Feeding Habits of Bed Bugs
When bed bugs are mentioned the name alone is enough to make your skin start itching, thinking about the bites that come from these nightmare pests is enough to give anyone the creeps.
Bed bugs are parasitic, which means they feed on the blood of a host (you). Bed bugs are smart, they don’t just stay on the bed waiting. Depending on the level of the infestation, bed bugs can infest bed mattresses, headboards, nightstands, couches and other fabric furniture. Most bed bug infestations are within a couple feet of their human blood meal host.
The feeding habits and the way a bed bug feeds may surprise you. First of all, bed bugs are not attracted to “blood”, they are attracted by the carbon dioxide that is emitted by their host. This is why bed bugs typically tend to feed during the night. They also have pretty good timing, they don’t go crawling through blankets and pajamas and tend to feed on skin that is already exposed, hands and arms are common placed to find bites. However, if the area is heavily infested or the opportunity arrives during the day, they won’t pass up a potential meal.
They way that Bed bugs “bite” to consume is meal is interesting as well. Bed bugs have two beak like tubes that they use to consume a blood meal. The first tube will inject the host with the bed bug’s saliva which contains an anesthetic, this will help numb the area and often times the bite will go unnoticed during the feed. The second tube is used for drawing up blood.
As mentioned earlier they make the task pretty quick, it takes about 5-10 mins for a bed bug to consume its blood meal, after which it will be engorged and seek secluded shelter where it will hide out for 5-10 days. During this period, the bed bug will be digesting its meal, mating and laying eggs.
