course, we understand that you may want to avoid bringing in professionals, or may wish to take steps to mitigate the infestation on your own. Here are some tips:

If you think you have a bed bug problem, check for live bed bugs or shells in the following areas:

• Seams, creases, tufts and folds of mattresses and box springs

• Cracks in the bed frame and head board

• Under chairs, couches, beds, dust covers

• Between the cushions of couches and chairs

• Under area rugs and the edges of carpets

• Between the folds of curtains

• In drawers

• Behind baseboards, and around window and door casings

• Behind electrical plates and under loose wallpaper, paintings and posters

• In cracks in plaster

• In telephones, radios, and clocks

Bed bugs prefer dark, secluded locations and often only come out in total darkness. Finding them takes keen eyes and exceptional patience, especially if you’ve never done it before.

Again we would strongly urge you to seek professional assistance as if even a single clutch of eggs survives, the cycle can continue.

The best way to treat bed bugs is Integrated Pest Management (IPM), which combines a variety of techniques and products that pose the least risk to human health and the environment.

The premier method of destroying bed bugs is ThermalPest Eradication, because it will kill all stages of the bed bug from egg to adult. ThermalPest Eradication will reach inaccessible areas that chemicals or other pesticides are unable to reach. We provide the safest method to control bed bug infestations – No chemicals, no fumes, and easy cleanup.

We’ll do the bulk of the work, but it is helpful if you could take these steps prior to your bed bug extermination appointment:

• Use a nozzle attachment on the vacuum to capture the bed bugs and their eggs. Vacuum all crevices on your mattress, bed frame, baseboards and any objects close to the bed, or anywhere else people may rest for extended lengths of time such as sofas, chairs, and playpens. It is essential to vacuum daily and empty the vacuum immediately. Do not open the vacuum cleaner indoors after doing this! Take it outside to change the bag or empty the cannister.

• Wash all your linens in the hottest water possible and place them in a hot dryer for 20 minutes.

• Remove all unnecessary clutter. We will be heating your entire house to temperatures fatal to bed bugs and many other pests, but clutter such as discarded clothing can insulate bed bugs against the heat. The neater, the better!

And, you can take these steps after we finish the job to try to prevent further infestations, and protect yourself from bed bugs and other pests entering your home:

• Seal cracks and crevices between baseboards, on wood bed frames, floors and walls with caulking.

• Repair or remove peeling wallpaper

• Tighten loose light switch covers

• Seal any openings where pipes, wires or other utilities come into your home (pay special attention to walls that are shared between apartments).

There may be some bed bugs that successfully evade the lethal temperatures, that may migrate to untreated areas, or that are brought in after treatment. Be sure to ask about our 100% satisfaction guarantee. We do it right, or we make it right.

Although even the cleanest homes and hotels can have bed bugs, regular house cleaning, including vacuuming your mattress, can help to prevent an infestation. Clean up clutter to help reduce the number of places bed bugs can hide.

Be careful when buying used furniture or clothes. Make sure to inspect the used item, and feel free to ask the retailer if the items were checked for bed bugs.

Use caution when bringing home used furniture or clothes from the curb side or garage sale. These items may be infested with bed bugs.

When travelling take the following precautions to prevent bed bugs:

• Inspect the room and furniture: inspect all cracks and crevices of the mattress and box spring, and look for blood spots or live insects. Request a different room if you find evidence of beg bugs.

• Protect your luggage: keep all belongings in your luggage and wrap your luggage in plastic to help prevent bed bugs from entering your luggage. Keep luggage on the shelf or away from the floor.

• Protect the bed: move the bed away from the wall, tuck in all bed sheets and keep blankets from touching the floor.

• Upon returning home: keep your luggage in an isolated area of your home, such as the garage. Inspect the luggage. Wash all your clothes in the hottest water possible and put them in a hot dryer for 20 minutes.