Bed Bug Bites

As you relax on your furniture or bedding, bed bugs could be lurking, seeking a blood meal. Once they are done feeding, they retreat to digest and lay eggs. These bites may continue to bleed for a moment, leaving small blood stains on bed linens or clothing.

Since bed bugs inject an analgesic substance, you may not feel the bites. However, they use an anticoagulant, just like other bloodsuckers, to prevent the blood from clotting. It may take some time for bed bug bite evidence to appear on the skin, or it may not appear at all.

Bed bug bites often look like mosquito bites and appear in groups. They may also be itchy, similar to mosquito bites. However, it is challenging to differentiate between bed bug and mosquito bites, making the mere presence of bites an unreliable indicator of bed bug infestation.

Some people may experience an allergic reaction to the anticoagulant, causing redness and swelling. In rare cases, anaphylaxis can occur. While the bites themselves do not pose significant physical health problems, the presence of bed bugs can cause anxiety, insomnia, and paranoia.

If you are only bitten by one or a few bed bugs, you may not experience bites every night, as they feed every three to five days or more. However, if you notice a pattern of bites every week and have ruled out mosquitoes, it could be a bed bug infestation.