When people hear the word bed bugs, it is enough to send them running away just at the thought of blood-sucking insects creeping on them while asleep. Bed bugs can be very difficult to get rid once they have infested a home or building. They are small pests that hide during daylight in cracks, mattress, box spring, headboard, and other tight places where it makes it difficult to see them. But in order to get rid of bed bugs, you need to know the facts.

1. Bed bugs are blood sucking insects that feed on warm-blooded animals, usually human.

2. Bed bugs are brown in color and quickly change to dark red after sucking blood.

3. Bed bugs are considered nocturnal insects since they attack only at night when everybody is asleep.

4. Bed bugs are like mosquitoes, they are attracted to the warmth and presence of carbon dioxide. That’s how they find you in the dark.

5. Bed bugs use two tubes when they suck blood from you. One tube releases saliva which contains anesthetics so you won’t feel the bite and anticoagulants to keep the blood flowing. The second tube is for sucking blood.

6. It is the bed bug’s saliva that causes swelling and redness of the skin. The bite of a bed bug is sometimes confused with poison ivy and spider bites.

7. Female bed bugs can lay up to 5 eggs a day and 500 eggs throughout its lifetime. The eggs hatch in 1-2 weeks depending on how warm or cold the room is.

8. Bed bugs can survive for a year without blood. This is one of the reasons they are difficult to stop.

9. Bed bugs take about 5 minutes to finish a blood meal.

10. Bed bugs are not indicators of unkept or dirty homes and buildings. Bed bugs will infect the humblest of homes or the most extravagant hotels as long as there is the means.

11. Although their bites leave the skin swollen, red, and itchy, bed bugs do not transmit pathogens or diseases… but still annoying.

12. Bed bugs are very good hitchhikers and are usually unknowingly transported by luggage, clothing, belongings, or even the human itself as they travel. This is how infestation starts.

13. Adult bed bugs are 4-5mm in length, flat, and oval-shaped. Just like a sunflower seed. This makes it easy for them to hide and nest on cracks or crevices anywhere.

14. Bed bugs have been around for centuries, dating as far back as 17th century.

15. Bed bugs can travel as far as 100 feet to feed, but usually remain in bedrooms.

Bed bugs are a small wingless insect that feed upon the blood of animals including humans. These small, wingless pests infest homes, hotels, cruise ships and dormitories and make sleeping a major pain, literally. At night, the bed bugs go to work, revealing themselves and crawling out while humans are fast asleep. The bugs then began to suck on the blood of warm-blooded creatures, specifically sleeping humans. The next morning, people wake up complaining of all sorts of little bug bites which lead to rashes, itching and other complications.

Bed bugs come from the insect family known as Cimicidae. They stay alive through feeding on human blood or the blood of other warm-blooded hosts. The bed bug is no bigger than 1/4 of an inch in length, and has an oval shape to it. The smaller hatchling versions of the bed bug are the size of a poppy seed, very unnoticeable to the human eye. These bugs can range in color from white to tan to deep brown or reddish-orange colors. Their color may even reflect the dark blood of the animal or human it was feeding on.

Detection of bedbugs can be difficult seeing as they are very small, hide often, and usually make their way out at night time. One sign that you may have a bedbug infestation is if you are noticing bites when you wake up in the morning. Another way, is to take a flashlight to bed, and if you are suddenly woken during the night, you can try to shine the light on you to see if you spot a bed bug. They are fast and may scurry away from the light. You can also try spotting the debris left by bed bugs. Generally if you see reddish, brown, or black spots or streaks on your mattress, sheets, bedding or suspected areas, this may indicate a bed bug infestation with fecal matter and blood accidentally released. A final way to find the bed bugs is by putting double sided sticky tape around the edges of your mattress or box spring and on the floor as well. Within about 1 week's time you should see them caught on the tape if there truly is a bedbug problem in your home.

As far as how to get rid of bed bugs, you can take many approaches. One of the most common steps to take would be to replace the suspected mattress if you believe it is infected. You could replace the box spring, sheets, pillow cases and any furniture covers you suspect. Obviously this becomes quite expensive, so you may also choose to do some thorough cleaning including dry cleaning of suspected cloths and vacuuming of the mattress. Make sure to empty your vacuum cleaner's bag outside after you've completed this, so the bugs or their eggs don't get back into the home.

Getting rid of bed bugs is something that will take some work to do. Once you've identified that they do exist in your home and where they have created an infestation, you can then begin to take the proper steps to get rid of them. Once you do, you can return to a peaceful, pest-free night's sleep!