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- Dec 11, 2011
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There are many misconceptions about the humble bedbug. Bedbugs (or cimicids) belong to a highly specialized family of insects that feed off the blood of humans, bats, and birds. The best-known members are the temperate-climate parasite Cimex lectularius (which means "bedbug" in Latin) and Cimex hemipterus, a tropical version.
Bedbugs are the most widely recognized insect in the world. They are known to have fed on humans for more than 4,000 years—and probably much longer. Unfortunately, there are many myths about these tiny pests.
If You Wake Up With Insect Bites, You Have Bedbugs
Bedbugs tend to bite on locations that are exposed during sleep—the arms, legs, and back as well as the face and eyes. The insects prefer sites that lack hair, with a thin epidermis that provides access to plentiful blood.
However, bedbugs are not the only nocturnal feeder on humans. Quite a few other arthropods could be the cause of bite marks, including fleas, mites, spiders, or even bat bugs. Also, many medical conditions cause rashes that look similar to bug bites. If the marks persist but you don't find signs of an infestation, consider a trip to the doctor.
Are you the only one in your household waking up with bites? People react to bedbug bites differently, just as they do with mosquito and other insect bites.
Two people can sleep on the same bedbug-infested mattress, and one will wake up without any signs of being bitten while the other will be covered in bite marks.
Bedbugs Cannot Be Seen by the Naked Eye
While bedbugs are pretty small insects, they aren't microscopic. If you know where to look for them, you can definitely see them without the aid of a magnifier. The bedbug nymph is roughly the size of a poppy seed.
Adults measure a bit larger than 3/16th of an inch, or about the size of an apple seed or a lentil.1 The eggs, which are just the size of a pinhead, are harder to see without magnification.
Bedbug Infestations Are Rare
Although bedbugs all but disappeared in developed countries in the 1930s and again in the 1980s, global bedbug infestations are increasing in the 21st century. Rises in bedbug activity have been seen on every continent except Antarctica.
In the United States, bedbugs are reported in all 50 states, and an estimated one in five Americans either has had a bedbug infestation in their home or knows someone who has.2 Today, infestations are found in offices and retail environments, in health and transportation buildings, and even in movie houses: basically, anywhere people sleep or sit.
Bedbugs Are a Sign of a Dirty House
Although there is a great social stigma to having a bedbug infestation, bedbugs don't care how neat and tidy your house is, nor do they care if you're the best housekeeper on the block. As long as you have blood pumping through your veins, bedbugs will happily take up residence in your home. The same rule holds true for hotels and resorts.
Whether a hotel has bedbugs has nothing to do with how clean or dirty the establishment is. Even a five-star resort can host bedbugs. One thing to keep in mind, however, is that clutter can make it much more difficult to get rid of bedbugs once they're in your home—the mess gives the insects plenty of places to hide.
10 Myths About Bedbugs
Bedbugs are the most widely recognized insect in the world. They are known to have fed on humans for more than 4,000 years—and probably much longer. Unfortunately, there are many myths about these tiny pests.
If You Wake Up With Insect Bites, You Have Bedbugs
Bedbugs tend to bite on locations that are exposed during sleep—the arms, legs, and back as well as the face and eyes. The insects prefer sites that lack hair, with a thin epidermis that provides access to plentiful blood.
However, bedbugs are not the only nocturnal feeder on humans. Quite a few other arthropods could be the cause of bite marks, including fleas, mites, spiders, or even bat bugs. Also, many medical conditions cause rashes that look similar to bug bites. If the marks persist but you don't find signs of an infestation, consider a trip to the doctor.
Are you the only one in your household waking up with bites? People react to bedbug bites differently, just as they do with mosquito and other insect bites.
Two people can sleep on the same bedbug-infested mattress, and one will wake up without any signs of being bitten while the other will be covered in bite marks.
Bedbugs Cannot Be Seen by the Naked Eye
While bedbugs are pretty small insects, they aren't microscopic. If you know where to look for them, you can definitely see them without the aid of a magnifier. The bedbug nymph is roughly the size of a poppy seed.
Adults measure a bit larger than 3/16th of an inch, or about the size of an apple seed or a lentil.1 The eggs, which are just the size of a pinhead, are harder to see without magnification.
Bedbug Infestations Are Rare
Although bedbugs all but disappeared in developed countries in the 1930s and again in the 1980s, global bedbug infestations are increasing in the 21st century. Rises in bedbug activity have been seen on every continent except Antarctica.
In the United States, bedbugs are reported in all 50 states, and an estimated one in five Americans either has had a bedbug infestation in their home or knows someone who has.2 Today, infestations are found in offices and retail environments, in health and transportation buildings, and even in movie houses: basically, anywhere people sleep or sit.
Bedbugs Are a Sign of a Dirty House
Although there is a great social stigma to having a bedbug infestation, bedbugs don't care how neat and tidy your house is, nor do they care if you're the best housekeeper on the block. As long as you have blood pumping through your veins, bedbugs will happily take up residence in your home. The same rule holds true for hotels and resorts.
Whether a hotel has bedbugs has nothing to do with how clean or dirty the establishment is. Even a five-star resort can host bedbugs. One thing to keep in mind, however, is that clutter can make it much more difficult to get rid of bedbugs once they're in your home—the mess gives the insects plenty of places to hide.
10 Myths About Bedbugs
