Signs of Bites From Bed Bugs

A bed bug is tiny and flat and feasts on human blood by biting its victims. Bed bugs typically bite when their victims are sleeping during the night, but according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, determining if you have been bitten by a bed bug can be difficult if you cannot find evidence of bed bug infestation. If you think you have been bitten by bed bugs, look for signs of bed bug bites as well as evidence of bed bug infestation.

Considerations

• A person's reaction to a bed bug bite can vary from one person to the next. Some people exhibit no visual signs of a bite while others may have a dangerous allergic response. If signs of a bite do show up on the skin, these signs may take up to two weeks to appear.

Identification of Bed Bug Bites

• A bed bug bite can look like a mosquito bite. When bed bugs bite signs such as swelling, redness, itching and irritation may occur in the area of the bite. People who have an allergic response to bed bug bites may exhibit symptoms such as large marks and areas of pain where the bed bug bit. Marks left from bed bugs may be scattered, or one bite mark may follow another in a line.

Signs of Infestation

• Marks left on the skin from bed bug bites are a clear signal that your home is infested with bed bugs, but since marks from bed bug bites can take time to appear you should search for other signs of infestation. Other signs to look for include stains from the bug's bloody feces, the smell of mold, the hard outer skins bed bugs leave behind after they molt and, of course, the bed bugs themselves, which are frequently found in the bedding.

Warning

• Although it is not often that a bite from a bed bug causes a dangerous medical condition, there is the possibility of a bed bug bite causing anaphylaxis. Anaphylaxis is an allergic response that may be triggered by food, drugs and bugs. Symptoms of anaphylaxis can result in death if treatment for the condition is not administered right away. Bed bug bites can also cause worry and sleeplessness. The severe itching caused by the bites can lead to skin irritation if the person with the bites consistently scratches her skin.