Do dogs look for bed bugs visually?

No, for years dogs have been on the job in detecting bed bugs by their scent. Their noses are so sensitive that they can pick up scent on just one egg. Not only can they detect eggs, but also they can distinguish between the odors of a live bed bug vs. a dead bed bug, only detecting to the live ones. Bed bug dogs are best used in the beginning stages of infestations when you cannot visually see any infestation at all, but don’t let not seeing an infestation fool you. Humans don’t typically notice infestations until it’s too late, mostly because the bed bugs are so elusive. By the time you can visually see them everywhere, you don’t need a dog anymore, you need a Pest Management Company.

How long can bed bugs survive without a host? 

Young nymphs can survive without a blood meal for days and up to several months. Older nymphs and adults can survive longer without a blood meal. In favorable conditions, a bed bug can survive without a meal for up to 533 days. If they do have a blood source, they are able to live much longer than just a year.

Do bed bugs multiply?

Given the right conditions, bed bugs will multiply at an astounding rate. The fact that a bed bug will live a year and a half without a blood meal are pretty good odds that they will breed sooner or later. A recent study at the University of Florida determined that in ten weeks an infestation starting with only 4 bed bugs quickly became 35,000 (thirty five thousand!). If a host is available, eggs hatch in roughly ten days. At this time, the young will reach adulthood in only 5 weeks, but in order to do so, the nymphs will need to feed 5 times.

Bed bug eggs are very small, white, oval shaped and just about 1/32″ long, about the size of a pinhead. The adult female will lay her eggs in crevices in groups of 10–50 eggs. When they hatch, the newborn instars look exactly like a bed bug, but nearly colorless and so small that they are virtually impossible to see. In heavy infestations you will find adults, nymphs, instars and eggs all within the same place.

What do bed begs look like? 

Bed bugs are in fact insects. There are a few types of bed bugs that live among people, and that being the common bed bug and the bat bug. Both of which live amongst each other and are nearly impossible to differentiate, unless you are looking at it through a microscope. Regardless, you will still get bed bug bites from both.  Adult bed bugs are reddish-brown while the younger nymphs are more of a tan color, having oval shaped bodies, and have no wings. When looking through a microscope you will notice short hairs on their upper body. An unfed bed bug is about the size of an apple seed and as flat as paper. This enables them to fit into the tiniest of cracks and navigate from room to room. While they are feeding though, you can visually see their bodies expand why they fill their inners with your blood. Immediately after feeding, the breeding process with the males and females begin and shortly after, the female bed bugs will lay their eggs. 

Do bed bugs bite?

Yes they do but the word “bite” is misleading because they actually inject you with a needle as would a mosquito. The amount of blood Bed bugs suck depend on how often a host is available. If a bed bug has the ability to get food every night it may only spend 5 minutes feeding, but if a bed bug goes a while without feeding it could spend up to 15 minutes taking in its food supply. Bed bugs feed at night, mostly because humans are sleeping and still. After the meal bedbugs will crawl into a crevice and digest their meal for several days before coming back for more.

The areas bed bugs like to bite are the arms, legs, neck and face because these are the areas most exposed to them while we sleep. Because every person reacts differently to bed bug bites not every person will have the same reaction. Some people may not experience any reaction at all, where others may have to be rushed to a doctor. Their presence may be undetected for months. Bed bugs can survive for a year and six months without a food source and because of this, they are able to occupy abandoned homes, apartments and buildings without being eradicated.

What are a bed bugs lifestyle?  

• After mating, females lay white, oval eggs (1/16″ long) into cracks and crevices.
• The eggs hatch in 6 to 10 days and the newly emerged nymphs seek a blood meal.
• Immature nymphs molt five times (they shed their outer exoskeleton) before reaching adulthood.
• There may be three or more generations per year. All ages are found in a reproducing population.
• Bed bugs need to feed at least once before each molt, although they could feed as often as once a day.