Signs of Bed Bug Bites

Signs of Bed bug bites are small and easily mistaken for other pests so if you think you might have bedbugs you need to make sure that the bites you are experiencing are from actual bedbugs. Since the bites are pretty generic looking they can be difficult to identify.

Bites can often be no more than a little red bump that itches. Identifying them is further complicated by the fact that the reactions to a bite can differ from person to person. One thing that the bites do have in common is a bite pattern that can be in a pattern of three or four as the bug works its way along a vein. This is often referred to as the “breakfast, lunch, dinner” pattern. While there can be single bites, if there is an infestation usually there are multiple bites both from other bugs and as the same bugs come back for repeat meals.

The reactions to the bites can also vary from person to person. When feeding, the bedbug uses two tubes. One injects a substance that is a combination of anesthetic and an anti-coagulant to keep the blood flowing and keep the victim from feeling the bite and interrupting the feeding. The other tube does the actual sucking of the blood. Some people are much more sensitive to the substance injected into them than others and get immediate itching and rash symptoms. Other people will have no reaction at all or no reaction until there are a large number of bites.

The best tactic, if you suspect that you are being bitten by bed bugs is to carefully search around any area where you slee for actual bugs, blood smears, fecal droppings, or discarded shells.  Finding any of these is a sure sign of an infestation.