January 04, 2011

First Bites

A bed bug infestation is not a walk in the park.

These resilient bugs can hide in any crevice and they can lie in wait for up to a year for the next meal.

They also only need to eat every ten days.

If you have them, the problem probably came on very slowly.

Let's imagine you brought home with you two adults, male and female.

The first bites are not telling of a bed bug infestation. The five or six bite marks look and appear like any old allergic reaction, most likely to the laundry soap or a fabric.

Most people cast it off as an itchy spot, nothing more.

Ten days later the adults that bit you ten days prior feed again. You notice more itchy spots and wonder what you ate.

What has happened between the first and second set of bites? They mated. The pregnant female laid two to three eggs every day. And the first eggs are just about to hatch.

Between day 11 and day 21 you will get a rash of tiny bites every night. As the little bugs hatch two or three at a time they rush for their first meal. They are a little bit awkward so the bites are a bit messier looking. They molt a few days later and rush for their next meal.

And then the adults come back for a feed, after having laid another set of eggs two to three a day.

By this time, day 30, you have probably had over 50 biting incidents. And exponentially, more is on the way.

Sound familiar?

Good. You are in the right place. Stay tuned.

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