Bed Bug Bites – Symptoms and Treatments

Bed bugs are flat, reddish-brown and wingless nocturnal pests ; about a quarter of an inch in length, basically the size of an apple seed that are adapted to feast upon the blood of their sleeping victims during the night. Many people who are being bitten don't even feel the bite until eventually getting up in the morning itching.

Bed bug bites look very different from one individual to another though typically look like mosquito bites or pimples. In contrast to other insect bites or rashes, they typically show up in groups of two or three, or a line, or a circle. Even doctors are unable to easily identify a bed bug bite from another insect bite just by looking at it. Bed bug bites are most common on the face, neck, hands and arms and are likely to swell, become red and itchy.

A good way to determine if you've been bitten by bed bugs is to try to look for small dark spots on your bed linens and mattress, or around the seams of the mattress. These may look like mold spots. These, and the distinctive linear or clustered bite patterns, are some of the best methods to be reasonably certain that what you are dealing with is bed bugs.

Treating the itchiness or rashes is easily accomplished with over-the-counter remedies. Topical antihistamines such as calamine lotion or benadryl cream are highly effective, as is most any insect bite relief product.

For home made remedies, a mixture of baking soda and water can help, as would the application of honey to the affected area. Basic solutions such as polymyxin creams (Neosporin, Polysporin) will help with the itching as well as helping the bites to heal and prevention of any scarring. An oral antihistamine can significantly help reduce symptoms as well. Remember, it is crucial not to scratch the bites, no matter how much you want to – as scratching can cause infection and scarring!

Bed bugs themselves can be easily eliminated by sealing the mattress and pillows with hypo-allergenic, zipped bed bug mattress cover to prevent them from feeding and biting you or your loved ones. This may take over a year to totally get rid of the bugs hidden in your mattress considering that bed bugs can live for many months without feeding on a host. A different solution is to steam the mattress with a professional grade bed bug steamer, and wash bed linens in a hot dryer for twenty minutes. In many cases, a specialist pest control operator is going to be needed.

The good news is that bed bugs aren't known to be carriers of disease and the bites, while unpleasant, are not life-threatening. Remember the steps to identifying bed bugs: their unique bite patterns and checking mattress and bed sheets for dried blood or dark red or brown spots.