Bed bugs

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Bed bugs are small insects that feed on the blood of people and animals. Bed bugs usually live around the areas where people sleep. These areas include apartments, shelters, rooming houses, hotels, cruise ships, buses, trains, and dorm rooms. They hide during the day in places such as seams of mattresses, box springs, bed frames, headboards, dresser tables, inside cracks or crevices, behind wallpaper, or any other clutter or objects around a bed.

A bed bug bite affects each person differently. They can range from no signs of the bite, to a small bite mark (which in some people take up to 14 days to develop), to a serious allergic reaction. Bed bugs are not known to spread disease; however, an allergic reaction or scratching that leads to a skin infection may require medical attention.

Signs of bed bug infestation include:

• the matter left behind as bed bugs molt and grow
• actual live bugs in the fold of mattresses and sheets
• tiny dark spots on the mattress and bedding from bed bug excrement
• rusty–colored spots from the bugs being crushed
• a sweet musty odor

Controlling bed bugs can take time and patience. Public Health serves as a resource for information.