Bed Bug Life Cycle

Signs and symptoms can show up in one of two categories:

1. Bites & connected Issues

2. Evidence or bodily Signs

Bites, rashes and other connected signs will be discussed in an upcoming article. Today we will discuss the evidence or bodily signs.

The 5 common signs we will discuss today are:

1. Blood Stains
2. Skin Castings
3. Eggs
4. Fecal Matter
5. Live Bed Bugs

Blood Stains

Lets begin with blood stains. The food of selection for these pests is blood. It is the first and last meal they ever have. Bed bugs must have a blood meal after they hatch out from eggs and in between each molting, which occurs 5 times in their lifetime. It is common to find blood stains when you have an infestation. They come out to eat in the early dawn hours before you wake up, when you are in a deep sleep.

On opening you may move unexpectedly and roll over and crush the feeding bugs. Obviously this leaves behind a blood stain.

Skin Castings

As mentioned above these blood-sucking intruders must molt 5 times during their life cycle. Molting is when the bug grows beyond the size of its exoskeleton and must shed it to continue growing. The first time this happens is after an egg hatches out and the new nymph has its first blood meal. This is followed by subsequent moltings and feedings until maturity is reached. The left over "skin casting" as they are called is a sure sign of bed bugs. A casting is light and opaque and can be hard to spot without the aid of a good flashlight.

Eggs

Eggs can also be hard to spot. They are only 1/16 in long. Females lay them in cracks and crevices of the bed frames, bed boards, furniture and other hard to read areas. They bond them with a very sticky substance they secrete.

Fecal Matter

When they is a requisite infestation the bugs will tend to congregate together. When they do this the fecal matter stains, comprised of digested blood are easy to spot. More that likely they will be under the mattress, the seams of the box springs or other hiding places bed bugs conceal themselves in.

Live Bed Bugs

If you find a live bug, it's clear you have whether an ongoing infestation or the beginnings of one. As a quick review, if you find a live bug it will typically be flat, oval, and thin.

Like any rule there are exceptions of course. After a large meal they can appear rounder and elongated like a cigar. After a blood meal they will also appear more reddish in color.

Conclusion

If you spot any of these signs, I suggest you do a faultless inspection, if you have not done so already and secure samples as you go. This will help you in genuinely identifying any bugs or castings you find. You can also take pictures as well.

Now you are armed with information about the bodily bed bugs symptoms and can take appropriate operation as needed.